Q&A: Moving a Flame on the Sabbath
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
Moving a Flame on the Sabbath
Question
Have a good week, Honorable Rabbi. Could the Rabbi explain to me why a flame is something forbidden to move on the Sabbath? Seemingly it has no tangible substance at all. Best regards,
Answer
Simply speaking, it is muktzeh due to prohibition (lest one extinguish it or come to extinguish it), and therefore the tangible substance of the fire is not relevant to the discussion.
See some further clarification here:
https://www.betmidrash.org.il/index.php/%D7%98%D7%9C%D7%98%D7%95%D7%9C_%D7%A0%D7%A8_%D7%91%D7%A9%D7%91%D7%AA