Q&A: Mehadrin Sabbath-Control Refrigerator
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
Mehadrin Sabbath-Control Refrigerator
Question
Hello Rabbi!
I’m in the process of buying a refrigerator. There are refrigerators that have a mehadrin Sabbath control mode.
I wanted to know whether I am required to buy one with a mehadrin Sabbath control mode or not. We’re talking about a Sharp refrigerator.
I understood that this relates to opening the door, when cold air enters and activates the motor. Is that forbidden, or is it only indirect causation?
Answer
There are halakhic decisors who permit opening a refrigerator door even though air enters and causes the motor to turn on. See, for example, here:
https://ph.yhb.org.il/01-17-08/?gclid=CjwKCAjw5vz2BRAtEiwAbcVIL8bGPK-TGhJ1qXJzKdj-zTuF3ipW8xurZu7onRbVfO4DFWZ2OlzH9xoCEVQQAvD_BwE
There are other things in today’s refrigerators that can also pose a problem besides the thermostat; each case has to be checked on its own. Some make digital records of door openings, and so on.