Q&A: And You Shall Draw Water with Joy???
And You Shall Draw Water with Joy???
Question
Hello,
It was reported today that there are problems with turning on water in high-rise buildings –
https://www.kipa.co.il/%D7%99%D7%94%D7%93%D7%95%D7%AA/1123158-0/
So what now? Is it impossible to stay as guests in places like that? Is it really forbidden to open the faucets?
Thank you
Answer
I don't know the details. In principle, this is an unintended act, and a doubtful inevitable-result case, and perhaps even mere unawareness of the act. I wouldn't get stressed about it. It's somewhat similar to opening a refrigerator on the Sabbath, which sometimes activates or hastens the activation of the compressor. It is certainly proper to be stringent and careful about this, but I wouldn't avoid using water or the garbage disposal because of it.
Discussion on Answer
They themselves wrote that this is not the case in every building. The doubt whether this exists in our building is exactly the subject of the dispute between the Taz and Rabbi Akiva Eiger regarding a doubtful inevitable-result case. And according to Rabbi Akiva Eiger, in such a case there isn't even an obligation to check.
And it seems to me that even in a building where the problem exists, it doesn't happen every time or necessarily, and if so then according to all opinions it is an unintended act without an inevitable result.
If in the future construction standards become such that using water (even draining it) involves activating an electrical mechanism in the background, would there then be a problem using water on the Sabbath?
If it's a mechanism that does something else, not for the sake of the water use itself, in my opinion it's permitted. And if it's for the sake of the use itself, then it requires discussion (whether this is mere unawareness of the act or an unintended act in an inevitable-result case).
Walking through a street or courtyard that activates a light or camera via a sensor is permitted.
Suppose it's a meter that measures water usage and alerts if there's a leak, or a meter that measures water usage for billing the consumer, or a meter that measures water usage in order to know how much water needs to be pumped in advance to the upper floors
The first two, in my opinion, are like something external. The third requires discussion, because the person downstairs is using it, while the mechanism is for the sake of the upstairs resident.
The problem of using electricity is a minor problem. In general, this whole prohibition is apologetic. The big problem is that there may be cooking, because cold water gets mixed with boiling water from heating elements. For some reason most rabbis ignore this, or do everything they can to permit it in ways that are sometimes bizarre.
A few years ago there was a call for a Haredi boycott by some groups against lenient rabbis.
Why isn't this definitely an inevitable-result case? After all, the Tzomet Institute claims that opening the faucet causes some electrical mechanism to be activated in high-rise buildings.