Question: With regard to Shabbat Clocks: Would Beit Hillel have allowed the use of a Shabbat clock on the basis that they did not subscribe to the priciple of "idleness of Utensils"? Could I automatically set the TV and clock radio to go on and off? Would even beit Hillel say that at some point one is not respecting Shabbat? At what point would one no longer be respecting Shabbat in our highly automated society? (i.e. if it makes noise - is a clock radio considered noise?)
Thanks for your interesting question.
A Shabbos clock would certainly be no different than any other utensils as far as the Isur of Shevisas Kelim is concerned. There are, however, other concerns raised with regard to their use.
Rav Moshe Feinstein Zt"l, in Igros Moshe O.C.4, 60, writes that if Melacha is done indiscriminately on Shabbos by means of a Shabbos clock this constitutes a Zilusa deShabsa i.e. disrespect to the sanctity of Shabbos. He adds that it is clear to him that had the question of Shabbos clocks arisen in the time of Chazal they would have forbidden their use. He therefore he does not permit a Shabbos clock for anything other than lights. He explains that lights are different as there was a tradition in many places to permit the extinguishing and even lighting of lamps by goyim. (There is some justification for allowing goyim to light lamps for Jewish benefit (Rama O.C. 276 -2), although many poskim protested this practice.) Since switching lights on and off by means of Goyim is an established practice it no longer constitutes a Zilusa deShabsa and is therefore permitted by a Shabbos clock. According to Rav Mosh Feinstein one would not be permitted to use a Shabbos clock for anything other than lights.
The above answer was given in reference to switching on a hotplate by a time switch. When the appliance in question makes a noise there is a further factor to consider.
The Rama O.C. 252-5 rules that preparing a mill before Shabbos to grind on Shabbos is forbidden because of the noise that is made and the consequent disrespect to Shabbos. Any appliance which makes a noise would not be allowed to be operated by a Shabbos clock due to this consideration. Many people rely on more lenient opinions and use Shabbos clocks for other appliances. They should not be used for appliances which make a noise such as radios, washing machines etc.
Ilan Segal
Would a time clock for an air conditionor be forbidden as well? Can it be considered like a heater? A heater should theoretically be permitted via a time clock, since we are all considered cholim when it comes to the cold; and since we are allowed to ask a goy to turn on the heat on Shabbos (a shvus is muter for a choleh sheayn bo sakanah), a time clock should also be
permitted. Can we apply the same logic to an air conditioner, that when it comes to the intense heat we are considered cholim (heat stroke)? Or maybe we can throw in the reason of oneg Shabbos as well?
I read with interest your discussion of Shabbos clocks. I recently heard a shiur from my rebbe Rav Herschel Schachter on a very similar topic. The Nimukei Yosef in Bava Kamma on the sugya of isho mishum chitzo asks how are
we permitted to light Shabbos candles if they will burn on Shabos . The Pnei Yehoshua, the Chasam Sofer and other Acharonim answer that a melacha can only be performed on Shabbos and that the melacha be in the form of a kum vaseh . A gzera can be violated bshev val taaseh even on Erev Shabbos(i.e hatmana, shehiya and chazara). If Rav Moshe z'l 's shita is that we rely on non Jews to turn on lights, this shita could be applied in the U.S.to air conditioners .The top of the line Frederick funtions on its own internal thermostat. If set with a Shabbos clock, a hot and humid Shabos is enjoyable. When this teshuva was written ,was air conditioning a luxury or the norm. Rav Moshe z' l has a fascinating teshuva to Rav Hutner Z'l on using electricity in Israel.
Thanks for the question and interesting comments and additions. In The Radiance of Shabbos by Rav Simcha Bunim Cohen (p. 111) he quotes a letter by Rav Moshe Feinstein as recent as 5743 in which he stands by his previous ruling that only lights may be operated by a time clock to the exclusion of everything else. While your points seem logical, it seems that Rav Moshe did not want to be lenient.
In the Teshuva in O.C.4-60 Rav Moshe discusses the Nimukei Yosef in detail.
Thanks again
Ilan Segal
Thank you for response. What is the view of the Chazon Ish Z'l, Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach Z'l , Rav Waldenberg , and Rav Eliashiv on this issue,especially on the issue of setting Shabbos clocks in Israel?
Dear Rabbi Kornfeld,
Someone showed me your comments on Shabbos Clocks. I am surprised that you quote a Tshuva from Reb Moishe Zatsal which literally the whole world was not Mikabeil. I learned in Torah Vodaas and in Lakewood and the air conditioners (which make noise) were turned on and off during Shabbos by Shabbos clocks. Furthermore, see Siman 252 in Orach Chaim where most Poskim agree with Rabeinu Tam in Tosafos Daf 18:1 that we are not concerned about Avsha Milsa and therefore starting a water mill on Erev Shabbos is permitted even if it will run and make noise on Shabbos.
It is true that by a mill the Minhag is to be Machmir unless there is a loss involved, but I ask you was it right to bring Reb Moishe's Tshuva and imply that this is the Halacha, when it is in fact a chumra Bialma in a Dirabanan which the world was not Mikabeil Is it possible that Reb Moshe Zatsal wrote this Tshuva before the spread of the Shabbos clocks to other areas besides lights. He sincerely tried to stop this spread. However now that everyone uses Shabbos clocks for all kinds of things, even Reb Moshe would agree that this is permitted.
(Zilusa is usually interpreted to mean that people will say that a Chilul Shabbos was done in the property of a Jew and with the spread of the Shabbos clocks this is no longer applicable.) I believe Reb Moishe would forbid setting a Shabbos clock for the radio or TV as B"H almost no one does this, it really is a Zilusa of Shabbos. I write this note to you withe greatest respect. I am also very grateful for your work. But it is becoming a Makas Medina that Yeshive Leit forget elementary rules of Psak such as " Hameikel Bidivrei Sofrim Lo Yafsid" and the isur of " Yuhara" and "Motsee Laaz al Harishonim."
Yasher Kochachem, P. Merling
Dear Paul and Zelig,
Thank you very much for your comments. Below is the piece we wrote about Shabbos clocks in the INSIGHTS section that was sent out. Please note that we do not intend for any of our mailings to be viewed as Halachic decisions. We view ourselves as no more than a Dafyomi resource, here to help Klal Yisrael learn Gemara.
I am enclosing our original comments on the matter of Shabbos clocks, from our INSIGHTS TO THE DAF. Please look it over, as you do not seem to have had access to it at the time you wrote in your comments. (Note that we do not imply that the Halachah follows one or the other of the Poskim.)
In our DISCUSS THE DAF mailing, Rabbi Segal wrote responding to questions specifically addressing application of the concepts in the Gemara on Daf 18a to modern day forms of Zilusa of Shabbos, and therefore he expounded on Rav Moshe's writings which make that connection. As Rav Segal wrote in a followup letter, it does not seem that Rav Moshe retracted this ruling. The Radiance of Shabbos by Rav Simcha Bunim Cohen p.111 quotes a letter by Rav Moshe Feinstein as recent as 5743 in which he stands by his previous ruling that only lights may be operated by a time clock to the exclusion of everything else. While your points seem logical, it seems that Rav Moshe did not want to be lenient.
Again, what we write is not to be taken as a Halachic resource, but as a Talmudic one. There are, by the way, many excellent Halachic resources online as well; just write your questions to ask@ohr.org.il or rabbi@torah.org or rabbi@shemayisrael.co.il, to name a few.
Again, thank you for your comments.
Kol tuv,
Yisrael Shaw
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(Copied from INSIGHTS to Shabbos 18)
(3) HALACHAH: USING A SHABBOS TIMER
OPINIONS: The Gemara cites a Beraisa that says that a person is allowed to
open his sluice gate, before Shabbos, to allow water to flow into his
garden or field on Shabbos. Also, mid'Oraisa one may put wheat into a
watermill before Shabbos and have the mill grind the wheat all Shabbos. The
Rabanan, however, forbid letting a mill operate on Shabbos because it makes
too much noise (according to Rabah).
Can we learn from this Gemara whether or not it is permitted to set a
Shabbos clock prior to Shabbos to perform Melachah on Shabbos?
(a) RAV MOSHE FEINSTEIN (IGROS MOSHE OC 4:60) forbids doing Melachah
through a pre-set Shabbos timer. He says that although the Gemara permits
certain actions to be done prior to Shabbos when the results of those
actions will occur on Shabbos, that applies only when the process of the
Melachah began prior to Shabbos. With Shabbos clocks, however, the entire
Melachah begins on Shabbos.
Rav Moshe writes two reasons why it should be prohibited to use a Shabbos
timer. 1) One may not tell a non-Jew to do Melachah for him on Shabbos. The
same way, one may not "tell," or program, a mechanical device to do
Melachah for him on Shabbos. 2) Rashi (DH she'Yitchanu) in our Sugya
explains that having a millstone operate on Shabbos is forbidden because
the noise that it makes is a disgrace to Shabbos, and if people were to
have their mills running on Shabbos, they would be transgressing the
Mitzvah of honoring the Shabbos. Similarly, setting a Shabbos timer to do
Melachah on Shabbos is a disgrace to Shabbos.
Rav Moshe does, however, permit the use of a Shabbos timer for setting
lights to go on and off. Even though he prefers to forbid the use of a
Shabbos timer altogether, he permits using it for lights, because it was
the accepted, common practice in Europe to have a non-Jew extinguish and
re-kindle the lights in the homes of Jews at given hours. We do not have to
be more stringent with regard to a Shabbos timer.
Other authorities differ with Rav Moshe's ruling.
(b) The CHAZON ISH (OC 38:2,3) permits setting a Shabbos clock to perform
Melachah on Shabbos. SHEMIRAS SHABBOS K'HILCHASAH concludes that it is
permitted as well.
RAV SHLOMO ZALMAN AUERBACH (MINCHAS SHLOMO) even permits changing -- on
Shabbos -- the time that a Shabbos timer is set to perform a Melachah by
turning the dial in such a way that one delays the action that the Shabbos
clock would have caused, because doing so is not considered to be
performing any Melachah.