Community Magazine August 2012

1 WHAT CAN BE DONE IF THE AIR CONDITIONING IS NOT FUNCTIONING DURING SHABBAT ON A HOT SUMMER DAY? If the air conditioner is simply turned off, if it triggered a circuit breaker or if the thermostat is set too high, and one suffers intense discomfort due to the heat, one may ask a gentile to flip the switch to turn it on. If the air conditioner requires some sort of repair, depending on the intricacy, it may violate the Torah prohibition of metaken mana (repairing) on Shabbat. A competent halachic expert should be consulted for guidance on the specific situation. 2 CAN A PERSON DRAG A CHAIR ON THE SAND BY THE BEACH ON SHABBAT (ASSUMING THERE IS AN ERUV )? Dragging a chair, or any similar item, in sand on Shabbat, is generally forbidden as this inevitably results in the creation of a furrow, in violation of the Shabbat prohibition of hofer (digging). One should therefore carry the chair, rather than drag it. 3 IF AN OUTDOOR CHAIR IS WET, HOW SHOULD IT BE DRIED OFF ON SHABBAT? If there is a large amount of water on the chair, the water should be spilled off, ensuring that it does not flow onto grass or other vegetation, as the act of watering plants would violate the prohibition of zorea (planting). If there is not a large amount of water, one may pat the chair with a towel, provided that the towel does not become saturated, which could result in the Shabbat violation of sehita (squeezing). 4 MAY ONE HANG A HAT OR TOWEL ON A BRANCH ON SHABBAT? The Shulhan Aruch ( Orah Haim 336:2) rules that, on Shabbat, it is forbidden to make use of any part of a tree that is higher than three tefahim (handbreadths), or approximately nine inches, off the ground, due to the concern that one may break a branch. Therefore, one may not hang a hat or towel on a branch that is higher than nine inches off the ground. 5 IS IT PERMISSIBLE TO PLACE WATER IN AN ICE CUBE TRAY AND PUT IT IN THE FREEZER TO MAKE ICE ON SHABBAT? Many poskim prohibit making ice cubes in Shabbat, asserting that transforming water to ice constitutes nolad – changing something from one form to another. Most Sepharadim, however, follow the opinion of Hacham Ben Sion Abba Shaul ( Or Lesion , vol. 2, 32:3) who ruled that making ice cubes does not qualify as nolad and is thus permissible on Shabbat. It should be noted that this applies only to making ice cubes that will be used on Shabbat; according to all views, one may not prepare ice on Shabbat for use after Shabbat. 6 IF SOMEONE ACCEPTED SHABBAT EARLY AND REALIZED THAT HE HAD FORGOTTEN TO SHUT A LIGHT, MAY HE ASK SOMEONE WHO HAS NOT YET ACCEPTED SHABBAT TO SHUT THE LIGHT? One who accepted Shabbat early may ask a fellow Jew who has not accepted Shabbat to turn off a light or do another melacha (work forbidden on Shabbat), even explicitly, as long as it is still before sundown ( Shulhan Aruch 263:17). This is in contrast to asking a non-Jew to perform activity on Shabbat, which is forbidden except in specific situations. 7 MAY ONE USE INSECT-KILLING SPRAY ON SHABBAT? It is prohibited to kill insects on Shabbat, and thus one may not use insect-killing chemicals on Shabbat, even if one does not spray directly on the insects, since the spray will cause them to die. One may, however, spray in an area without a known infestation in order to prevent bugs from entering the room, provided that he leaves a window or door open to allow insects in the room to escape ( Orhot Shabbat , pp. 425-426). 8 MAY ONE APPLY SUNSCREEN TO HIS SKIN ON SHABBAT? Sunscreen in the form of a cream or lotion should not be applied on Shabbat. Sunscreen in spray form may be used, but only when absolutely necessary. RABBI DANIEL D. LEVY The Top 10 Questions & Answers on Customs and Laws oF D dicated oving emo y Hac a N i Ma a . Shabbat observance in the Summer 64 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE