LISTENING TO A SHABBOS RECORDING

Selected Halachos from the “One Minute Halacha” project
By HaRav Yosef Yeshaya Braun, Shlita, Mara D’asra and member of the Badatz of Crown Heights

MAY I BENEFIT FROM A JEW’S SHABBOS RECORDING?

Scenario I: My son’s bar-mitzvah Kiddush was held on Shabbos afternoon. One of the local Jews (who really only shows up to shul on Yom Kippur and for social events) videotaped the speeches (unsolicited) and emailed them to us after Shabbos along with some pictures of the event that he took on the sly. May we keep them and show them around?

Scenario II: Due to a number of snow days when college was closed, we had a makeup class scheduled for Friday evening. Since I am shomer Shabbos (Shabbos observant), a fellow Jewish (but non-observant) classmate recorded the class on her phone for my benefit and emailed it to me. May I listen to the professor’s Shabbos lecture?

There is an issur d’Rabbanan (a prohibition by Rabbinic decree) of amira l’nochri (telling a non-Jew [to perform forbidden work [on Shabbos]) under normal circumstances.* Once the work was performed, the Jewish consumer must wait bich’dei sheya’asu ([the time] for it to be accomplished) after Shabbos is over; with sufficient time having passed for the work to have theoretically been performed post-Shabbos, the Jew may benefit from the non-Jew’s work. However, if the non-Jew is working for themselves or other non-Jews (without the possibility for extra accommodation for the Jew), there are no restrictions—even if the Jew also benefits from their work.

But what if the one performing the malacha is a Jew?

Halacha states that maaseh Shabbos ([prohibited] Shabbos work) that a Jew performs independently and b’meizid (deliberately) is not restricted, even immediately after Shabbos. Nevertheless, for benefitting from the work of a mechalel Shabbos ([non-observant individual who regularly] desecrates Shabbos), many poskim state that we must wait bich’dei sheya’asu, and some say that we may not benefit from their work at all. Practically, if the work was unsolicited, it is sufficient to wait bich’dei sheya’asu. (If the work was done at the behest of the observant Jew, no benefit may be derived at all.)

However, both of the above scenarios revolve around a one-time event; once Shabbos has passed, it was no longer possible to record the experiences and we’d be hard-pressed to find a leniency because of the halachic leeway of bich’dei sheya’asu. Therefore, according to many poskim, there is no possibility to benefit from the Shabbos recording of a non-observant individual. The same would apply to footage or photos of a non-Jew, if it was done solely for a Jew.

There are also other issues that come into play when utilizing a Jewish person’s Shabbos work: There is the concept of lifnei iver ([putting a stumbling block] before the blind) which includes the issur d’Rabbanan( Rabbinic prohibition) of mesaye’a (helper [for violating halacha]) and it may also be a violation of chillul Hashem (desecrating Hashem’s name)—by accepting the Jew’s Shabbos work, it may by appear that we view another’s chillul Shabbos acceptable.

*Some exceptions are issurei d’Rabbanan performed l’tzorech rabbim (for the benefit of many) or for a choleh (an ill person).

MAY I TAKE MY MEDICATION ON SHABBOS?

The issur (restriction) of taking medication on Shabbos* is a g’zeira mi’d’rabbanan (a Rabbinic decree) instituted as a safeguard to prevent a person desperate for a cure from grinding herbs to produce medicines, which would violate the malacha (Biblically prohibited work on Shabbos) of tochein (grinding vegetable matter). (Today, when it is common to acquire our medications pre-ground from the pharmacy, the original reason for this g’zeira doesn’t usually apply. Why we still maintain it and to what extent is extensively discussed among poskim.)

A choleh sheyesh bo sakanah (a critically ill person) may obviously use any medical interventions on Shabbos, including grinding medications which is assur min HaTorah (forbidden by Biblical Law)—because pikuach nefesh docheh Shabbos (saving a person’s life overrides Shabbos observance). A choleh sh’ein bo sakanah (an ill individual with a non-life threatening condition)—a category which includes the basic needs of very young children— may take medication, as well as other leniencies.

Someone who is suffering from a localized, non-threatening medical issue does not fit in either category—the general threshold of choleh being someone who is ill enough to be bed-ridden or otherwise debilitated. Taking medication on Shabbos under such circumstances is a halachic issue. If it is not possible to simply skip one day’s dose, an eitza (suggestion) is to take it right before Shabbos and immediately after.

Sometimes, the medication must be taken at a certain time of day or in two or more doses within a twenty-four-hour period, and the above eitza is no help. If the medication has been taken for some time prior to Shabbos, there is a heter (dispensation) in such a case—according to many poskim—to continue taking it over Shabbos. There is certainly room for leniency in circumstances where interrupting the course of the medication would be a setback in its effectiveness or necessitate another treatment round altogether.

*This issur is in force, according to most poskim, on both days of Rosh Hashanah and the first day of every other Yom Tov. (This is because the second day of Yom Tov is in itself Rabbinically instituted and many of their restrictions are dealt with more leniently.)

According to many opinions, painkillers are not included in the g’zeira and may be taken on Shabbos, and certainly on Yom Tov, since they dull pain but don’t treat it.

DO SINGLE-HANDLE FAUCETS POSE A PROBLEM ON SHABBOS?

Single-handle faucets have lately gained popularity over two-handle ones. Whereas two-handle faucets have dedicated hot and cold water handles that control the hot and cold water, single-handle—or lever-style—faucets control both the hot and cold water flow with the same handle. Turning on the single handle faucets releases a mixture of cold and hot water unless pushed all the way to one direction. This poses a problem on Shabbos.

We may not turn on the hot water on Shabbos since doing so causes additional water to be heated to replace the hot water that was used. There is a greater likelihood of the hot water being turned on by mistake with a single-handle faucet. Some might forget to push the handle all the way to the right; others may not know how a single handle faucet operates. In addition, some models might release hot water even if the handle is pushed all the way to the right. 

To avoid these potential problems, a faucet with two handles should be used or the hot water valve should be turned off before Shabbos. When faced with a one-handle faucet in an unfamiliar home, there is room to be lenient and assume that pushing the handle all the way to the right is okay. 

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