Banning Gas Stove-tops for Yom Tov

Instead of writing about a shooting attack on the car in front of me this evening, or the rock that hit my car, I thought it might be more interesting to write about the new rage in Israel.

In a letter from Rabbi S. Y. Nissim Karlitz and Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, they write that due to the safety gas valve installed on gas ranges, which creates an electric circuit despite not being connected to an electrical source, it is absolutely forbidden to light a gas range on Yom Tov (from another source of fire, which is permitted on Yom Tov), and one should leave their gas range on for the entire holiday.


The source of the news story is on the Kikar Shabbat ultra-Orthodox website, which claims that a few weeks ago, an "expert" on electricity arrived at R' Nissim Karlitz's home and informed him of his findings, that the emergency shut off valve creates an electric circuit, despite not being connected to an electrical source. (Kikar Shabbat website source in Hebrew)

While this may seem as shocking news to the Ultra Orthodox community in Israel, it has been previously addressed by Rabbi Yisrael Rosen of the Tzomet Institute (this isn't a "new" issue at all). All new gas ranges by law, are required to have an emergency shut of gas valve.



Pushing in the dial for a gas range, opens a spring operated gas valve and allows gas to reach the range top. Near the location of the flame is a dual metal sensor which has the physical property of creating a minute electrical current resulting from the the heating of 2 different metals closely aligned with each other. The minute current is enough to keep the gas valve "open" against the spring mechanism.

If the flame goes out, the sensor cools, and after 5 seconds, the dual-metal contraption ceases to generate the micro current. This results in the valve springing opening, thereby shutting the gas flow.

Rav Rosen then posits why this isn't an issue for using a gas range on Yom Tov. (Article from Tzomet, here)

I will try and translate them tomorrow...

המדליק את הלהבה מתכוון להבערה ולבישול. חימום החיישן ויצירת הכח החשמלי היא תוצאת לוואי, היכולה להיחשב לכל היותר פסיק-רישא (בדרבנן?), דניחא ליה.

2. יצירת הכח החשמלי היא בדרך ה'גרמא' מנקודת המבט של פעולת האדם. כתוצאה מהתחממות 2 מתכות שונות נוצר כח חשמלי זעיר. גם אם 'אשו משום חציו' היינו האש עצמה, אך התחממות המתכות ויצירת החשמל הנגרר מכך אינם 'חציו' אלא 'גרמא'.

3. לדעות רבות אין איסור 'בונה' ו'מכה בפטיש' במעגל חשמלי אלא 'מוליד' בלבד. ולענין 'מוליד' אין איסור כשנעשה ממילא, ומותר לכתחילה מעין מה ששנינו (שבת נא,ב) "אין מרזקין לא את השלג ולא את הברד בשבת בשביל שיזובו מימיו, אבל נותן הוא לתוך הכוס או לתוך הקערה ואינו חושש", שאינו מוליד מים במישרין.

4. ובעיקר, מדובר בצורך יו"ט, ועונג יו"ט, ואוכל נפש. ואמנם כל אלו אין בהם כדי להתיר מלאכת 'מכה בפטיש', למשל, אך נימוק זה חזי לאיצטרופי להיתרא. ובפרט, כאמור, אין מנוס על פי החוק והתקן משימוש בהתקן בטיחותי זה.

Visiting Israel?
Learn to Shoot at Caliber-3 with top Israeli Anti-Terror Experts!

Follow the Muqata on Twitter.

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד

Tzomet Blasts Anti Shabbat Elevator Ruling

R' Yisrael Rozen, head of the Tzomet Institute [post about Tzomet] slams the halachik (Jewish law) ruling forbidding Shabbat Elevators.

"In one shot, the announcement turns the Shabbat of sick and elderly from pleasure to distress. Every Rabbi signed on the ruling received from me numerous requests to meet with me [to discuss the Shabbat Elevator issue], but I received no answers."

Interviewed on the Chareidim website, R' Rosen stated he is obligated to listen to the Rabbis, but only after they meet with him and here my reasons in favor of a Shabbat elevator. If afterwards, they will issue a halachik ruling, I will follow it. He added, "Meanwhile, the Rabbis have never heard this side of the issue [in favor of Shabbat elevators]. I have proof that great Charedi/Ultra Orthodox Rabbis use Shabbat elevators in hotels on Shabbat.

According to R' Rosen, he and the Tzomet Institue rely on the rabbinic rulings of R' Shlomo Zalman Aurbach and his students such as R' Yehoshua Neubert, the author of Shmirat Shabbat k'Hilchata.

"It is inconceivable that one announcement changes Shabbat from a day of pleasure to a difficult day despair."

TheYeshivaWorld follows up with the following quoting from an interview on Radio Kol Chai:

In addition, Rabbi Rosen questions those in the “court of the rabbonim”, explaining gedolim are obviously called upon to affix their signatures by rabbis who have access to them deciding to bring this specific issue to their attention. He asked how such a decision can be reached, quoting experts in the field, when Zomet, which is one of two institutes in the field working to find technological advances that can be incorporated into permitted shabbos use, was not contacted by any of the rabbonim who brought this to the attention of gedolei yisrael shlita. He stated, “I am not a ‘bal plugta’ with any of the gedolim” but question how such a ruling can be issued without even conferring with rabbinical experts such as those at Zomet.

Rabbi Rosen added that it is difficult for him to comment since the p’sak circulating in chareidi circles is not detailed.

Rabbi Rosen told Kol Chai Radio that he feels the gedolim at times are led by those who have access to them, pushing certain issues before them and in this case, opting to ignore the experts who address the issues for the past years, relying on torah giants such as Reb Shlomo Zalman.

Visiting Israel?
Learn to Shoot at Caliber-3 with top Israeli Anti-Terror Experts!

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד