No electricity and No water on Shabbos

supermom ↓

Sun, Feb 19 2006, 3:38 am

Can someone please explain this one to me. My brother in law doesn't use the water on shabbos because a jew comes once in a blue moon to check up on the water. The water is owned by the arabs. And the electricty company is opened on shabbos so they don't use electricity either. Why doesn't the whole israel do the same if it is assur according to my brother in law?

happy2beme

Sun, Feb 19 2006, 8:28 am

oh my gosh! I have no clue but I must tell u it is sooooo difficult to have no electric or H2O on shabbos. I was in an category 4 (I think) hurricane recently & we didnt have the above. Well, I guess that was worst cuz that lasted for many days. However, ur title reminded me anout it & I just shuddered- not such good memories.
sorry, I went a little off track- just wanted to say that's so difficult & no clue y they do that.

cindy324 ↓

Sun, Feb 19 2006, 8:44 am

Quote:

My brother in law doesn't use the water on shabbos because a jew comes once in a blue moon to check up on the water.

Supermom could you clarify that? what do you mean a jew comes to check up on the water? Did you mean someone comes on shabbos to make sure he's not using the water?! Or did you mean that a jew who is not frum checks on it on shabbos as part of his job?

Please don't tell me he does not flush the toilet on Shabbos!

↑ supermom ↓

Sun, Feb 19 2006, 8:52 am

I will clarify here in israel the jews run everything. so every once in a while a jew comes around and checks the water no not on shabbos during the week. So since they check on the water that means they own it so it is not allowed to be used on shabbos. so to with the electricity company they are opened on shabbos so according to him it is not allowed to use the electricity.

as for what they do on shabbos. either people run their house on batteries, or oil lamps so they end up sitting in the dark for the rest of the shabbos when the oil runs out, or they use generators that cost a fortune to run.

As for the water well this is how it works they fill up at least fifty bottles of water to wash there hands in the morning, for bread, dishes if they need, and to flush the toilet with etc.

Motek ↓

Sun, Feb 19 2006, 8:52 am

supermom wrote:

Doesn't he use a generator on Shabbos for his electricity and doesn't he have tanks of water that he uses?

The source of the chumra of not using electricity on Shabbos and Yom Tov because of the chilul shabbos involved in its generation is the Chazon Ish. Every Friday, he drew a bathtub full of water for use on Shabbos, and indeed would not use the faucets nor flush the toilet.

Why doesn't everybody refrain from using the elec. and water on Shabbos and Yom Tov? Apparently, other poskim rule differently or maybe you don't realize it but in some areas, people are using generators for their Shabbos electricity

↑ supermom ↓

Sun, Feb 19 2006, 9:04 am

alot of poeple do use generators but the ones that don't use because it is too much money they use oil. And then their is one person I know open the light in the bathroom because well you need a bathroom light so that one I don't understand.

but for my bil well they don't use a generator because it is too much money so they have candles around the house until it burns out in the middle of the night.

I don't think it comes from the chazon Ish since they say if it is owned by a jew how can we make them do chilul shabbos. but even if we don't use it on shabbos electricity they would be still working on shabbos for the non frum ones.

How does a person have kovod shabbos by living like this? especially the ones that don't have their freezer or fridge running? And let alone no light for the third meal and on?

↑ Motek ↓

Sun, Feb 19 2006, 9:46 am

supermom wrote:

I don't think it comes from the chazon Ish since they say if it is owned by a jew how can we make them do chilul shabbos.

that's exactly the reason!

Quote:

but even if we don't use it on shabbos electricity they would be still working on shabbos for the non frum ones.

if it would be up to the Chazon Ish, then NOBODY would use it or the electric company would have Arabs do the work on Shabbos or some other solution

Quote:

How does a person have kovod shabbos by living like this? especially the ones that don't have their freezer or fridge running? And let alone no light for the third meal and on?

so what happens to the food in their fridge and freezer?

remember, people lived like this for millenia and if today, their rav paskens that it entails chilul Shabbos to use it, then they don't have a choice! We don't say that our comfort outweighs chilul Shabbos!

sarahd

Tue, Feb 21 2006, 4:15 am

Motek wrote:

supermom wrote:

How does a person have kovod shabbos by living like this? especially the ones that don't have their freezer or fridge running? And let alone no light for the third meal and on?

so what happens to the food in their fridge and freezer?

They have the food arranged so they can open the fridge once for each meal for a minute and that's it. And I don't understand this question:

Quote:

How does a person have kovod shabbos by living like this?

Shemiras Shabbos is the biggest kvod Shabbos there is, isn't it? And as Motek said for millenia people had no light for seuda shlishis and they seem to have coped pretty well.

↑ supermom ↓

Tue, Feb 21 2006, 6:54 am

nope no fridge or freezer running. that is my point. how can you get pleasure from shabbos living in the dark? and all your food sitting in don't know where since there is no fridge or freezer to put anything.

what happens when it gets dark early your house is gloomy and then it gets real dark what about your kids and the bathroom and all?

↑ cindy324 ↓

Tue, Feb 21 2006, 10:33 am

Quote:

nope no fridge or freezer running.

What about in the summer, when temps soar? Wouldn't it be Mesiras nefesh to eat food that's been unrefrigerated? They could get terribly sick from contaminated food.

↑ supermom ↓

Wed, Feb 22 2006, 5:36 am

that is exactly my question what do they do with everything?!?!? now think about it pesach is coming around the corner what do they do? people have their freezers and fridgerators packed. at least I would have it instead of reshopping during the week again.

chen ↓

Wed, Feb 22 2006, 11:45 am

[quote="cindy324"]

Quote:

Wouldn't it be Mesiras nefesh to eat food that's been unrefrigerated? They could get terribly sick from contaminated food.

Mesiras nefesh? Or sakkonas nefoshos?

↑ chen

Wed, Feb 22 2006, 12:07 pm

well, no, it wasn't a criticism...I was just trying to clarify which you meant. They may in fact think it's mesiras nefesh. Probably do. There's plenty of things ppl do in the name of mesiras nefesh that I think are just plumb dangerous. (NO examples given as I'd be sure to offend.)