The gathering
A rabbinical gathering of members of Mishmeres haShabbos took place in the home of HaRav Dovid Cohen, Rosh Yeshivas Chevron and member of Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah, to discuss the importance of supervising the installation of digital devices during construction of buildings, especially residential buildings.
Present at the meeting were HaRav Tzvi Weber. rabbi of Neve Yaakov and member of Badatz Shearis Yisroel; HaRav Eliyohu Beifus, rabbi of Mishmeres haShabbos; HaRav Ben Zion Kook; HaRav Yisrael Yitzchok Mendelsohn; HaRav Naftoli Kopshitz; HaRav Elimelech Fisher; HaRav Avrohom Zecharish; HaRav Meir Rosner; HaRav Dov Gershon Meltzer; HaRav Chaim Arye Hochman; HaRav Yisroel Meir Morgenstern and HaRav Ben Zion Elkichen.
HaRav Beifus presented a variety of new technological developments which he was able to develop, with the cooperation of the major companies in the economy, as part of the revolution which has taken place in adapting the systems in buildings to avoid Shabbos desecration, where each building has an automatic scheme incorporating both electricity and other systems, and thanks to the extensive investment of the organization, a great deal of chillul Shabbos has been eliminated.
He also stressed the fact that once a building is standing and ready for occupation, it is very difficult, costly and complicated to rewire it for permissible Shabbos usage, and which sometimes also involves strife-filled neighborly relations. This is why it is so important to install the systems beforehand during construction, when it is much more feasible.
A new and unique development created by architects and engineers was also discussed regarding the use of water supply for each building, whose storage is at the ground level, where every private usage activates a sensitive inverter pump. Torah leaders insisted already a decade ago that a solution must be found to allow for Shabbos usage. At that time, already, installations were designed, taking into account all the times of Shabbos and Yom Tov for the upcoming years, where the systems revert automatically to the Shabbos program.
At the end of the meeting, HaRav Weber blessed all of those assisting in this holy work, supervising that no harm or problem crop up so that all can continue to observe Shabbos in the best possible fashion.
