The meeting at the home of HaRav Povarsky (center)
A special meeting took place in the home of HaRav Boruch Dov Povarsky, Rosh Yeshivas Ponovezh and member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah.
It was attended by a roster of eminent rabbonim together with rabbonim from the Mishmeres HaShabbos to discuss the pertinent Shabbos halochos regarding water pumps being installed in new buildings. Torah leadership permitted their use only after the disconnection the electronic sensor systems and the automatic operation of the pumps.
The recent meeting was called to institute that every Shomer Shabbos building in the country and the world receive full information and the apparatus necessary to avoid Shabbos desecration through electronic water pumping systems for every G-d-fearing Jew.
Among the participants were: HaRav Shevach Tzvi Rosenblatt, Rav of Bnei Brak; HaRav Yisroel Marmorosh; HaRav Menachem Mendel Lubin; HaRav Yosef Landau; HaRav Eliyahu Beifus, Rav of Mishmeres HaShabbos; HaRav Menachem Karelitz; HaRav Shmuel Kravitz and the electric engineer of Mishmeres HaShabbos, R' Yehuda Leib Heinrich.
The rabbonim discussed the issue of water pumping in these times, where new buildings recently built have electric pumping systems which were forbidden for Shabbos usage by our foremost poskim, past and present. This applies to buildings not considered especially tall by modern standards, such as 15 stories high or in some cases even somewhat less, depending on the conditions of the local water supply.
The engineer capably presented the professional data together with the halachic aspects of the usage of electronic pumping systems, expanding on the prevalent solution recommended with the supervision and authorization of Mishmeres HaShabbos, which enables the Shabbos usage of pumps circumventing any halachic problems.
The phone number of Mishmeres HaShabbos: 0722-164422. Fax: 072-2164423. Email: a0722164422@gmail.com
A booklet about Shabbos issues of refigerators is available at: http://www.kacher.fr/Mishmeres%20Hashabbos%20booklet.pdf
