The rabbonim of Mishmeres HaShabbos recently made a round of visits to the gedolim, including Maran HaRav A.Y.L. Shteinman, HaRav Chaim Kanievsky, and HaRav Nissim Karelitz. They reported on their efforts and activities, and discussed plans for the future.
This round was in addition to ongoing consultations about their area of interest: modern digital appliances and their shailos.
It was HaRav Yosef Sholom Eliashiv zt"l who asked his talmid, HaRav Yitzchak Darzi, to undertake the initiative that became Mishmeres HaShabbos. In its early days, the organization used to meet with HaRav Eliashiv regularly for guidance and halachic advice.
It was HaRav Eliashiv who gave the organization its name: Mishmeres HaShabbos. He declared as the guiding principle of its operation: "Shabbos is not an agunah who needs heteirim." In the halachic world, an agunah, a woman whose husband is missing, is someone whom the halachic authorities seek to find a way to permit her to remarry. Halachic authorities who can find creative ways to permit agunos to remarry, are respected and honored. But Shabbos is not something about which it is proper to seek heteirim. In other words, the goal is not to adapt Shabbos to the digital age, but to adapt the digital age to Shabbos.
At the time the organization was founded, HaRav Nissim Karelitz added, "We do not see ourselves as obligated to find a solution for everything, but rather to clarify the permitted and the prohibited to those who wish to keep Shabbos as the halochoh requires. At the same time, it is good try to design products and procedures that can be used without any issues of chilul Shabbos whatsoever."
Questions and Answers from HaRav A.Y.L. Shteinman shlita
The rabbonim of Mishmeres HaShabbos asked Maran Rosh Hayeshiva several questions. Here are the questions and his answers.
Q: Is there a chashash of a deOraisa melochoh on Shabbos in digital records?
A: Yes.
Q: Would one be obligated to bring a Korbon Chattos? Or is it just a doubt and a possibility?
A: What is the difference?
Q: Rabbonim in Chutz la'Aretz have requested that we ask if they should make the community there aware of the new issues with digital appliances, or perhaps it is better to leave them in their ignorance, i.e. "it is better that they are shogegim." Also, should one say that it is just a hiddur to deal with these issues, or is it a prohibition? (We note that in Chutz la'Aretz there are people with the ability to fix the appliances so that they do not have any Shabbos problems.)
A: It is certainly an absolute prohibition.
Q: With regard to digital water meters, people say that when they travel on vacation, they do not care about the matter since it is not their home [and their bill is not affected by the meter]...
A: (Maran the Rosh Hayeshiva shlita interrupts the question and asks:) So then it is permitted to sin?
Afterwards Maran the Rosh Hayeshiva gave his blessing for the success of Mishmeres HaShabbos.
Questions and Answers from HaRav Chaim Kanievsky shlita
Q: Rabbonim in Chutz la'Aretz ask if they should try to spread the word about the problems with digital appliances. They say that people in Chutz la'Aretz do not want do "chumras" and generally it is hard from them...
A: Certainly.
Q: Digital recording and amplifying electrical current - are these prohibited or just a hiddur?
A: There is also a possibility of melochoh [on Shabbos].
Q: With regard to the issue of water meters, some say that when they go on vacation [and stay in temporary accommodations] since the meter is not theirs, they do not have to be concerned about its operation. Is this correct? May one rely on this?
A: Choliloh vechas!
At the end of the meeting, Maran was shown the installation developed by Mishmeres HaShabbos for refrigerators. The grandson of Maran said that there is such a device on the refrigerator in that home. Maran wished Mishmeres HaShabbos success in its endeavors.
The refrigerator of HaRav Chaim Kanievsky showing the Shabbos device on the side.
