Introduction
Before the
discovery of electricity, the only practical way for humans to create light was
through fire. Thus for generations, there was no great need for poskim to
question whether various halachos involving light require (or forbid) light from
a fire – there simply was no other option.
With the
invention of the lightbulb, a large number of new halachic questions needed to
be evaluated. Is turning on such a light on Shabbos akin to lighting a fire?
Can electric light be used for Shabbos lights, Havdalah, Chanuka or searching
for Chametz on Erev Pesach?
In all of these
cases, there are really two questions involved:
1)
Is any
light is good enough, or do we require a fire?
2)
Even if a
fire is required, does an electric light count as a fire?
The answer to
the first question will likely be different in each case. It may be obvious
that only making a fire is included in the melacha of Ma'avir (burning) on
Shabbos; intuitively there is no obvious reason to require a fire in order to
search for Chametz.[1] Each
of the halachos must be examined separately, and no scientific knowledge is
required.
Regarding the
second question, logically the halachic definition of fire should be constant
throughout. The question is only whether electric light fits the definition,
and to answer this some scientific knowledge may be necessary. Of course, there
may be room to differentiate between the various different types of lightbulbs
and heating elements available.
What is a
Fire?
The gemara deals
with this question explicitly in the context of lesser known halachos – those
of tzara'as (ritual 'leprosy'). One of the types of tzara'as mentioned in the
Torah is when an affliction appears on a part of the skin that was burned by
fire.[2]
The gemara
derives from the pesukim that this type of tzara'as applies even if the
afflicted area of skin was burned by a hot coal, or other hot substances. The
gemara then questions the need for this derivation- as a burning coal is also
on fire, why would there be any reason to distinguish? The gemara concludes
that the pesukim are teaching us that even skin burnt by a glowing hot piece of
metal is included, despite there being no fire involved.
This is then
questioned further. One of the four methods in which the death penalty is
administered is through burning.[3]
This is achieved by forcing the guilty person to swallow a glowing strip of
lead. If hot metal is not considered 'fire,' how can this method fulfil the
requirement of burning the guilty to death in fire?
The gemara
answers that in this case no fire is required – other methods of burning are
acceptable (in fact this is the only acceptable method, as the gemara derives
there). This is derived from the extra word תשרף (You shall burn) used in reference to this death penalty.
Although the word אש
(fire) is also used, this merely teaches us that the hot lead must be heated
using fire.[4]
From this gemara
it would appear that while glowing hot metal 'burns,' it is not considered a
'fire.' The conclusion should be that the light and heat given off by
incandescent lightbulbs and most heating elements (which are essentially pieces
of hot metal), do not meet the halachic criteria for a fire. Thus we have
answered the second question above.[5]
Electric
Light on Shabbos
Based on the
above, it should be clear that turning on an electric light is not included in
the Biblical command:
לֹא תְבַעֲרוּ אֵשׁ בְּכֹל מֹשְׁבֹתֵיכֶם בְּיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת:
(שמות לה, ג)
"You
must not burn fire in any of your dwellings on the Shabbos day."
Shemos 35:3
This pasuk does
not include burning through means other than fire. It should therefore be no
surprise that the gemara permits 'extinguishing' a hot piece of metal in order to
prevent public damage (even when lives are not in danger),[6]
and that some Rishonim write explicitly that the melachos of burning and
extinguishing do not apply to metal.[7]
However, the
Rambam writes that heating up metal in order to purify it is a tolada
(derivative) of the melacha of burning.[8]
On Shabbos, the Torah forbids us to perform any of the 39 av melachos (primary
forbidden activities) as well as actions broadly similar to these melachos. Thus
although glowing metal is not a 'fire,' the Rambam feels that heating metal
until it glows is potentially a Biblically forbidden derivative.[9]
It is unclear
why the Rambam limited this tolada to heating up metal for the purpose of
purification.[10] Some
have suggested that this was only because in his time, there was no other
purpose of heating metal to such high temperatures.[11]
Nowadays, the Rambam would extend the tolada to turning on incandescent
lightbulbs or heating elements that work in the same way.[12]
Of course, even
if this is not the case, turning on incandescent lights on Shabbos constitutes
a Rabbinic form of 'burning' as well as other potential violations.[13] The 'burning' question (excuse the pun) becomes particularly important
concerning turning off these lights, when some of the other problems may not
exist.[14]
If turning on a light is not a tolada of burning, neither is turning it off a
tolada of extinguishing.[15]
Shabbos Candles
Unlike the
melacha of 'burning,' it is quite clear that the purpose of Shabbos candles is
to create light rather than fire. Light is needed to ensure Shalom Bayis[16]
and Oneg Shabbos.[17]
However, one could theoretically still make an argument that as in the times of
Chazal, the only way of making light was through fire, the institution was made
to light a fire specifically.
I believe that
such an argument is mistaken. While Chazal forbade lighting with certain types
of wicks and oils (in general due to them not burning well),[18]
we never find that they told us what we should use to light with. The
clear implication is that any light is ok, with the exception of those on the
forbidden list.
Chanuka
The mitzvah of
lighting Chanuka candles is less straightforward. The purpose of these candles
is to remember and publicise the miracle of Chanuka, which happened with the
lights of the Menorah in the Beis HaMikdash, which required olive oil.[19]
Even when the Third Beis HaMikdash is rebuilt, we certainly will not be able to
use electric lights in the Menorah!
Presumably for
this reason, there is a view in the gemara that the ideal way to light on
Chanuka is using olive oil.[20]
However, we are certainly not obligated to use olive oil and it is questionable
to what extent we are required to imitate the Menorah in the Beis HaMikdash. It
is possible that fire is needed as a minimum, although it is hard to prove
either way.
Havdalah
After Shabbos,
the beracha of בורא מאורי האש (the
Creator of the lights of fire) couldn't be clearer. For this beracha, we
certainly require both light and fire. From what we have written above, it
should be obvious that electric light cannot be used.
The Mishna tells
us that we cannot make this beracha unless we get benefit from the light.[21]
Furthermore, we cannot make the beracha over a candle lit for respect alone,
such as that customarily lit to accompany the dead.[22]
Based on this, I
will end with an open question. Nowadays, no one I know lights a Havdalah candle
in order to use its light. While there are some who turn off the electric
lights so that the candle light is noticeable, there is ultimately only one
reason that this candle is lit – in order to make the beracha. Is this not
similar to a candle lit for respect alone, on which we do not make a beracha?
[1] Notwithstanding Pesachim 7b.
[2] Vayikra 13:24
[4] Pesachim 75a
[5] As even incandescent light does not count as a 'fire,' the light
emitted from florescent bulbs and LEDs (which are significantly cooler)
certainly does not.
[6] Shabbos 42a. The implication is that the rabbinic prohibition is
due to the apparent similarity to extinguishing a burning piece of wood.
[7] Piskei Rid there; Yere'im siman 274. This does not automatically
follow from the law of extinguishing; even were glowing metal considered fire,
its extinguishing may not have been Biblically prohibited. According to some
views, the melacha of extinguishing is only violated when coal is created (see
Shabbos 31b).
[8] Hilchos Shabbos 12:1
[9] Although there is no explicit source in the words of Chazal for
this derivation or for any other tolada of the av melacha of burning, the
gemara in Yevamos 6b takes it for granted that administering the death penalty by
burning (using glowing metal as mentioned above), is Biblically prohibited on
Shabbos. This gemara is a strong support for the view of the Rambam (see Avnei
Nezer 229). Furthemore, the Rambam seems to have understood that all av
melachos must have at least one tolada, which must be deduced from logic alone
if necessary. See Hilchos Shabbos 10:8 for an example of this.
[10] See Maggid Mishne; Lechem Mishne; Avnei Nezer 229. See also Mincha
Shlomo 1:12, who points out some flaws in the logic of the Avnei Nezer but is himself
forced into a very difficult reading of the Rambam's words.
[11] Ovens were not made of metal until relatively recent times.
[12] See http://www.ybm.org.il/Admin/uploaddata/LessonsFiles/Pdf/476.pdf.
See also Amud Hayemini. Siman 27, for a similar idea.
[13] These include the melacha of cooking according to the Ra'avad (on the
Rambam there) as well as any possible transgressions involved in the use of any
electricity on Shabbos (see Shabbos
and Shevus). All of these need to be considered when dealing with any
complex question about the use of these kind of lights on Shabbos and Yom Tov.
[14] For example, stopping something from cooking is not a melacha.
[16] See Shabbos 23b
[17] See Midrash Tanchuma at the beginning of Parshas Noach. My view is
that one should not make a beracha when lighting candles in a room where there
is plenty of electric light already – these candles will have no practical use
(even if they serve a decorative purpose, this was not the purpose of the
mitzvah). A simple solution is to turn off the lights before making the
beracha, and include both the electric lights and the candles in the mitzvah
(in reality there is no need for the candles, but which Jewish woman would
accept that?)
[18] As is detailed in the second perek of Maseches Shabbos.
[20] Shabbos 23a. This is also the way the Rema rules (Orach Chaim 673:1;
See also Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 264:6, who writes that olive oil is the
best oil to use for Shabbos candles due to it producing a clean light).
[21] Berachos 51b; see also gemara there 53b.
[22] Ibid. and gemara there 53a.
No comments:
Post a Comment