[Avodah] Security Cameras & Sattelites on Shabbas

[Micha Berger]

On Thu, Dec 25, 2008 at 01:44:17AM +0000, kennethgmiller at juno.com wrote:
: A telephone is VERY different than a camera.
: 
: When one speaks, and his voice is carried by the phone, his voice
: affects the electric current...

When one stands before an electronic camera, the light he reflects
impacts upon a grid of capacitors, causing the capacitor to charge
up in proportion to the light hitting it. This is then handed down
bucket-brigade fasion eventually reaching a charge amplifier and the
amount of charge it converted into a voltage.

: But I did not *put* my image onto the picture. I was totally passive,
: and the camera automatically took a picture that I happened to be
: in. This is not a direct act; this is not an indirect act; this is not
: even mis'asek; I don't see how it is an action at all.

Usually a security camera is already running when you enter its field
and move within it. And if not, worse -- you cause a motion detector to
start it going.

BTW, we discussed this in vol 5 in the early 100s (although that
was mostly about motion detectors and house lights), and vol 12,
at around issues 78 and 80. I particularly liked RET's post at
http://www.aishdas.org/avodah/vol12/v12n080.shtml#20 , where he
paraphrases RMJBroyde and his LOR's conversation with R' Zilberstein.
(RMJB focuses on pesiq reishei delo ikhpas lei and that in most cases
the triggered event is derabbanan -- no filaments involved.)

Which explaines the difference with a microphone, where the result is
not only ikhpas lei, but nicha lei.

RSBA once saw a teshuvah (he wrote about it in Aug '00) by R' Wosner
permitting walking in front of a camera, he thinks the reason given
was that it's not a melekhes machsheves. In the same conversation,
RCMarkowitz quoted RDF as permitting.

:-)BBii!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             When you come to a place of darkness,
micha at aishdas.org        you don't chase out the darkness with a broom.
http://www.aishdas.org   You light a candle.
Fax: (270) 514-1507        - R' Yekusiel Halberstam of Klausenberg zt"l