[Avodah] electricity

[Eli Turkel]

There was an exchange of letters between CI and RSZA sothe opinion of each one
should not be that mysterious.
CI actually mentioned 2 reasons that he considered electricity to be Boneh.
One that it is completing a circuit (and RSZA objected based on the
water plumbing
analogy) and another that one is turning a dead matter in something
"living" (chai).
IMHO this is a major chidush of the CI that this constitures boneh
which has little
precedent.
I have been told that several gedolim before CI suggested electricity
is prohibited because of
boneh and they all rejected it. To the best of my knowledge it is
still considered a
daas yachid but respected at leats lechatchila because of the stature of CI.

<<I also don't know of the CI would prohibit closing a circuit that doesn't
do anything>>

This is actually a machloket of later poskim interpreting the CI. i.e.
can one plug in
an appliance (according to CI) while the shabbat clock is off and then
use it aqfter the
preset shabbat clock goes on.
When one plugged in the appliance nothing happened because there was
no electricity
and so there is nothing "live". However, if one considers it as
closing a circuit is would
still be prohibited since one closed a usable circuit even though
currently there is no
electricity.
I think that this point point was even raised by RSZA according to the CI.

Similarly CI doesnt make any differentiation between actively closing
the circuit and
removing a resistor that allows electricity to flow through an existing circuit.

A question that did not exist in the days of CI is completing a
wireless circuit. If the
prohibition is making the circuit "live" one doesnt need physical
wires however, if
it depends on closing a circuit one may need a physical circuit ie real wires

-- 
Eli Turkel