[Avodah] [Areivim] Chiddushei HaStar-K

[Chana Luntz]

Sent to Avodah, as I suspect this is where it belongs:

>    Over Yom Tov, I came across the following huge kula of the 
> Star-K, in the booklet they distribute with their certified 
> yom-tov ovens:
>   Electricity is muttar to use on yom tov, as long as one 
> does not physically observe the effects. Therefore, they 
> alllow you to actually press buttons on an electric keypad on 
> yom tov itself.

...
        This chiddush is certainly against the widely quoted 
> view of the chazzon ish, that electricity is boneh.  Why 
> would the fact that you can't see the effects of your keypad 
> pressing make it mutar?
>         Anyone have any sources for these hetterim? I have 
> attempted discussing this with the Star-k and they refused to 
> explain it. I discussed it with a major posek over yom tov 
> and he agreed with me it seems sketchy.
>

My best guess is that they understand not seeing the effects of your
keypad pressing as demonstrating that we have a grama situation at hand
(is that factually accurate?) - and hence you get into that stira in the
Rema ie between Orech Chaim siman 334:22 where he says that grama (in
relation to extinguishing on shabbas) is only mutar when there is a
hefsed and Orech Chaim siman 514 si'if 3 where he seems to suggest that
grama is mutar (ie that burning a candle from below on yom tov so as to
make it go out quicker is mutar without any qualification).  One
resolution of this is to hold that grama on shabbas is ossur except
bmakom pseda but on yom tov is mutar l'chatchila.  As we have discussed
on this list, the view of the Chazzon Ish that electricity is boneh is
very much a minority opinion - but even if you were to go with the
position of the Chazzon Ish - is it not possible that you are still in
grama territory?
 
> Mike

Regards

Chana