[Avodah] electricity on shabbat

[Eli Turkel]

Micha writes

<< Second, anything that almost inevitably sparks, even lo nikha lei, would
be bishul. That would include AC switches, many motors, etc...>>

Let me quote from the article of Rabbi Broyde and jachter in J Halacha
Contemporary
Society vol 21

A Number of factorsindicate  that this prohibition is inaaplicable to sparks
created by turning mechanical switches on or off. First these are
created unintentionally
davar sheno mitkaven - no prohibition exists since it is not psik reisha.
Second the sparks are so small that one canot dtetect any heat when
touching them
and are usually not visible. Solid state technologies
and sparkless (arcless) switches frequently avoid the problem completely.
So RSZA states that lehalacha there isnt a rabbinic prohibition in the
uninentional
creation of sparks

<<Third, anything that is supposed to be constantly running, eg a clock,
would be makeh bepatish.>>

I am not sure what constantly running means. In any case an electric fan
that constantly runs would have no prohibition according to RSZA

<<Fourth, a radio, MP3 player, cell phone or TV are possibly within the
gezeira against keli zemer, since they're adjustable and can play music.>>

A cell phone is kli zemer? far fetched - thats not its usual function.
Listening to
a speech on radio or a fotball game on TV would probably also not be kle zemer.

To summarize CI introduces boneh and makeh bepatisch. RSZA disagrees and
the general psak is like RSZA especially bideved. RSZA also says that extra
fuel consumption at the (Jewish) power station is not a problem since
most likely
someone else is turning off an appliance at the same time and so the
total electric
consumption doesnt change.
As mentioned other poskim mention noad - creating something new and RSZA also
disagrees with that.

RSZA doesn't permit using electricity for items like fans on shabbat
since people
cant always distinguish which appliance has a heating element and is
prohibited from
the Torah and which don't. Furthermore complete use of electricity would turn
shabbat into a weekday and lead to zilzul shabbat.
Hence, RSZA allowed the use of nonheating electrical appliances only in cases
of great need, eg hospitals, wheel chairs etc. This is the basis of many of the
inventions of tzomet.



-- 
Eli Turkel