[Avodah] How do you explain issur of electricity (boneh) to a non- religious person?

[kennethgmiller at juno.com]

R' Avroham Yakov asked:
> How do you explain issur of electricity (boneh) to a non-religious person?

I don't. I can't even explain it to myself; I certainly can't explain it to someone else.

However, on many occasions I have explained that the light and heat generated by electricity is considered to be a form of fire, and using fire on Shabbos is explicity forbidden, and I have never had any trouble with anyone understanding that explanation.

> And if one could create a type of device that is not boneh, does
> that mean some lights could be turned on during Shabbat

You'd still have the fire problem. And if you get around the fire problem by a device which produces neither heat nor light (or even a device which produces some heat and lifght, but only incidentally to its main function) there are poskim who will say that it is forbidden "only" d'rabanan.

Akiva Miller

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