[Avodah] Rabbi Noach Isaac Oelbaum's Position on the Kosher Switch

Kenneth Miller via Avodah avodah at lists.aishdas.org
Fri Apr 17 05:01:53 PDT 2015


R' Zev Sero explained two views:

> I assume they disagree with this characterisation.  This is your
> editorial opinion, that since it's inevitable that sooner or later
> the ducks will all be in a row and the light will come on, all that
> it achieves is a delay of random length.  They would say no, each
> time the sequence is triggered (let's say every minute) is a
> discrete event, in which there is a sfek-sfeka whether anything
> will happen, and the fact that in the next hour there will be 60
> more such opportunities, one of which is "bound" to succeed, is
> irrelevant.  They would also point out that there *is* in fact a
> doubt whether the light will ever turn on (before Shabbos is over
> or the owner decides to flip the switch back), and they would deny
> your premise that the tininess of that doubt renders it
> meaningless.  *You* think it's halachically insignificant; they
> are not required to agree with you.

If I'm understanding this correctly, the difference of opinion centers on: how many links does the chain need, to reach a point where one end has no halachically significant effect on the other end.

To me, this whole discussion is very reminiscent of another topic in hilchos Shabbos, namely, that the Gemara never gave any halachos about cooking in a Kli Shlishi. One view says: "A Kli Rishon obviously cooks, and we were told that some easily-cooked things are capable of being cooked in a Kli Sheni, but that's as far as they went, so obviously nothing can get cooked in a Kli Shlishi." The other view says: "A Kli Rishon obviously cooks, and we were told that some easily-cooked things are capable of being cooked even in other keilim, so you have to be careful with *any* keli that's above Yad Soledes."

To me, both of those arguments are very logical, and we must follow our poskim to know which one Hashem wants us to follow. I imagine that this whole Grama discussion might be similar: Chazal laid out circumstances under which indirect action is still assur -- so does that mean that *all* indirect action is assur?, or perhaps I can structure an even more remote indirectness which is acceptably distant.

Akiva Miller
____________________________________________________________
Old School Yearbook Pics
View Class Yearbooks Online Free. Search by School & Year. Look Now!
http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3131/5530f6662145376662eacst01vuc



More information about the Avodah mailing list