[Avodah] Zoom Seder

Simon Montagu simon.montagu at gmail.com
Fri Mar 27 00:40:46 PDT 2020


On Fri, Mar 27, 2020 at 12:30 AM Akiva Miller via Avodah <
avodah at lists.aishdas.org> wrote:

> "Regarding the permission to ignite electricity on Yom Tov, it is well
> known that the Chachmei Yisrael Hasefardim and the Chachmei North Africa
> hold differently. Practically all of them allow it, among them the Rishon
> Letzion Rav Ben Tzion Uziel, Rav Refael ben Shimon, Rabbis Yosef and Shalom
> Mashash, Rav Moshe Malka, and Rav David Shalush zt"l, and others. And many
> Chachmei Ashkenaz forbid it (mid'rabanan)."
>
> Caveat: I can't tell whether "hold differently" means that the Chachmei
> Yisrael Hasefardim hold differently from the Chachmei North Africa, or
> whether they agree with each other but hold differently from the Chachmei
> Ashkenaz.
>

The given list of names includes Hachamim from both categories, so the
latter option would seem to be correct.


>
> But either way, this heter is clearly intended ONLY for Sefaradim.
>

The next paragraph points out that we are talking about a scenario where
the computer is turned on before the hag comes in, and we only need the
lekatehila heter of electricity on Yom Tov in order to disregard a
slippery-slope concern that it might be turned off and on again. As I
understand it this is saying that it should be OK for Ashkenazim too under
those circumstances.


>
> But I wonder: Do Sefardim normally turn lights on and off on Yom Tov on a
> regular basis?
>

Not so much today, but a generation or two ago this was standard practice.
ROY did not permit it, which has unsurprisingly done a lot to make it less
widespread.

IMHO this psak is anyway only of theoretical application for a number of
reasons. Even leaving aside the possibility that Mashiach will come between
now and seder night, experience shows that the chances of setting up a Zoom
meeting before hag and having everyone still connected by kiddush, let
alone the end of maggid, are minimal.
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