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<DIV><FONT lang=0 color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial FAMILY="SANSSERIF"
PTSIZE="10"><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" color=#000000 size=2
face=Arial>From: "Chana Luntz" <A
href="mailto:Chana@kolsassoon.org.uk">Chana@kolsassoon.org.uk</A><BR><BR><BR></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT lang=0 color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial FAMILY="SANSSERIF"
PTSIZE="10"><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" color=#000000 size=2
face=Arial>>> But getting back to the motion sensor lights - closing your
eyes is often<BR>only possible after the light has gone on, and often not
possible at all,<BR>and it is really not clear that you are avoiding lo niche
lei that way. To<BR>take perhaps a more dramatic example - it is hard to
say that having<BR>numerous lights go on on motion sensor between ones house and
the mikvah is<BR>not niche lei to any woman walking alone there on a shabbas
night, whether<BR>her eyes are closed or not (and closing one's eyes is hardly
likely to be<BR>safe). I reckon there must be about 40- 50 such lights
between my place and<BR>the local mikvah. Do you know any posek, anywhere,
who would tell a woman<BR>to put off leil tevila because of such lights?
To the contrary, the<BR>responsa RET has posted have generally said - keep on
doing exactly what you<BR>were going to be doing anyway (ie keep walking, don't
stop, keep going just<BR>as you were previously) and that is OK, ie don't modify
your behaviour.<BR><BR>It is from these kinds of places that, it seems to
me, RAW is coming from<BR>when he matirs general movement (eg when wired up in
hospital or<BR>electronically tagged). It is also why he likes makeh
b'patish, because of<BR>the lack of intention of finishing off the kli.
But it does seem that this<BR>suggestion breaks down when you go past your
neighbour's sensor light for<BR>the millionth time on shabbas, and can't help
thinking that actually it does<BR>assist your ability to walk safely, despite
you being able to manage fine<BR>without it (but not fine with your eyes
closed). <BR><BR>And I can't help thinking that mesasek is a better
general heter. You can't<BR>stop living, breathing, and moving in
space. <<</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT lang=0 color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial FAMILY="SANSSERIF"
PTSIZE="10"><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" color=#000000 size=2
face=Arial><BR>Regards<BR><BR>Chana<BR><BR></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>>>>>></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>At least here where I live in the North Miami Beach section of chu'l, the
motion detector lights on people's houses are put there by non-Jews for their
own convenience, not for the convenience of passing Jews walking home from
shul. The home-owners want lights to come on for the same reason they want
their dogs to bark: to scare away the bad guys, who prefer to work in
darkness. Also to be able to see the bad guys and to know that someone is
there. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Any benefit to passing Jews is completely unintended and irrelevant to the
home-owner. Also, since there are also street lights, the difference in lighting
between the sidewalk in front of a house with motion detector lights and the
rest of the sidewalk is not that great. It's not like the difference
between total darkness and a lit-up place. You would be perfectly able to
see where you're going without those lights that light up outside people's
houses. It seems to me that if a goy is doing something for his own
benefit (and plus, it only slightly and tangentially benefits a Jew) there is no
problem with a Jew walking past a goy's house on Shabbos, even if he knows a
light will come on.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>But for those who think there /is/ a problem, I have another question
for you: Suppose you walk past a house where you didn't know a motion
detector was present, and a light comes on? Do you have to stand there
(making sure NOT to stand perfectly still) until Shabbos is over, so that
your walking away (or standing perfectly still) won't make the light go
OFF?</DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT lang=0 color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial FAMILY="SANSSERIF"
PTSIZE="10"><BR><STRONG>--Toby Katz<BR>=============</STRONG></FONT><FONT lang=0
color=#000000 size=2 face=Arial FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="10"><BR></FONT><FONT
lang=0 color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial FAMILY="SANSSERIF"
PTSIZE="10"><BR><BR>-------------------------------------------------------------------
<DIV> </DIV></FONT></DIV></DIV>
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