Understanding the Shabbat Clock: A Conversation on Jewish Law and Spirituality

Sometimes, it seems to some secular observers that religious Jews are playing tricks on God. This is reflected in various actions taken for their convenience, such as selling *chametz* during Passover or using a Shabbat clock and a *goy* on Shabbat.
At first glance, it is not entirely clear; after all, the Shabbat clock is used to turn on lights on Shabbat, but if the act itself is forbidden, how can one circumvent this prohibition? And if I ask a *goy* to cook for me, for example, why is it not considered that I did it myself?

"What the Torah prohibits - the Torah prohibits. What the Torah does not prohibit - it permits," says Rabbi Pinchas Budosh. "The Torah forbids me to desecrate Shabbat, but there is no prohibition against scheduling activities to take place on Shabbat in advance."

Not on Shabbat itself, but before Shabbat begins. You might also ask about selling *chametz* to non-Jews, if it is not some kind of game. Yet, within the prohibition, the Torah permits you to possess *chametz* that is not yours during Passover - by selling it to a *goy*. By the way, there are several instances where the Torah forbids something, but simultaneously gives you the tools to resolve the limitation that results from the prohibition - in permissible ways.

So why impose a restriction at all? In the sale of *chametz*, for example, the *chametz* remains in our kitchen after we sign a sales contract with a *goy*. But in the end, it is still in our possession. There seems no substantial difference.
"Yes, but when you signed the sales contract - you really sold that *chametz*. It is no longer yours. That contract has real validity in every respect. On the evening after Passover, the *goy* sells it back to you, and if they suddenly don't want to, they can do so and pay for the purchase. The prohibition is on possessing *chametz* during Passover, and the sales contract to a *goy* is a legitimate sales contract in every way."

"It is a common misconception that you can ask a *goy* to do anything you wish. In fact, the laws on this topic are very limited and restrict the instances where you can benefit from a *goy*'s work on Shabbat. The *goy* is supposed to perform the same action only of their own volition. I’m not allowed to tell them directly to do something; rather, I allow them to decide whether to act or not. For example, I can't ask a *goy* to turn off the air conditioner. But if I tell them I’m very cold in the room, and they decide to turn off the air conditioner based on their judgment - the action is entirely theirs, at their decision and responsibility."

"Yes. You can only hint to them so that the decision comes from them. The idea here is simple: if I don’t do it, and the *goy* does it of their own accord, there is no problem. It's not as straightforward as it sounds."

"First of all, the problem with the television is greater than with devices that operate without Jewish desecration of Shabbat, because you enjoy the actions of people who are violating Shabbat in the studio, in the cable company, or in the electrical company. In general, enjoying the desecration of Shabbat is prohibited according to halacha."

"Here the problem is different. Any action I take that turns the atmosphere of Shabbat into a weekday - it is a form of desecration of Shabbat. For example, I’m not allowed to deal with documents related to my business on Shabbat, as this disrupts the atmosphere of Shabbat and pulls me into a mundane atmosphere. The idea of Shabbat is to disconnect from the weekday ambiance and enter a state of holiness. The term 'desecration of Shabbat' comes from the word ' weekday' when you take the sacred and turn it into the mundane. In the case of the iPod, there is no work being done, but there is a desecration of Shabbat in terms of the trivialization of Shabbat."

Rabbi Yitzhak Finger adds another aspect. "In terms of what is permissible - why should everything be prohibited? If Hashem told me that as a Jew I am forbidden to perform creative work on Shabbat, why should I refrain from activity before Shabbat itself? If I want to set my Shabbat clock - for example, even a week before the fact - so that the air conditioning will turn on for me on Shabbat, I am not committing any sin by doing so. That being said, you must know that there is a vast difference between a *goy* on Shabbat and a Shabbat clock. Of course, I won't employ a *goy* on Shabbat to do all my household chores. This is only permissible in certain cases, such as for a *mitzvah* or for a sick person, and by instructing the *goy* in a very specific way. But, of course, one cannot break the boundaries of Shabbat as the sages have defined for us."

What about the allegations of clever tricks?
"If you want to forbid - be strict and forbid yourself. But if the Torah permits it - there is no desecration of Shabbat in that. Why forbid things that have no root or basis? It is my right to use the tools of our generation as long as it does not disrespect Shabbat and, of course, is not done on Shabbat itself."