Electricity on Shabbat

Electricity use on Shabbat

The fundamental issue is whether use of electricity violates any "work" (מלאכה) or not. A secondary issue is whether or not such use would constitute "making the Shabbat like a weekday". Another issue is whether or not one is permitted to openly defy community norms.

To determine whether or not such use is prohibited, one needs to understand the mechanisms at work, and determine whether or not they fall under the apropriate halachic categories.

The classic question is whether or not one may cause an electric lightbulb to turn on or off:

Lightbulbs

Of course, there is more than one variety of lightbulb, which differ in their operative mechanism. The "incandescent" bulb passes electric current through a thin piece of metal, which glows bright white because the current causes it to heat up to several thousand degrees<ref>Wikipedia: Incandescent lamp</ref>. A "fluorescent" bulb is a gas-discharge lamp that uses electricity to excite mercury vapor in argon or neon gas, resulting in a plasma that produces short-wave ultraviolet light. This light then causes a phosphor to fluoresce, producing visible light.<ref>Wikipedia: Fluorescent lamp</ref>

Possible melachot

more to come soon...

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References

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