May
I ask a gentile to accompany me to the basement when I
know that the light will be switched on for us in the
dark basement?
This case is not the same as the one
mentioned in the previous shiur,
because now the Jew is deriving direct physical benefit
from the light switched on by the gentile and the
essential purpose of going to the basement is for the
Jew’s benefit.
May
I request a gentile to bring me a bottle of Coke from
the basement knowing that a light will be switched on to
look for it?
This case is similar to the first case
because the light is being switched on to aid the
gentile in the task and the Jew is not deriving direct
physical benefit from the new light.
The
general rule is that the gentile may do anything to aid
in the task, provided that there is a permitted way to
do the task, because otherwise it is as if he has been
instructed to violate an issur.
What else would you
include in this rule?
A gentile who is asked to bring food to the
15th floor of a hotel may use the elevator,
because it is being used for the gentile’s own benefit.
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When I request a gentile to clean the floor, since
there is a way that it can be done b’heter,
i.e. without squeezing a cloth, the gentile may do
it in any way he sees fit.
May
the gentile wash my dishes in hot water?
According to many poskim, for
numerous reasons there are problems in using hot water
from a hot water system. The gentile might use the hot
water for several reasons: either to properly clean the
dishes or for physical comfort. Assuming that it is
necessary to wash the dishes in hot water to clean them,
it is a problem, because the gentile will be violating
an issur when using the hot water and there is no
real way to bring them to similar results in a permitted
manner.
If, however the hot water is being used for physical
benefit by the gentile, it is permitted.
May one permit a
gentile to vacuum the carpet on Shabbos?
According to the above, it would then seem
that a gentile may use a vacuum cleaner to clean the
carpets because similarly, it can be done in a permitted
manner.
Before we answer the question we must briefly explain
the issue of cleaning carpets on Shabbos.
The
Rama
writes that one may not shake a garment on Shabbos in
order to remove the dust thereon. The Mishna Berura
explains that the halacha is referring to dust
absorbed into the garment and not to dust lying on top
of the garment. The Mechaber,
on the other hand, says that one may not shake dew from
a garment and does not prohibit the shaking of dust.
The
Mishna Berura says
that one may permit a gentile to dust one’s clothing
(relying on the Mechaber) especially when dusty
clothes will cause embarrassment.
So
up to this point it seems that vacuuming should be
permitted by a gentile?
There is another issue involved called
àååùà îéìúà – making
noise.
The
Rama
deals
with the following issue: a person would fill the
container of a water mill with wheat and the mill would
then grind the wheat automatically. The Rama says
that one may not fill the container close to Shabbos
because the grinding may be heard outside and people
might think that one was grinding on Shabbos.
The
Rama continues that it is permitted though to
wind a grandfather clock before Shabbos even though the
ticking (and the chimes) will be heard on Shabbos as it
is known that one winds a clock before Shabbos and the
noise emitting from the clock is due to the initial
winding.
The
Mishna Berura
adds
that it is prohibited to wind the clock on Shabbos and
one may not ask a gentile to wind it either.
Accordingly, we would say that the gentile may not
vacuum the carpet as it can be heard outside and people
will suspect one of violating the Shabbos.
Does
this prohibition apply to Sephardim as well?
The
basis for this question is that the Mechaber
permits operating the mill before Shabbos and is not
concerned with àååùà îéìúà.
Accordingly it would seem that the Sephardim who follow
the Mechaber may permit a gentile to use a vacuum
cleaner when the carpet could be cleaned b’heter.
The problem is however that a vacuum cleans far better
than one can with one’s hands and therefore it may be
forbidden for a gentile to use a vacuum. One should ask
one’s rav for a p’sak in this matter.
May
I hand money to a gentile before Shabbos with
instructions to purchase something for me without
specifying that I want it bought on Shabbos?
The
Shulchan Aruch writes
that
one may hand money to a gentile with instructions to
make a purchase, provided that the request does not
specify making the purchase on Shabbos. The Mishna
Berura
cites
the poskim saying that this only applies when the
gentile is being paid for working, in which case it is
considered as if it is being done for the gentile’s own
benefit – to receive his pay. If the gentile is not paid
or rewarded for working, when making the purchase on
Shabbos, we view it as if it is work being done for the
Jew - and is forbidden.
Another stipulation is that it is possible to make this
purchase on a day other than Shabbos.
If,
for example, the purchase can only be made on Shabbos,
or the only time you ask the gentile to make the
purchase is Shabbos, then even without requesting that
it be bought on Shabbos, it is prohibited. This would be
similar to telling him to make the purchase on Shabbos.