Search results for: ""melacha""

Children: Melacha
You may not have any child, even if younger than gil chinuch, do melacha for you on Shabbat.
 
Non-Jews: Melacha Bein HaShmashot
You may tell a non-Jew to do melacha for Oneg Shabbat. 
Jewish Festivals: Children and Melacha
As on Shabbat, you may not have a child, even younger than gil chinuch, do melacha for you on a Jewish festival.
Asking Non-Jew To Do Melacha D'Rabanan
You may directly instruct or ask a non-Jew to do melacha d'rabanan for you on Shabbat, but only:
  • To prevent a large financial loss.
    Note A large loss is subjective to the individual's actual wealth and also to that person's perception of what is a large loss. Consult a rabbi.
  • For Shabbat needs.
    Example You may ask a non-Jew to unlock an electric hotel door or trigger an entrance door on Shabbat, since this is for a Shabbat need and the action is not prohibited d'oraita.
    Situation A new guest arrives and you need the space on the table occupied by your Shabbat candlesticks.
    What To Do You may not move the candlesticks, but you may ask a non-Jew to do so.
    Situation You left a non-muktza item that you now need for Shabbat on a tree branch (or a child left one in a tree house!).
    What To Do You may not climb the tree to retrieve the item, but you may ask a non-Jew to retrieve it. Example You may ask a non-Jew to turn on air conditioning.
    ExampleYou may ask a non-Jew (directly, no need to hint) to turn off a light if it interferes with someone's sleeping.
    • To allow doing a mitzva.
    • For other pressing (and certainly for life-threatening) needs, such as health, even if the person not sick.
    Note All of these are d'rabanan cases!
Asking Non-Jew To Do Melacha D'Oraita
You may not ask a non-Jew to turn ON a light or turn ON heat, or other d'oraita violations of Shabbat--even for a mitzva or for oneg Shabbat. However, you may ask a non-Jew to do a melacha d'oraita for any of a sick person's needs, even if there is no danger to the person's life.
Note You may tell a non-Jew to do melacha, even if it is d'oraita, for a mitzva or oneg Shabbat only if it is bein ha'shmashot (between sunset and dark).
Jewish Festivals: Cards If No Gambling or Melacha
Playing cards is not forbidden on Jewish festivals as long as you do not gamble or do melacha. As on Shabbat, you may sort a deck of cards into suits.
Note However, playing cards is not in the spirit of Jewish festivals (or Shabbat).
Hinting to a Non-Jew To Do a Melacha
You may hint or imply that you need something done in order to induce a non-Jew to do even a melacha d'oraita that will benefit you, but only if you don't need that action.
Example Turning off a light; bringing a chair from outside an eruv.
Baruch HaMavdil Bein Kodesh L'Chol To Do Melacha
After it is dark, say Baruch ha'mavdil bein kodesh l'chol (just those words--not God's name or any of the standard words used in blessings!) if you want to end Shabbat and do weekday activities (melachot) before saying ma'ariv's amida or havdala.
Reason This fulfills the commandment of “zachor” for Shabbat and allows you to do melacha. 
Note But it does not allow you to eat or drink, once you have finished se'uda shlishit, until you hear or say havdala.
Jewish Festivals: Asking a Non-Jew To Do Melacha D'Oraita
Although you may not normally tell a non-Jew to do melacha d'oraita on a Jewish festival, even for the purpose of doing a mitzva, the non-Jew is not forbidden from doing melacha if he/she wants to do so.
Note To save a life, even a Jew may do melacha d'oraita.
Shabbat: Replacing Doors
Due to the melacha of boneh (building), on Shabbat you may not replace a:
  • Door onto its hinges, or
  • Sliding door onto its track.
Shabbat: Card Playing
Playing cards is not forbidden on Shabbat as long as you do not gamble or do melacha. You may sort a deck of cards into suits, but you must not remove unwanted cards (such as Jokers) from the deck, due to boreir.
Gefilte Fish
Eating gefilte fish, made of fish in which bones have been removed, avoids the necessity of doing the melacha of selecting (boreir) the bones from the fish. This allows a fish course to be eaten at a Shabbat meal (which, in addition to the meat, makes the Shabbat meal special because both fish and meat would not have been commonly served in poor areas during the week).
Women: Jewish Festival Havdala
For women and saying/hearing Jewish festival havdala, see Baruch HaMavdil Bein Kodesh L'Chol To Do Melacha.
Shabbat: Mixing Soft Foods
Mixing tuna and mayonnaise and or other soft or mushy foods is permitted on Shabbat; it does not constitute the melacha of kneading/lash.
Flying before Shabbat for Business
You may leave until sunset on Friday if you are flying for business, but you must be VERY careful to avoid doing any melacha while transiting Shabbat in flight!