An Uplifting Shabbos (Sources)

One of the the central themes of Chanukah is Pirsumei Nisa, the public display and celebration of the holiday. Around the world, Menorah’s are kindled in Malls, at City Halls and all sorts of public places. May one recite the traditional blessing over the Chaukah lights if they are being lit in the city square and not in the privacy of one’s home or Shul?

The popularity of Smart Sensors is on the rise. As more aspects of ordinary life are administered by electronic mechanisms, many practical questions are raised about how observant Jewish life is impacted by the new technology.

When the stairwell lights only turn on when sensing your presence, can you use them on Shabbos? What about the inadvertent motion that triggers a neighbors’ outdoor lights? Can you be present in a room that is monitored by closed-circuit surveillance cameras?

A summary and index of the major contemporary Poskim on this issue.

See also: “An Uplifting Shabbos” on the general issue of Electricity and Shabbos.

Further restricting an already slimmed down Pesach diet is not something anybody would eagerly embrace. But the Jews of medieval Ashkenazic communities adopted the stringency of avoiding the consumption of legumes throughout the duration of Pesach. The question is, why? How was this ban treated for the centuries that have since passed? Was it adhered to equally in times of prosperity and adversity?

Up, down, left, right, the lulav nanuim are a bewildering sight. This paper delves into the mysticism behind the historically venerated mitzvah of shaking lulav and esrog. What are its origins? What does it represent? How is it relevant today?

Have you set up “Hey Siri!” on your iPhone yet? How about the Amazon Echo to obediently adjust your thermostat, turn on your lights and play your favorite music – all by the sound of your voice?
During the week this might be great, but what about on Shabbos? Do the laws proscribing creative activity extend to actions that result from our verbal expression? What if some technology was devised to act upon your thoughts?
Related: “An Uplifting Shabbos” and “Motion-Triggered Sensors”

“If not for the last minute, nothing would get done.”

The Mishna (Avot 5:6) lists a number of unique items created on that first Friday during Bein Ha-Shmashos (the twilight hour between shkia and tzeis hakochavim).

If our Shabbos observance — characterized by abstaining from creative labor — is to be a reflection of Hashem’s abstention from creation, why must we not engage in creative labor during Bein Ha-Shmashos?

Some fascinating perspectives culled from the Midrash, Kabalah and Chassidus.