Beit Midrash
- Shabbat and Holidays
- Shabbat
more & more to stay cool. Though a fan is an
electrical appliance, it is not muktzeh & so it
may be moved from place to place, or turned in a
different direction (but it cannot be turned on
or off). A rechargeable hand-held fan may also be
carried with you (if there is an eruv). You may
even plug the fan (when it is on) - into a
Shabbat clock (before Shabbat begins) so that it
charges the fan during the night while you sleep.
Then, when the clock is off (e.g. in the morning)
you can unplug the charged fan & take it with
you. You should check that there are no lights on
the fan going on or off when you move it. And if
there is a button that increases or decreases the
speed of the fan, that button should be covered
(before Shabbat) with a piece of tape, so that
you do not inadvertently press it during Shabbat
(much like a Shabbat blech covers the temperature
controls). Of course, this also applies to
Chagim. (With thanks to Phil S, the fan-man)
TORAH TRIVIA: We asked what bracha the Israelites
said on Mahn: Several options: 1) Ha’adama
(because the Mahn started/was found on the
ground); 2) Hamotzi lechem min ha-shamayim or
Baruch hamamtir lechem min ha-shamayim; 3)
Whatever bracha applies to what the person
imagined the Mahn to be; 4) No bracha at all,
since it was a miraculous food. BIG, RAW, MD offered answers.
Moral Culpability for Unintentional Actions on Shabbat
Rabbi Daniel Mann | 22 Adar II 5784
Ask the Rabbi: “Cooked” and Sweetened Wine for Kiddush
Rabbi Daniel Mann | Tevet 5785
Challot on the Table for Kiddush
Rabbi Daniel Mann | Shvat 19 5781
