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During the COVID pandemic many synagogues have moved activities online, including communal prayer. Some have even done this on Shabbat, and the Conservative movement recently published a responsum...
#2: Post edited
by
Monica Cellio
·
2020-06-28T22:13:48Z (almost 4 years ago)
clarified "interaction" per request in comment
- During the COVID pandemic many synagogues have moved activities online, including communal prayer. Some have even done this on Shabbat, and the Conservative movement recently [published a responsum](https://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/sites/default/files/2020-05/Streaming%20on%20Shabbat%20and%20Yom%20Tov%20Heller.pdf) permitting this for this specific situation (because of its wide-ranging impact) and on the condition that everything is set up in advance. Basically, you can listen to/watch a Zoom call on Shabbat that was already running before, according to them.
*Taking that as a baseline for the purposes of this question*, can one benefit from accidental disturbance of the technology? If one's cat happens to walk across the keyboard and unmute, is it permitted to speak and engage with the call? Or does *halacha* require one to avoid using the computer's microphone on Shabbat? A lower-tech version of this question might be if a pet (or child) knocks a ringing phone off the receiver -- at that point, could you talk with the person on the other end? Is *mere use of the technology to talk* the problem, or is the problem *interacting with the technology*?- I understand that if one walks past a motion-sensor light on Shabbat, causing it to come on, but did not desire that effect, the person has not transgressed Shabbat -- it was an accident. Similarly, the cat on the keyboard shouldn't cause a transgression. The question is about what comes next, speaking in range of the mic in this case.
- During the COVID pandemic many synagogues have moved activities online, including communal prayer. Some have even done this on Shabbat, and the Conservative movement recently [published a responsum](https://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/sites/default/files/2020-05/Streaming%20on%20Shabbat%20and%20Yom%20Tov%20Heller.pdf) permitting this for this specific situation (because of its wide-ranging impact) and on the condition that everything is set up in advance. Basically, you can listen to/watch a Zoom call on Shabbat that was already running before, according to them.
- *Taking that as a baseline for the purposes of this question*, can one benefit from accidental disturbance of the technology? If one's cat happens to walk across the keyboard and unmute, is it permitted to speak and engage with the call? Or does *halacha* require one to avoid using the computer's microphone on Shabbat? A lower-tech version of this question might be if a pet (or child) knocks a ringing phone off the receiver -- at that point, could you talk with the person on the other end? Is *mere use of the technology to talk* the problem, or is the problem *interacting with the technology itself*, for example by typing commands, tapping a touchscreen, or picking up the (*muktzeh*) phone?
- I understand that if one walks past a motion-sensor light on Shabbat, causing it to come on, but did not desire that effect, the person has not transgressed Shabbat -- it was an accident. Similarly, the cat on the keyboard shouldn't cause a transgression. The question is about what comes next, speaking in range of the mic in this case.
#1: Initial revision
by
Monica Cellio
·
2020-06-28T19:43:13Z (almost 4 years ago)
During the COVID pandemic many synagogues have moved activities online, including communal prayer. Some have even done this on Shabbat, and the Conservative movement recently [published a responsum](https://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/sites/default/files/2020-05/Streaming%20on%20Shabbat%20and%20Yom%20Tov%20Heller.pdf) permitting this for this specific situation (because of its wide-ranging impact) and on the condition that everything is set up in advance. Basically, you can listen to/watch a Zoom call on Shabbat that was already running before, according to them. *Taking that as a baseline for the purposes of this question*, can one benefit from accidental disturbance of the technology? If one's cat happens to walk across the keyboard and unmute, is it permitted to speak and engage with the call? Or does *halacha* require one to avoid using the computer's microphone on Shabbat? A lower-tech version of this question might be if a pet (or child) knocks a ringing phone off the receiver -- at that point, could you talk with the person on the other end? Is *mere use of the technology to talk* the problem, or is the problem *interacting with the technology*? I understand that if one walks past a motion-sensor light on Shabbat, causing it to come on, but did not desire that effect, the person has not transgressed Shabbat -- it was an accident. Similarly, the cat on the keyboard shouldn't cause a transgression. The question is about what comes next, speaking in range of the mic in this case.