[Heath]

I recently heard that there is a time (perhaps during the Sabbath) when Jews are not allowed to use anything that is powered by electricity, or to ride the bus or the like. What’s the scoop on this? When is it, why is it, and what sacred text is it called for in? Also, would this practice not be extremely difficult to follow for Jewish college students attending a predominantly non-Jewish institution? Has anyone ever been confronted with this issue? How do you rectify the balance of religious practice and everyday college life? How could you get your papers done without the computer? What if your roommate was not Jewish and was using electricity all over the place? As a Student Affairs professional, I am greatly concerned.

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Name : Heath, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Methodist, Age : 28, City : Bowling Green, State : OH, Country : United States, Occupation : Student Affairs/Grad. student, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, 

[Lara]

Orthodox Jews such as myself (and some Conservative Jews) do not operate electrical devices on the Sabbath, which lasts from just before sundown on Friday through just after sundown on Saturday. So while I do not turn on or off lights, I can put them on a timer to go on or off whenever, as long as the timer is set before the Sabbath begins. Using electricity builds a circuit, and it is similar to a fire, which is also not lit or extinguished on the Sabbath. These are considered types of work. I am currently a second-year graduate student. While at times it has been difficult (since writing is also prohibited), it’s a day when I know that I can’t use my computer or work on a proof. I know this in advance, so I plan accordingly. It really teaches time management!

Since you’re involved in student affairs, you should also know that these activities (and others) are prohibited on Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, the first two days and last two of Sukkot, and the first two and last two days of Passover. This means that during the fall semester, there are seven additional days on which these activities can’t be done (unless some of them happen to coincide with the Sabbath, as happened this year). At such times, if I really can’t get everything done, I speak to professors. I find that if I’m honest with them and speak to them enough in advance, they tend to be quite helpful.

I majored in math and computer science as an undergraduate, meaning I couldn’t work on math problems or on programming 1/7th of the week. I still was able to graduate with honors, so it’s possible!

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Name : Lara, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jewish, Age : 23, City : Baltimore, State : MD, Country : United States, Occupation : Graduate Student, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Jesse-N30785]

The Torah states (I can’t quote chapter and verse, and I don’t have a copy handy) that the Shabbat is a day of rest and one may not do any work. It goes into a bit more depth than this, but basically the sages specified in the Talmud the details of what is and isn’t permitted. With regard to electricity, it’s permitted to take advantage of an electrical appliance – but you can’t control or operate it. For example, you can enjoy air conditioning, but can’t set the thermostat. You can’t tell someone else to do it for you, either. I have a friend whose father used to turn the television on on Friday afternoon and leave it on all day so he could watch the Brooklyn Dodgers on Saturday afternoon. Cars (buses, taxis) are not permitted. You’re quite right that it is a very serious concern for anyone in a secular environment, like the United States. I can’t imagine a student living in a dorm with a non-Jewish roommate and observing a satisfying Shabbat. There is obviously a lot more to the subject, but this is it in a small nutshell.

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Name : Jesse-N30785, Gender : M, Religion : Jewish, Age : 40, City : Herzliya, State : NA, Country : Israel, Occupation : engineer, Education level : 4 Years of College, 

[Sue27733]

Very few Jews observe the Sabbath every Friday and even fewer observe it to that extent. I have a friend who celebrates with a Sabbath dinner every Friday night (or most), but uses electricity and goes about her life in her normal manner.

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Name : Sue27733, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 23, City : New York, State : NY, Country : United States, Occupation : Law student, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper class, 

[Fiona F.]

I have a lot of Jewish friends and they tell me all the time the things they can’t do on Sabbath and all the ways they have to get around it. For example, they turn on the lights before sundown on Friday and they leave it on all day Saturday. In Jewish institutions, the elevators automatically stop on every floor so they don’t have to push a button. I even knew one woman who worked out a system of hand signals so she can tell her non-Jewish roommate to change the TV channels for her. I don’t think that’s what God had in mind when he said, you should do no work. I don’t think he meant for everyone to find little ways to circumvent the rules. Has anyone thought to themselves that maybe these antiquated are no longer applicable in our times and perhaps should be changed or eliminated?

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Name : Fiona F., Gender : F, Race : Asian, Age : 25, City : New York, State : NY, Country : United States, 

[Barry23475]

Orthodox Jews believe that the commandment not to create fire on the Sabbath also relates to electricity. There is no question that a car engine produces fire, but many Jews scoff at the electricity notion. To circumvent the problem, modern Orthodox Jews have timers. In predominately Jewish apartment buildings, there are Sabbath elevators that stop on each floor and no one has to touch a button. If the lights are left on during the Sabbath, they remain so. There is the concept of the “Shabbes Goy,” a gentile hired before the Sabbath, who would turn on the lights as a Jew could not. They can use the fire, but not create it – a complex issue.

Now, to the dorm. A truly Orthodox Jew would not do any activity that was not in the spirit of the Sabbath. In itself, the Sabbath, being a day of spiritual consumption and removal from the day-to-day world is a beautiful and therapeutic concept. It is a mind bath that allows one to escape from the normal pressures. An Orthodox Jew would not use a computer nor study for their schooling, but rather would study God’s words.

Your concern is enlightining. I don’t know the size of your campus, but look up “Hillel House” if there is one and they would welcome your questions.

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Name : Barry23475, City : Toronto, Ontario, State : NA, Country : Canada, 

[Emma R.]

Shabbat, the period from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday, is a time of rest, which replicates God’s rest on the the seventh day. That means that observant Jews are restricted in what they may do, since most of what we do every day is considered ‘work.’ There is an additional concept that on six days of the week, we DO things which CHANGE things, so on this one day, we do nothing that would change anything. It’s not just about resting, because different people have different definitions of ‘rest’ – weeding the garden may be restful, but the act of pulling a weed changes nature and the earth, so it’s prohibited. As far as I know, the only things observant Jews are allowed to do on Shabbat are go to services (on foot,) visit with friends and family, study Torah or Talmud, read, eat, and nap. It takes a little planning, but it’s very refreshing, both physically and spiritually!

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Name : Emma R., Gender : F, City : Los Angeles, State : CA, Country : United States, 

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