Orot Israel College Students Visit Zomet Institute

By Rav Avraham Weiss  
Head of Toshb”a Department, Elkana campus

Not long ago, students from Orot Israel College’s Toshb”a (Oral Law) Department visited the Zomet Institute in Gush Etzion. As its website explains, the Zomet Institute is “dedicated to seamlessly merging halachic Judaism with modern life.” Founded in 5737 (1977), Zomet is known for its halachic-technological solutions, including milking machines that can be used on Shabbat, Shabbat elevators, electric scooters for Shabbat, and much more. Zomet now boasts a new visitor’s center, where the general public can learn about these technologies and the underlying halachic principles involved.

For the Orot students, the tour was a chance to see real-life, modern applications of “dry,” theoretical Halachah - including equipment for hospitals, security systems, and home use. Furthermore, translating halachic principles into a practical language helps clarify those principles. Thus, for example, the students learned about the differences between the halachic concepts of grama and ko’ach kocho; the necessary preconditions for grama; the source for the prohibition against using electricity on Shabbat (boneh, makeh b’patish, mavir, or molid?); and the practical ramifications of these questions.

The students were particularly intrigued by the issue of shinui otzmat zerem hechashmal (varying of electric current), which is the principle behind the use of hearing aids, electric scooters, electric wheelchairs, metal detectors, automatic gates, LED lights, and other instruments on Shabbat. Halachic authorities insist that shinui otzmat zerem hechashmal does not involve molid (loosely, “creating” something new), but shinui otzmat zerem hechashmal is usually restricted to cases of tzorech gadol (literally, “a great need”), due to concerns of marit ayin (outward appearance) or that such use is “unbefitting Shabbat.” However, it is possible that in the distant future, these concerns will no longer apply. After all, the so-called Shabbat clock (i.e. an automatic timer) is now widely used, but initially, some opinions held that it should only be used to turn on lights on Shabbat (due to similar concerns).

Rav Reuven Spolter, who teaches a course on the Shabbat laws at Orot Israel College, accompanied the students on their fascinating and enlightening tour of the Zomet