I Saw Online That... (Questions About Shabbos)

Q. How can you enter a hotel that only has electric (sliding) doors at the entrance of the hotel that are motion activated? Thank you.

A. Thanks for your question. In such a situation, one would either have to use a manual door (most hotels have such side doors, though they may be locked) or wait until someone else enters/exits and follow them while the door is open. Please consult your own rabbi for further guidance.

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Q. Does the restriction against medical procedures on erev Shabbos include blood tests?

A. Thanks for your question. The article to which you linked discusses “non-emergency surgery” that “would necessitate chillul Shabbos during the post-operative period.” Blood tests do not fit that description. One could have a blood test on a Friday, but one should optimally schedule such things for the morning, as delays in afternoon appointments could lead to cutting things dangerously close vis-a-vis Shabbos.

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Q. I see online that the Sabbath labors include writing, erasing, and tearing, business transactions, driving or riding in cars, shopping, using the telephone, turning on or off anything which uses electricity, cooking, baking or kindling a fire, gardening and doing laundry. My job is on a barge using a water hose. I don’t operate a crane, I don’t use the radios and my phone can stay in my truck. I don’t need to buy anything because I buy my gas and food beforehand. So my job isn’t really breaking Shabbat.

A. You've given me some bullet points that you found online about Sabbath labors, but that's all they are: bullet points. The details fill many volumes. Many of the things you may think are permitted actually aren't, for reasons that you just haven't learned yet. (Additionally, the very act of “working” on the Sabbath is prohibited. For example, I could watch my neighbor’s kids on Friday night as a favor, but I couldn't accept pay for doing so.) It’s all very complicated and it requires years of study to become fully proficient. I'm not telling you how to live your life, just letting you know that things are more intricate than you may assume.

Rabbi Jack's book Ask Rabbi Jack is available from Kodesh Press and on Amazon.com.