Top Document: soc.culture.jewish FAQ: Observance, Marriage, Women in Judaism (4/12) Previous Document: Question 7.14: Why is there a prohibition on travel on Shabbat? Next Document: Question 8.1: What role do women play in Judaism? See reader questions & answers on this topic! - Help others by sharing your knowledge Answer: A camera may not be used on Shabbat or holidays. Creating the photographic image would raise problems with two of the 39 categories of melechah prohibited on Shabbat: coloring/dying, and writing/drawing. Additionally, most cameras use electronics, which heat up filaments and a flashbulb (cooking or kindling), motors spark internally (kindling), closing a circuit is completing it (a "final hammer blow", as the concept is called in the Talmud). Lastly, posing for the picture intentionally raises the issues of coloring or drawing. So, if the picture is for your benefit you can't intentionally walk into the field in front of the lens. Anything a Jew can't do for himself, he can't ask a non-Jew to do for him; however, he can enjoy it if a non-Jew did it for him without his asking. There are exceptions, such as for communal need (such as the synagogue janitor), or to prevent massive loss. How does this apply to taking a picture? Consider a security camera. One doesn't gain by having your own picture taken in such a case, and such pictures serve to prevent massive loss. After all, the camera doesn't protect you from yourself. Thus, walking by an apartment building's security camera is permissable (in nearly all contemporary Orthoodox opinions). User Contributions:Top Document: soc.culture.jewish FAQ: Observance, Marriage, Women in Judaism (4/12) Previous Document: Question 7.14: Why is there a prohibition on travel on Shabbat? Next Document: Question 8.1: What role do women play in Judaism? Single Page [ Usenet FAQs | Web FAQs | Documents | RFC Index ] Send corrections/additions to the FAQ Maintainer: SCJ FAQ Maintainer <maintainer@scjfaq.org>
Last Update March 27 2014 @ 02:11 PM
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