"Chumras are destroying our youth"...

greenfire

Sat, Jan 27 2007, 8:53 pm

shalhevet wrote:

That means that if your rav says not to eat chalav akum or not to use electricity on Shabbat in EY (that's something we do do, just to give an example of something that we also don't go by)

Just wanted to clarify this, although it's OT, because someone pmed me to ask.

We do use electricity on Shabbat. I specifically wanted to bring an example of a chumra/ different opinion which we are not makpid on, b/c I felt this thread was turning into people getting on the defensive about things they don't do themselves.

The opinion is from the Chazon Ish, that one cannot benefit in Israel from Jews who are breaking Shabbat at the electricity company. Those who go by this opinion often have a private generator for Shabbat use. If they don't they use gas and/or sit in the dark for Shalosh Seudos.

The heter to use the electricity is that people need to be working there for pikuach nefesh reasons (there is usually someone elderly/ baby/ very sick in your immediate neighbourhood who would need Shabbos broken to fix the electricity.)

I'm sorry could you explain this to me cause I never heard of this - confused

gryp

Sat, Jan 27 2007, 9:16 pm

Quote:

I do. The problem I had with it is that it made my mother's life hell, she was under so much stress trying to keep all the extras, and it made me miserable.

I hear you defy. I wish it could have been different for you. this is another example (which I think is obvious to all of us since we probably all went through this to some degree about something in Yiddishkeit) of how our attitudes affect the way our children think.

shalhevet

Sun, Jan 28 2007, 2:54 am

greenfire wrote:

shalhevet wrote:

That means that if your rav says not to eat chalav akum or not to use electricity on Shabbat in EY (that's something we do do, just to give an example of something that we also don't go by)

I'm sorry could you explain this to me cause I never heard of this - confused

You haven't heard of it, because it is only applicable in Israel. The electricity company has Jews working for them on Shabbos. Therefore the Chazon Ish paskened that it is forbidden to use electricity at all on Shabbos in Israel (I.e to use lights, heat, AC that were turned on BEFORE Shabbos as well). There are some people who also store water before Shabbos b/c it takes electricity (don't ask me the details!) to bring the water to the faucet.

Some people who go by this opinion have a generator (this is fairly common in some Chareidi areas). Others say that is also not allowed because someone looking in thinks you are using electricity. These people use gas lights and/or candles on Friday night and sit in the dark for SS. There is some heter for a fridge that many people rely on (don't know the details).

This is much more common in Bnei Brak. Yerushalmi rabbonim usually allow using it. The heter is that you must have people working in the electricity company for reasons of pikuach nefesh (hospitals, old/sick/babies in the heat/cold, people who need electric medical equipment etc).

OK, hope that's clear now.

Imaonwheels

Sun, Jan 28 2007, 9:04 pm

mumoo wrote:

I think parents should remember there are differences between halachos, chumros, minhagim, etc.

I think parents should remember that there are different opinions and a stricter opinion than yours is just that. The person who holds that way has no right to otherwise w/o disobeying the halacha. It has nothing to do with chumras.

To make the distinction one must have a knowledge of poskim. When a person calls chalav Yisrael a chumra I know he does not have that knowledge. In the books CY is the basic halacha. It says so not by me but in the SA. Some rabbonim have given a heter and people disagree about who that heter applies to to. No posek believes chalav akum is a l'chatchila. When people get a heter because of difficult situations in chu'l and then make aliya and continue to buy Cadbury's or whatever because "CY is not our minhag" then I know he simply does not understand how halacha is paskened.

OTOH, I could see how a child was taught to be selfish and to make sure they don't give HaShem anything not coming to Him would have troubles w/their yiras shamayim.