As today seems to be Judaism day here on the blog -- I met an interesting guy at a party this weekend who lives up in Williamsburg. He offhandedly mentioned something about how major appliances -- like stoves and refrigerators -- have built-in 'Sabbath modes,' designed in such a way so as not to violate prohibitions on doing any sort of work on the Sabbath. I was incredulous, but there does seem to be something to this. From an old issue of Wired, first the problem:
According to the article, manufacturers work around this by interrupting the connection between the action (opening the door) and the result (the compressor switching on.) For refrigerators, the solution is to go back to the old models where the compressor being turned wasn't tied to the door opening and the temperature dropping but instead having it just kick on every hour or five hours or whatever. And in the case a stove, the solution is to make it so that turning on dial turns it on, but not right away. There's a randomized time-shift, maybe a five second delay, or maybe a fifteen second delay. It's unpredictable, you see, and therefore doesn't count as a "direct action." No direct action, no violation of the Sabbath. Fascinating. And it's all going on right there in our kitchens.
Opening a fridge seems like a harmless action without consequence. But every time you open that door, you let warm air in and cold air out, changing the temperature inside. So the compressor switches on to compensate, and you've effectively turned on the appliance and engaged in work. Mechalel shabbos - you've desecrated the Sabbath.
According to the article, manufacturers work around this by interrupting the connection between the action (opening the door) and the result (the compressor switching on.) For refrigerators, the solution is to go back to the old models where the compressor being turned wasn't tied to the door opening and the temperature dropping but instead having it just kick on every hour or five hours or whatever. And in the case a stove, the solution is to make it so that turning on dial turns it on, but not right away. There's a randomized time-shift, maybe a five second delay, or maybe a fifteen second delay. It's unpredictable, you see, and therefore doesn't count as a "direct action." No direct action, no violation of the Sabbath. Fascinating. And it's all going on right there in our kitchens.
