DailyHalacha.com for Mobile Devices Now Available

Click Here to Sponsor Daily Halacha
"Delivered to Over 6000 Registered Recipients Each Day"

      
(File size: 470 KB)
May One Allow a Plumber to Perform Repairs on Shabbat?

The Mishna Berura (252:17) cites the Hayeh Adam (Rav Abraham Danzig of Vilna, 1748-1820) who rules that one may not allow a technician to remain in his house on Shabbat to complete repairs. Even though the technician is working on the basis of "Kablanut," a fixed fee per task, it is prohibited, because of "Marit Ayin." Outside observers may misconstrue the circumstances of the employment.

There is one exception to this principle. In cases where there is an issue of "Kavod Habriyot" (Human Dignity), e.g. a plumbing emergency, one may allow the technician to complete the repair. The Halachic weight of Kavod Habriyot overrides the concern of "Marit Ayin," which is a Rabbinic enactment.

SUMMARY
One may allow a technician to complete repairs in his home on Shabbat under circumstances compromising "Kavod Habriyot."

 


Recent Daily Halachot...
Washing One’s Hands Immediately Upon Awakening in the Morning
Zimun: If Only Seven Out of the Ten Men Ate Bread
Determining Which Beracha to Recite When Smelling Fragrant Fruits
Within How Much Time After Eating May One Recite Birkat Hamazon or Me’en Shalosh?
Reciting Birkat Ha’gomel After a Boating Trip
Reciting Birkat Ha’gomel on Behalf of Somebody Else
Making a Zimun During Travel
Birkat Ha’gomel: Reciting the Beracha While Seated or at Nighttime; Reciting the Beracha After Confinement in a Holding Cell
The Procedure for Reciting Birkat Ha’gomel
Reciting a Zimun When Some Participants of the Meal Want to Leave
Mayim Aharonim – If One Forgot to Wash Mayim Aharonim; the Water Used for Mayim Aharonim; Using Other Liquids; the Procedure for Washing
Determining When to Recite “Boreh Asbeh Besamim” and When to Recite “Boreh Aseh Besamim”
Zimun: Counting Minors and Children Toward a Zimun, Granting Precedence to a Kohen or Torah Scholar
Situations Where One Would Not Recite a Beracha Before Drinking Water
Reciting the Beracha of Shehakol When in Doubt About the Beracha
Page of 239
3585 Halachot found