The Ben Ish Hai (Rav Yosef Haim of Baghdad, 1833-1909), in his work Rav Pe'alim (vol. 3, 19), writes a fascinating responsum that should alert us to the particular gravity of violating Shabbat. The case he addresses involves an individual who extinguished a fire on Shabbat for the purpose of avoiding a considerable financial loss. This person had incorrectly presumed that Halacha permits extinguishing a fire to save one's property, and this misconception led him to commit this violation. He wrote to the Ben Ish Hai asking for guidance in making a "Tikkun," meaning, in earning atonement for this inadvertent transgression.
The Ben Ish Hai begins by noting that according to the view of the Rambam (Rabbi Moshe Maimonides, Spain-Egypt, 1135-1204), extinguishing a fire in such a case indeed constitutes a Torah violation. Extinguishing a fire to prevent it from spreading belongs to the Halachic category of "Melacha She'ena Sericha Le'gufa" – a Melacha performed for a secondary purpose. The primary example of extinguishing, as far as the laws of Shabbat are concerned, is putting out a fire in order to make a coal. Hence, extinguishing a fire to prevent it from spreading is a case of performing a Melacha for a purpose other than its primary purpose. Some authorities claim that a Melacha in such a case is forbidden only by force of Rabbinic enactment, whereas the Rambam maintains that even such instances entail a Torah violation.
Since the person committed this violation inadvertently, thinking that it was permissible, his transgression falls under the category of "Shogeg" ("accidental"), which, in the times of the Temple, would require bringing a sin-offering.
The Ben Ish Hai then proceeds to describe the procedure the individual should follow in his quest for atonement. Firstly, he should make a sizeable donation to charity, to support impoverished Torah scholars. He should also observe three fasts – on a Monday, the next Thursday, and then the following Monday – and, if possible, he should observe seven fasts. When accepting each fast, he should explicitly declare that he intends through his fasting to "sacrifice" his fat and blood as an offering to God, in place of the animal sacrifice that he would bring in the times of the Mikdash. The Ben Ish Hai also advised the man to read all the verses and Mishnayot that are normally recited as part of the "Tikkun Lel Shabuot" service, and to read through all the sections of the Torah dealing with the sacrifices, and the book "Adra Zuta." Finally, he should perform the "Kapparot" ritual with a chicken as many do before Yom Kippur, and give the chicken to the poor. He should verbally confess his sin during the "Kapparot."
All this demonstrates the especially grievous nature of Shabbat violation. If the Ben Ish Hai demanded such measures of somebody who transgressed Shabbat inadvertently, we can only imagine how difficult it is to atone for the intentional desecration of Shabbat. Moreover, the Ben Ish Hai's comments should inspire us to make a point of studying the laws of Shabbat in order to avoid mistakes. Had this individual properly studied the laws of Shabbat, he would have known not to extinguish the fire, and would not have come upon this violation. It thus behooves us to commit ourselves to the serious study of the Shabbat laws, in order that we have a clear understanding of what is permissible and what is forbidden on Shabbat.
