My refrigerator has "Sabbath Mode"

I have always considered "sabbath" to relate to the day of rest that many religions promote. But I just bought a new refrigerator and when I read the owner's manual I discovered that my refrigerator has "Sabbath Mode". Here is what the manual says:

"When activated, The Sabbath Mode deactivates the control lights while leaving the control operational."

So I wonder. Is this a secular use of the word sabbath or is there some religious need to turn off the lights without disabling the controls?

Anyone want to volunteer an explanation?

to be "work," and so will unscrew the lightbulb in the fridge before sundown on Fridays.

dg

I would have never guessed.

compressor has to come on isn't work.

O-kay.

or kindle a fire. So they consider a spark a fire so they don't drive cars or turn on light switches.

http://www.wordspy.com/words/Sabbathmode.asp

Am now going to have to ask my son, the home appliance repair guy about this :rofl: (has own biz, so repairs a wide range of brands and models)....this should be good! :rofl:

was not how it explained the concept of Sabbath Mode, but that it leads you to two even more delicious words: "triovenable" and "antigriddle."

are not supposed to turn lights on or off on the Sabbath - which starts at sundown on Friday and ends at sundown on Saturday. They're also not supposed to push an elevator button or make a phone call, etc. Your fridge is probably designed to accomodate such potential purchasers.

All the above is according to my understanding. Someone else will probably have more specific/accurate info.

Some who practice a particular form Jewish Orthodoxy are not allowed to light or extinguish candles (and by extension modern lights) on the Sabbath, as well as a host of other actions.

My apologies to all if I mangled any cherished beliefs, but I'm on my way out the door and didn't have time to google any supporting references...

The day of rest is interpreted not to mean simply sitting around and doing nothing, but more to the point not doing anything "creative". This includes and time you "create" a circuit by saying turning on a light, or hitting the remote control. If you ever venture to Israel, you'll see many of the larger building are equipped with "sabbath elevators" which stop at every floor so you don't have to push the buttons. However, many Orthodox Jews won't use these because the more weight is on the elevator, the harder it works, and therefore you're simply being on the elevator has been a creative process. That's how strict the interpretation is.

NB, I'm not a Jew, but this is what is was told when I was in Israel. So I could be leaving something out, but I think you get the jist.

Welcome to DU

:toast: :bounce:

Because the controls in question are the water/ice dispenser controls. These controls create a circuit to open a valve or door and activate a motor. Maybe disabling the lights is just a nasty trick that Maytag is playing on the well-intentioned Observant Jews.

I was going to commend Maytag for their cultural sensitivity, but now I'm not so sure.

...it may create a spark. The creation of that spark desecrates the sabbath. Perhaps the motor does not activate when in sabbath mode?

For the life of me, I can't understand religion.....I just can't.

eating is work, what with all that chewing and swallowing. Oy vey! I'm going back to bed.

considered work but the debate of whether or not a woman who'd parked a needle on her dress and carried it around on the Sabbath was working was endless.

I'm glad I don't get it. I don't want it.

I think it is so you can preprogram the oven to turn on and off at certain times. Even though women aren't supposed to 'work' on the Sabbath in some Orthodox sects, dinner still needs to be on the table, kids still need to be fed. So they're getting around the restrictions this way...I think Crock-pots are probably used as well.

community.

I neutered a tomcat for an Orthodox couple one time. Took some doing. They are not supposed to neuter animals - goes against God's will or some such. So they consulted with their rabbi (they DID want to be responsible pet owners)- he instructed them to sell the cat to me for $1, have me neuter what was then MY cat, and then buy the neutered cat back from me for $1 plus the normal neutering fee. We did all the paperwork to document this (in case God did an audit, I suppose). Everybody was happy. I thought it was humorous.

Theres no way god is going to find out about their REAL intention. Goddammit, but people are ridiculous.

On the off chance that the house might contain some trace of leaven or leavened item still within even after a very thorough cleaning, some Orthodox families maintain an ancient custom of "selling" any and all leavened products within the house to a non-Jew for the duration of Passover. That way, the crumbs under Jr.'s bed (from his eating cookies in his room) won't get the family in trouble with God for having leven in the house because it won't be their leaven.

The rabbi learned about that from the passover trick where orthodox Jews sell all their chametz (leaven) to a non-Jewish neighbor since they are not supposed to have leavened food in the house during passover. Then they buy it back after passover.

Some of the stuff is crazy!

Their not supposed to rip paper during shabos so sugar packets for the coffee and tea are pre-opened. Imagine what is like after a big dump when they need to use toilet paper during shabos! :-)

manual, I went to google to find out what in the world Sabbath Mode was. I had never heard of it before!

who was a non-Jewish ("goyim") servant hired to do things like turning on lights, answering the phone, and other menial chores on the Sabbath.

You cannot have someone work for you on the sabbath.

They do not drive cars or flip switches during the sabbath. If the lights stay on it's okay but they cannot turn the switch. I assume the lights stay on all the time (even when the fridge is closed) when you have the fridge in sabbath mode. Or vice-versa?

And both of those controls do work in the Jewish sabbath sense. The inside lights still work normally (I did not crawl inside to see if the light stays on when the door closes, but the switch works normally)

I'm beginning to think it is just a tease to temp unwitting Jews into sinning. Shame on Maytag!

I think that as long as they don't know it they are fine with it. It's like the story upthread about the orthodox couple selling their cat for a buck in order to neuter him and then buying it back.

Sabbath loopholes that orthodox come up with are a motive for great laugh in the non-Orthodox circles.

I have forgotten the specific number, but work prohibited on the Sabbath is defined as labors performed in the building of the temple in Jerusalem. Preparing food, without heating, is not one of them. Hence, it is acceptable to feed others and yourself. It is mandatory that you feed your animals; they must be fed before yourself.

While you may laugh at the practices of observant Jews, you miss the point. It is not what you are forbidden to do but what you are freed from doing. Sabbath observance is very liberating. Not discussing business, no making plans for after the Sabbath, not modifying the environment in proscribed ways means living in the present.

Suffering from depression, there have been many years where I was not able to sleep more than four hours a night. Friday night was the exception. I admit to having missed many of the Sabbath activities for having slept 18+ hours. Shabbat is a blessing in so many ways.

The law does not prohibit "work" in current English meaning of the word. The law prohibits "melachah" on shabbat which is translated into the word "work" but it is not a precise translation.

Melachah refers to creative work, or that exercises control or dominion over your environment. Like in the story when god "created the universe" that was the word for "work" used in the account. But god rested on the seventh day therefore people are supposed to rest on the 7th day of the week (the sabbath). You know, God's "work" did not require a great physical effort... he spoke, and it was done.

Wow, it's a whole mindset I just can't comprehend. The control is operational, so there is the possibility of control - but having those controls lit is 'work'? It still doesn't make sense.

What comes down to is that you are not allowed to create. In their mind the light switch causes a spark and you are creating that spark. I'm a Jew and I cannot comprehend!

They (orthodox) say this law works well because you force yourself to be closer to your family by turning off the TV, computer, radio, work, and all distraction and forces you to actually talk to your family and connect.

On the other hand, you cannot rip paper on the sabbath so I wonder what they do after taking a shit.

I would add another element to the mix. In addition to the 7th day being a day of rest from creation, and in addition to it having a mass of clauses and opt-outs, it also has very very very specific clauses dependant upon WHERE you are (unrestricted, certain restricitions, private domain and public domain) - with sub-clauses and definitions you can't imagine. Then there is the question of intention - if you intended to do x but did y instead did you really work? Then there is a requirement to celebrate the Sabbath - including a meal with prayers - and reading a portion of the Torah of course.

The rules are enormous, and there are Avodah (basic categories) and toladot (off-springs categories) galore in the Mishnah on this. Talmudic law was thought through in a most fascinating way, with much of the process only discernable on close reading. And anyone who assumes the rules are "nonsense" is in fact speaking with such enormous lack of respect for the literally thousands of years of excruciating and painstaking inspection of these rules that they do indeed make complete sense to those who understand them properly.


TRYPHO

I started a thread about my new refrigerator and ended up learning about Jewish religious practice. How cool is that!

Well, if it was a girl fridge.

TRYPHO

does that make it female?:)

Next thread please, this is getting icky now :-)

TRYPHO