Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site gatech.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!akgua!gatech!arnold From: arnold@gatech.UUCP (Arnold Robbins) Newsgroups: net.religion.jewish Subject: Re: Speaking of fences ... (Smoking on Yom Tov) Message-ID: <4364@gatech.UUCP> Date: Thu, 1-Mar-84 13:33:02 EST Article-I.D.: gatech.4364 Posted: Thu Mar 1 13:33:02 1984 Date-Received: Sat, 3-Mar-84 07:26:58 EST References: <203@masscomp.UUCP> Organization: Georgia Tech School of ICS, Atlanta Lines: 47 In reference to Andy Tannebaum's suggestion that smoking should be prohibited. I have been told several times that Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, the most widely accepted "posek" (decider of questions) in American Orthodoxy has written that smoking is wrong: if one does not smoke, he should not start, and if he does, he should try to quit. I cannot cite the specific place, but I can find it if necessary. However, there exists in Talmudic Law the concept of a "Gezerah sheh HaTzibur ainu yacholim la'amod bo", a decree that the public cannot accept upon themselves. This means that we don't make laws/decrees that people will not be able to fulfill (as a silly example, all Jews must buy Cadillacs. Not all Jews can afford Cadillacs, so we don't require them to buy Cadillacs.) Several rabbis have indicated to me that not smoking falls into the category of something that people can't accept. I also don't like smoking, but this falls into the category of personal choices.... Now, how do religious people smoke and cook on Yom Tov? On Shabbos, cooking and smoking are forbidden entirely, NO exceptions. If you're starving and all you have is raw meat, you can't cook it (unless you will *literally* die from hunger; if you can wait 24 hours, you may not cook). The Talmud says that Yom Tov is just like Shabbos, except for "Ochel Nefesh", food needed for survival. This is learned out from the phrasing in the Bible. By Shabbos it says "Kol Malacha", All "malacha", which is often translated as "work", but really means "creative activity". So *everything* is forbidden. By Yom Tov it says "Kol Malechet Avodah", all creative *work*, and the tradition/explanation is that work necessary for Ochel Nefesh is OK. One can not start a fire on Yom Tov, but can add or remove fuel from an existing fire. Thus people who smoke light their cigarettes/cigars/pipes from an already existing fire. This by the way, is why carrying is permitted on Yom Tov. It was permitted originally to carry food from one place to another. Once that was permitted, the Rabbis decided to permit carrying of any permitted/necessary thing, like a key to one's house, or one's child. There was a big difference of opinion about this between Hillel and Shammai; Hillel won. An excellent source for reasons behind Shabbos laws is the book "The Sabbath", by Dayan I. Grunfeld, published by Feldheim and available in any good Jewish bookstore. Hope this clears some things up! -- Arnold Robbins CSNET: arnold@gatech ARPA: arnold.gatech@CSNet-relay UUCP: ...!{akgua,allegra,rlgvax,sb1,ut-sally}!gatech!arnold Did'ja ever have one of those re-incarnations?