Can a Jew stop a non-Jew driving on Shabbos and ask him to turn on an air conditioner? Is it permissible to ride in an elevator with a non-Jew? And may a non-Jew open an electronically locked hotel room door on Shabbos? These were among the practical halachah questions addressed by Rav Ofir Malka during his Israeli radio program Halachah Lemaaseh.

One listener described living in a predominantly non-Jewish neighborhood and asked whether, because of the intense heat, he could stop a passing non-Jewish driver on Shabbos and have him turn on the air conditioner in his home.

Rav Malka ruled that doing so is prohibited.

“You are hinting to a non-Jew to perform melachah with his own possessions for your benefit—that is forbidden,” the Rav said.

He explained that stopping the vehicle itself causes the non-Jew to perform additional melachos on behalf of the Jew.

“The moment he stops the car, he presses the brake, and then when he starts driving again, that is another melachah. It’s all because of you,” the Rav explained.

Another question involved hotels outside of Israel where guest rooms are accessed using electronic key cards. The caller asked whether it would be permissible to arrange in advance for a non-Jew to accompany him in the elevator and open the hotel room door for him.

Rav Malka responded that there is “absolutely no permission to ride in an elevator with a non-Jew under any circumstances,” explaining that even if the non-Jew operates the elevator, the Jew’s own use of the elevator activates various electrical systems.

The Rav elaborated that entering and exiting the elevator interrupts the light beam in the doorway, increases the electrical current, and, most significantly, activates the elevator’s digital weighing system, which adjusts the elevator’s operation based on the weight of its passengers.

“All of that is done by the Jew himself. It has nothing to do with the non-Jew—it is chilul Shabbos without even realizing it,” he emphasized. For that reason, he said, the presence of a non-Jew does not make riding the elevator permissible.

Regarding electronic hotel room doors, Rav Malka explained that if there is a significant and genuine need, it is permissible to ask a non-Jew to open the door.

Ideally, however, he advised guests to prepare before Shabbos by leaving the door latch disengaged so that the room can be entered without using the electronic lock. Only if someone is stranded without any other practical option may he ask a non-Jew to open the door in a case of substantial need.

{Matzav.com}