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Tisha B'Av and the 3 Weeks
June 29 - July 20, 201.A Major Fast Day -- remembering the day when the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed, not once but twice.
Classified
39 Laws of Shabbat
The 39 laws are as follows:
Sowing
Plowing
Reaping
Binding sheaves
Threshing
Winnowing
Selecting
Grinding
Sifting
Kneading
Baking
Shearing wool
Washing wool
Beating wool
Dyeing wool
Spinning
Weaving
Making two loops
Weaving two threads
Separating two threads
Tying
Untying
Sewing stitches
Tearing
Trapping
Slaughtering
Flaying
Tanning
Scraping hide
Marking hides
Cutting hide to shape
Writing two or more letters
Erasing two or more letters
Building
Demolishing
Extinguishing a fire
Kindling a fire
Putting the finishing touch on an object and transporting an object between the private domain and the public domain, or for a distance of 4 cubits within the public domain.
Use of Electricity (Disagreement): Most Jews, such as Orthodox and Conservative, believe that it is not permitted to use any source of electricity. They rule that it is one of the 39 laws of Shabbat. However, some authorities don’t really understand in exactly what category it is placed. Some argue that it is placed under the 37th category due to some sparks are created when the electricity is either turned on or off. And that would conclude that it has to do with lighting a fire. Others argue that because using an oven would be considered baking then it should be put under the 11th category. But again, there are some others who believe that it should be paced in the 36th category due to the fact that you are turning off electricity which is some kind of extinguishing fire. Another view is that a device is plugged into an electrical outlet of a wall which becomes part of building and turning it off would be demolishing so that would put this in categories 34 and 35.
Automobiles
Orthodox and many Conservative authorities completely prohibit the use of automobiles on Shabbat as a violation of multiple categories include "igniting a fire", "extinguishing a fire" and "transferring between domains". However, the Conservative movement's Committee on Jewish Law and Standards permits driving to a synagogue on Shabbat, as an emergency measure, on grounds that if Jews lost contact with synagogue life they would become lost to the Jewish people.
Extenuating circumstances
In the event that a human life is in danger (pikuach nefesh), a Jew is not only allowed, but required, to violate any Shabbat law that stands in the way of saving that person. (In fact, any law in Judaism - excluding certain prohibited actions: murder, idolatry, and forbidden sexual acts - must be broken if doing so will help save the life of one who is in grave danger.) The concept of life being in danger is interpreted broadly: for example, it is mandated that one violate Shabbat to bring a woman in active labor to a hospital. Lesser, rabbinic restrictions are often violated under much less urgent circumstances, e.g. a patient who is ill but not critically so.
Various other legal principles closely delineate which activities constitute desecration of the Shabbat. Examples of these include the principle of shinui ("change" or "deviation") - a severe violation becomes a non-severe one if the prohibited act was performed in a way that would be considered abnormal on a weekday. Examples include writing with one's non-dominant hand (according to many rabbinic authorities). This legal principle operates bedi'avad (ex post facto) and does not cause a forbidden activity to be permitted barring extenuating circumstances.
Permitted activities
The following activities are encouraged on Shabbat:
• Spending Shabbat together with one's immediate family;
• Synagogue attendance for prayers;
• Visiting family and friends (within walking distance);
• Hosting guests (hachnasat orchim, "hospitality");
• Singing zemirot, special songs for the Shabbat meal (commonly sung during or after a meal).
• Reading, studying and discussing Torah and commentary, Mishnah and Talmud, learning some Halakha and Midrash.
• Sexual relations between husband and wife, particularly on Friday night. (The Shulkhan Arukh describes this as a "double mitzvah," as it combines procreation with enjoyment of Shabbat, both of which are considered to be mandated by the Torah
