Tag: Shabbat
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Shomer Shabbat Hackathon – Jewish Technology
From the Jewish Standard By Larry Yudelson Published: 26 December 2014 Akiva Lipshitz, a Teaneck high school freshman, demonstrates his winning Pong game. If your idea of a good time is staying up all night writing computer programs, you’re no doubt in the minority — and you’re also doubtlessly familiar with hackathons, which gather…
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New Shabbos App Isn’t a Joke (But It’s a Joke)
Yitz Appel has created a mobile app for those who are Sabbath observant (Shomer Shabbos), but still want to use their smartphone. Called “Shabbos App”, he’s launching a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for its launch. Most people have thought it’s a joke, but Appel says it’s serious and has promised to show some rabbinic…
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Will Google’s Driverless Cars Be Kosher to Drive on Shabbat?
From Haaretz.com By Rabbi Yehoshua Looks Could a Google vehicle be kosher for Shabbat? Driverless cars are comparable to Shabbat elevators. Would Jewish law therefore permit using them on the day of rest? In 1950, Rabbis Morris Adler, Jacob Agus and Theodore Friedman from the Conservative movement authored a responsum on the permissibility of riding…
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Shabbat Scooter from Amigo and Zomet Institute
A reporter at the Detroit News asked me about a motorized scooter that can be used by observant Jews on Shabbat. She wanted a local rabbi’s help in understanding why a scooter wasn’t permissible on Shabbat and why this scooter was acceptable. It was fortuitous that she contacted me since I am already familiar with…
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Shabbat and Technology: What Are the Issues in the 21st Century?
Electronic books, known as e-books, became the dominant format for adult fiction in 2011 surpassing hardcover books and paperbacks according to the BookStats annual survey. We are increasingly choosing to read our novels, magazine, newspapers and even children’s books on ereaders and tablets. But is it permissible to do this on the one day of…
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Can We Drive a Car Using Our Brain on Shabbat?
Futurists and auto engineers are now discussing a sitting vehicle which is driven solely with brain activity. Yes, you read that correctly: brain activity. But can it be used on Shabbat when observant Jews refrain from electricity and traditional forms of transportation. The Jerusalem Post reports, “This intriguing thought was discussed on Thursday by…
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Laws of Shabbat and e-Readers
The gadgets have changed our lives. And technology will change our lives even more in the future. For Sabbath observant Jews, tech gadgets pose some lingering questions about their usage on Shabbat. My teacher, Rabbi Daniel Nevins, is a member of the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards — the body that decides matters of…
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Female Soldiers in the Israeli Army on Facebook
The Israeli Army has been using Facebook to catch female draft dodgers. An article in All Facebook, the unofficial Facebook blog, reports that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has been using the social networking site to nab female Israelis who claim to be religious enough to be exempted from army service. Apparently, their activity on…
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Technology’s Yom Kippur
The Offlining campaign has been gaining popularity. It’s the brainchild of Eric Yaverbaum and Mark DiMassimo. They partnered to launch Offlining, an initiative to promote unplugging that was introduced on Father’s Day, to ask people to make a pledge to have 10 device-free dinners between then and Thanksgiving. To date, more than 10,500 have signed…