Washington – As an Orthodox Jew, Jack Lew, President Obama’s choice as White House Chief of Staff,, observes the religious restrictions on the Jewish Sabbath, which runs from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. He leaves the office Friday afternoons in time to get home before sundown, and does not use electric or electronic devices, including the telephone.
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Once, while working in President Clinton’s director, Lew’s home phone rang one Saturday. He didn’t answer and a familiar voice could be heard from the answering machine, urging him to pick up the phone. Mr. Clinton said he understood the sanctity of the Sabbath, but that it was important that he talk to Lew. He even said, it was later reported, that “God would understand.”
Lew later consulted with his rabbi, who said that taking an important phone call from the President of the United States would be permissible on the Sabbath under the Talmudic teaching that work on the Sabbath is allowed in order to save a life.
maybe if he had spent a bit more time in cheder, he would have come to the right conclusion by himself. Even I know that we are obligated to violate Shabbos to save a life…
why is an important call from the president pikuach nefesh?
arn’t there other people that can replace him.
How is someone alowed to take a job that will require him to be mechalel shabbos.
By the way, who is this rabbi?
LOL. Show me your Rabbi and I’ll tell you who you are.
That’s a stretch.
I guess he’s more like a conservadox Rabbi.
i would think karov lemalchus is a better heter since it amtirs doraysas and pikuechc nefesh here may not be applicable.
just curious who is his rabbi
He was OMB director–how was pikuach nefesh involved? I can imagine anti-Semites joking about this–“see, the Jews are so cheap they think a financial crisis is life-threatening”
But note, he did not take the call.
no comment necessary. I would like to know who his rabbi is.
WHAT A JOKE! this guy sells out for fame and $$$
His rav is a very well known and respected frum rav in suburban maryland and a member of the Washington vaad. To those of you who question his psak, please worrry about the issue when you become the President’s CoS but until then save your stupid comments about Obama to your self.
I don’t think it’s chillul shabbos to use a telephone…
i believe we don’t use a phone on shabbos because it’s not socially acceptable… what’s the isur?
I would say that as the chief of staff to the president, there are a lot of issues that can happen, ( medical, environmental, security emergencies) that can have pikuach nefesh involved. It’s not simple, and even if you do answer the phone, there are ways to mitigate the issur of shabbos. ( cell phone is better than a regular phone, only say what is needed, when to shut off the phone) my personal opinion, as I learned those from a Talmud of rav Moshe, is that it is not an easy topic and we should not bash his rabbi without knowing the details.
As I am currently residing in the DC – Baltimore metro area; I am aware of a number of cases where the Rabbanim have given heterim for some people who are not in the medical field to go in to work on Shabbos if the matsav requires it.
Each situation is different but don’t jump to conclusions.
I know of a frum yid from Baltimore who is apparently fluent in some dialect of Pashto, he went in on shabbos once, I assume that they had some urgent intelligence need. I know that a government car came to pick him up so he would not have to drive on shabbos.
Ay, if only people were Medakdaik with their own Chamuros as much as with other’s Kulos.
Why not just get a secretary to pick up the phone?? If it is something that can be dealt with through a message fine, and if it truly is pikuach nefesh (Israel being nuked ch”v) than yeah, pikuach nefash docha Shabbos.
Whose life was Clinton saving?
~1)picking up a phone is not a biblical issur.
~2)even that, it’s, a rabbinical issur, is not definite.
~3)reuven ben arisoblus,got special permission,on some rabbinical issurs,regarding chukas hagoi.
~4)there is a Heter of Eiva,that to avert sinaas hagoi,and antisemitism,there is a chiyuv to do what has to be done,even if it entails to transgress on an issur.
~5)this requires a pesak,from a competent Rav.
~6)ein megalin eilah lazenuim,but nowadays all is public knowledge.
What ticks me off is President Clinton saying “G-d would understand.” So now he is also a rav? On the flip side, if one accepts a position of such responsibility that the President has your home phone number, you are surprised that he calls? Where is the planning ahead?
And yes, the position of Chief of Staff is easily important enough that matters of life might be affected. Do not some hold that a person’s livelihood is also important enough to outweigh the Sabbath?
But see the reach of the US government: when the decision was made to dramatically increase the use of corn for fuel, shortages appeared all across the world for two years. These shortages, about which some had warned, led to riots. People died.
The Chief of Staff is intimately involved with negotiations with Congress over all bills.
Eli Yishai is shomer Shabbat and he answers phone calls. However, he has a special phone which apparently is less of a problem. However, #27 is correct. Answering a telephone is, according to most opinions, an issur derabbanan, which allows using for less than pikuach nefesh (Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach reportedly even questioned whether there is an issur involved in electricity other than incandescant lights at all). It could be that pressing legislation or policy decisions could doche even Tora prohibitions. For example, a decision on taking out Iran.
Regarding krovim lamalchut, they were given heterim regarding rabbinic prohibitions of wearing Goyish clothing and having Goyish haircuts as brought down in Yoreh Deah. This was for the purpose of impressing the rulers for the benefit of the Jewish community. I do not think that it was extended to other rabbinic prohibitions.
#2, he was Special Assistant to Clinton and was involved in major poicy matters, one of whichcould have been doche this issur. He then went over to OMB. It could be that there was some pressing fiscal matter which would doche this issur.
To all of the sarcastic commenters: what about lashon hara and hotzaat shem ra? This involves violations of many positive and negative Tora mitzvot as well as exposing the violator to several Tora curses. Learn the introduction to Sefer Shemirat HaLashon. When you keep the Halacha you can start thinking about chumrot – for yourselves (as stated in Messilat Yesharim on Chassidut) and privately without fanfare (Rav Abramsky uued to be machmir to hear the megilla on both the 14th and 15th as according to Rav Tuchichinsky his neighborhood was not samuch venireh to the Old City of Yerushalayim. When somebody revealed this fact he announced that he would no longer keep it).
#30, never mind Gingrich, what about the “frum” megafrauds?
#33, only if one’s livelihood nivolves pikuach nefersh. For example, if an emergency responder would lose his license.
The only explanation of why possibly using the phone “might” be a problem on Shabbos from a purely “melachos” standard is the very questionable idea that the use of an electrical device creates a circuit of electrons, and is therefore ‘boneh”. This is very weak, but it is the accepted rationale why the use of a phone might be a problem on Shabbos. Basically, we avoid the phone because it is not in the spirit of Shabbos…
In the photo Mr. Lew doesn’t appear to be very happy about his new job.
Please be aware that it is not so clear that there is an issur Shabbos to pick up a non-electric phone on shabbos.
For the record he is a frum jew. Its unbeleivable how many people comment on who is his rabbi, or he is looking for money and fame. Why cant we grow up and understand life.
Also I just want to ask those of you who are speaking out against this man behind his back about taking this appointment & already questioninghis commitment to keeping his mitvot before he’s done a thing wrong to show you he’d be weak in that area…
Are you saying all of this stuff because you are legitimetly concerned w\his soul…or because you’re upset that he took a job working for “Hussein Obama”?!
Cuz if your beef doesn’t got to do w\worrying about his soul…is it worth the risk of speaking against him? What’s wrong w\saying congratulations, and davening that he’ll have good luck in his career & will do well?
Just sayin!
#48 , the point is that
1.a rav could definitely be meikal in certain situations
2. many of the commenters here are over on very serious Tora prohibitions as I previoulsy posted
3. apparently they are beside themselves with jealousy.
It says in the Sefer Chillul Shabbos Kihilchusoi that there is an issur D’diraisa of T’lisha each time you pick up a phone on shabbos!