Shabbos Hotel Halacha

     

Where To Light Shabbos & Yom Yov Candles At A Pesach Hotel

&
The Case of the Pesach Petting Zoo

February, 2023

Several months ago, I was by a chuppah when, after its conclusion, a young man and his ten-year-old daughter came over to say hello. I recognized the father but was unable to place him. “I wanted you to meet our amazing young daughter” he began, “After all, you helped my wife and I significantly when she was about to enter this world”. I was completely confused. There were two possibilities: either he was mistaking me for someone else, or, an event took place in which I was a part and admitting my forgetfulness could only serve to be insensitive. So, I nodded my head in tentative agreement.

     My wife witnessed this exchange, and a few minutes later shared “I am so happy you were reunited with Mr. X. Isn’t nice to meet his daughter?”

     I abruptly stopped walking as she said this, turned to her, and admitted my ignorance during that busy moment in placing him, or the situation to which he was referring.

     “You don’t remember?!” she asked incredulously. “About ten years ago…we were staying in the Perl’s Pesach hotel in Niagara Falls? You were the guest rabbi for yom tov?…”

    So far, I remembered, of course.

     “In the middle of the night of yom tov there was a soft knock at our door. At forst we thought we were hearing things, but a few minutes later it started up again, growing slightly louder and louder. Looking through the peephole you saw a pacing yungerman, and immideatly opned it and walked out. He explained that his wife seemed to, maybe, be in labor. This was to be his frst child, and they were both unsure if this was real or a false alarm.. You quickly woke me up, and I listened to the symptoms, and it was clear a birth was immanent.

     “There were other matters involved, and you made it clear that they need to get to the hospital, either by cab (time allowing) or to drive themselves. He was still unsure if he should be ‘mechalal’ yom tov. There was no EMS in the Pesach program, so you went to room and dragged the phone out and said, ‘If you don’t get into a car, then I am dialing a frum doctor right now who will pick up if I call -he will convince you that it is time.’

    “He was so startled that you picked up the phone to call that he immediately took his wife to the nearest hospital. A baby girl was born later that night”.

     Admittedly, such events like the above are rarities, it does seem every time I am away at a Pesach or other program some fascinating issue arises.

   Another event at a hotel for whioch my wife was very helpful was when one Pesach hotel at which I was giving shiurim over chol hamoed invited a petting zoo one day for the frum kids. Like many Pesach hotels that have this same activity, the guests need not pay for animal feed as they would have to do separately in a traditional petting zoo; it was included and free.

     However, my wife –always wiser than I –had the sagacity to inquire

from what this feed was made.

      Let’s just say that most feed is made from a mix of ingredients that

would make any frum Jew on Pesach panic. As the reader is aware, deriving benefit from chometz is also prohibited. Would this be considered benefit?

      The question now was two-fold: A- if one may give this to children with.  which to feed the animals (No!), and B- if any Pesach hotel that utilized such a system (of which there are many) is considered to have actually purchased this feed with the guests’ money (beyond the scope of this column). In any event, the owners of this hotel were, to their credit, quite concerned at this discovery, and acted post-haste.

      All of the above comes to mind because I recently had the zechus to be the acting rabbi/speaker for a Chai Lifeline Shabbos retreat. Even though, chasdei Hashem, I no longer am responsible for kashrus at events at which I take part, there are always complexities that arise; some of which the reader need be aware. In fact, the very first piece I ever published (yarchon Ha’Amek, Toronto) was titled ‘HaMilon B’Halacha’ (the hotel in halacha). There I discussed issues ranging from the electric doors/locks on Shabbos, the non-Jewish bible found in drawers in most rooms (e.g. if they have the status of avodah zara, and the halachic effect that could have on one’s stay), eiruv chatzeiros, etc.

       But perhaps my greatest -and most common –‘hotel concern’ remains  hadlakas neros Shabbos. Very often, hotels will disallow fire of any kind to be kindled in private rooms. Due to such rules, frum programs will want hadlaka to take place in the dining hall (see Chovas HaDar, p. 94, Igros Moshe 5:20;30, Shmiras Shabbos K’hilchasah 45:9) and Be’er Moshe 1:14). However, that is only where the issue begins, as many hotels will further forbid kindling fire in any carpeted area. This often leaves one place in which hadlaka will be set-up: the hallway(s) near the dining halls.

      I will not here give a psak, but one should speak to their personal rav in case he holds that such an action is at best not good enough or, at worst, a beracha l’vatalah. Assuming such an area is not utilized for relaxing (with couches etc. that will be used over Shabbos), this is a serious problem. A few years ago, I was the visiting rabbi for a Shabbos program when I noticed this exact questionable set-up. The lighting was to be tucked-away in a corner of the hotel that would otherwise be inaccessible and/or isolated the rest of Shabbos.  I explained to the program director my concerns, and concluded, “It may be better to light with electricity in one’s room (without a beracha –Rav Moshe Feinstein) than to light here”. He thought this was an extreme approach and explained that he will call the well-known posek for the organization sponsoring that program. A few minutes later he called me to share what the posek said. “He said it’s a problem. And he agreed that it is better people light with electricity in their rooms than to light here”.

    He allowed me a moment of satisfaction, before he said: “But he did add one thing that you did not. He said that we should not announce this, and at this point -so close to Shabbos -only share with those who ask”. This was wise, and its reasons are beyond the scope of this short column.

     It reminded me of a story I often tell with Rav Yaakov Kamanetzky. Someone once approached him asking what the beracha he should tell others to make on a complicated dessert with many odd ingredients. “A quiet one” he wisely answered.