Thought for the Day: Friday Night, After Kiddush, Kids Going to Bed, Parents Get to Relax... You Left the Light On in Your Room?!

It was just a few short years ago (pre-pandemic, since last year has been anything but short), we were spending a Shabbos with our grandchildren and their parents in Florida. Friday night and we are all at the table. Finished with Kiddush and Motzi, then the younger children get dessert and up to bed. Perfect.

One glitch -- the nine year old boy (oldest of younger children) is back downstairs? "Someone," he says eyeing his older brother, "didn't turn the light off in our room." Of course, at this point it doesn't really matter how/who/when/why the light was turned on. On the other hand, this is also not the time for a mussar shmuz on that particular topic.

What to do? In that case, the light was part of a ceiling fan and the fan was off. I was therefore able to drape a blanket over the fan blades far enough from the bulbs to avoid a fire hazard, but close enough to darken the room sufficiently for the two boys to sleep.

But nowadays we have -- tada -- LED lights. The advantage of which, as previously discussed, is that turning them off violates a Rabbinic -- not Torah -- prohibition. Not saying "only Rabbinic"; after all, prohibited is prohibited. However, our Chazal built certain leeways into their decrees which will help us get the kids to sleep, the parents relaxed, and all around a more pleasurable and honorable Shabbos.

To wit: check out siman 343 -- Laws concerning children regarding Shabbos -- and the Biur Halacha there. The Shulchan Aruch rules that must prevent a child from violating Shabbos -- even to prevent him from transgressing a Rabbinic prohibition. The Biur Halacha, though, brings that the Rashba and the Rahn hold that a child, in fact, is permitted to violate a Rabbinic prohibition for his own needs, and an adult is even permitted to enable them in this matter. The Shulchan Aruch, notes the Biur Halacha, does not rule according to that opinion. However, the Biur Halacha does go on to quote R' Akiva Eiger as firmly disapproving of adults mis-using this leniency to allow their children to carry a siddur or chumash to shul for their parents. No, no, no... the child is only allowed to violate a Rabbinic prohibition for his own needs, not the needs of an adult. However, concludes the Biur Halacha (presumably still quoting R' Akiva Eiger), there is a תקנה/remedy. Namely, have the child carry the siddur or chumash for himself, then you can share with him.

Strange, no? First the Biur Halacha tells us that we don't follow this opinion in halacha. Then it finishes by noting that if you can actually arrange that the action will be a benefit for the child, then the adult can use this as a subterfuge to gets what he wants. Hmm... you can't do this, but if you do -- boy oh boy do I have a loophole for you!

The Biur Halacha is telling us that when there is a pressing need, there are reliable opinions to be lenient that may be added to the mix. The Biur Halacha, though, also wants you to know that the benefit to the child himself must be real; even if contrived (as may be dictated by the situation), the benefit has to be to the child himself.

So far, so good. The reader may have noticed that I have consistently used the word "child", and not the more precise "halachic minor". That was intentional. In this halacha, the term used is תינוק/child, not קטן/halachic minor. The age until which one may apply this leniency range from about three to nine years old; the younger the better.

Back, now, to our quandary. The boys cannot sleep because their LED bedroom light is on. Turning off an LED light violates a Rabbinic -- not Torah -- prohibition. The younger boy is nine, but there is a three year old sister. Younger the better, but in this case the girls sleep in a different room. You might argue that if the light in the boys' room is on, then the girls are not going to be able to sleep. Maybe. But since there are opinions that up to nine is still included in this leniency and the boy will get a direct benefit, better to direct the boy himself to shut off the light.

Good night, good Shabbos; Love you!

Ah... Shabbos Menucha!