The Biblical prohibition of demolishing includes all activity which destroys for a useful purpose something previously constructed (according to the definition of building in work category 34 - Constructing). For example, demolishing a building in order to clear the land for re-building.

The Rabbinical prohibition is demolishing even without intent for useful purpose.

This prohibition includes all activity that is the final finishing step or touch to complete the manufacture of something. (The literal translation of the Hebrew term is beat with a hammer).

Some examples of this prohibition are:

1. Finishing a garment by tearing or cutting off the loose threads.

2. Engraving a vessel

3. Nailing or gluing the leg to a chair

4. Making a pillow by stuffing the pillow case with feathers

5. Fashioning a chip of wood into a toothpick

6. Winding a watch or wearing a self-winding watch after it has stopped. Correcting the time on the watch even if it is still going. Many permit it on Yom-Tov if needed when there is no other working watch available.

7. Causing a functional improvement of an already existing implement, even though there is no discernible physical changes. Some examples of this prohibition are:

A) Hardening a metal blade.

B) Creating a magnet from a screw driver or knife.

C) Saving electronic information on a disk, tape, digital watch, organizer etc.

8. It is prohibited to tear or pull apart paper connected along a perforated line (Paper towels and certain brands of pop-up tissue are connected in a few dot-size places along the perforation line. Once someone tears the tissue or pulls it off, he is doing the final step of manufacturing a tissue or paper towel. Until he does this action, it is not a tissue but part of a roll). Some permit tearing toilet paper without intentionally tearing it along the perforations when there is no other alternative. 9. Some prohibit unscrewing for the first time a screw cap on a soda bottle by breaking or splitting the metal ring. (The cap never functioned as a cap until someone breaks or splits the ring. This is the final step in making the cap. One should therefore break the ring before Shabbos. The older type of cap which was opened with a can opener was a finished product and had merely to be removed. Therefore no violation was involved.)

The Sages prohibited activity which might inadvertently lead to a violation of "the finishing touch", or because the activity closely resembles the prohibition.

Some examples of the Rabbinical prohibitions are:

1. Putting back the leg of a chair which came loose (Doing this is prohibited even without glue or nails because one may someday forget on Shabbos and glue or nail a leg to a chair which is then a violation of the Biblical prohibition).

2. Putting shoelaces through the eyelets of a new shoe. (it appears like the final step in completing the shoes). It is prohibited to put shoelaces through eyelets of old shoes if the eyelets are narrow and the task is therefore difficult. This would involve much work and would be prohibited as a weekday work.

3. Swimming (perhaps one will forget and make an object to help him swim, such as a raft).

4. Boarding a ferry or boat on Shabbos (perhaps one will forget and do certain work aboard ship).

5. Using a musical instrument or other audio instrument (perhaps one will forget and fix it). Therefore all sound producing instruments were forbidden.

Some examples of this prohibition are:

A) Knocking with a door knocker.

B) Opening the alarm clock switch so that it should sound on Shabbos. (Closing the alarm of a transistorized quartz digital clock or watch is permitted.)

C) Playing or just changing the amplification higher or lower of a radio, telephone, voice amplifier, intercom, earphone, and hearing-aid that produces sounds intelligible to the ear.

D) Leaving an answering machine or fax machine on before Shabbos in order to receive messages and faxes on Shabbos from Jews, is forbidden.

6. Washing pots and dishes if they are no longer needed for Shabbos. (It appears as if one is "fixing" vessels for weekday use).

7. Separating Chalah (i.e. tithing. Only after tithing is done is it permissible to eat the Chalah. Therefore, tithing is considered as the final step in the baking process. If one forgot to tithe before Shabbos he may eat the food if he sets aside part of the food. After Shabbas he would then take tithe from the food which was set aside. In the land of Israel however, it is not permitted to set aside part of the food with the intention of tithing after Shabbos).

8. Immersing a vessel in a mikvah. (Glass and metal utensils which were not manufactured by a Jew or in a Jewish owned factory must be immersed in a mikvah before they are used. Only utensils that are used with food require immersion. The immersion is prohibited on Shabbos because it appears as the final step of the manufacture of the vessel, since it makes the vessel usable according to Jewish law).

This prohibition includes all activity by which a fire is started or spread. Electricity is included in the work category of Kindling a Fire.

Some examples of this prohibition are:

1. Striking a match.

2. Turning on a stove burner.

3. Poking a fire or otherwise feeding oxygen to a fire.

4. Igniting an object from a burning object.

5. Turning on or off electrical appliances, bulbs, fluorescent lights, monitors, even if only by setting the timer on Shabbos to turn it on, on Shabbos or after Shabbos. However, it is permitted to turn off the switch of any electrical implement connected to a timer in order to avoid much discomfort if the timer is off.

It is likewise forbidden to trip a motion detector switch that turns on lights or electrical appliances even if it is done just by passing near a neighbors house and there is enough street light to see by.

This rule applies to Yom-Tov as well, since the fire is created by the electricity and is not transferred from an existing fire.

6. Increasing the heat of heating coils is forbidden on Shabbos and Yom-Tov.

7. Creating or extinguishing sparks is forbidden. Therefore, it is forbidden to open or close a switch, or plug or unplug an electrical cord of a working electrical appliance, or of an electric motor. It is therefore forbidden to walk in front of the electric eye remote control switch that opens automatic doors because is starts motors that spark. One should wait for a non Jew to enter first and walk behind him, entering while the doors are still open. 8. It is forbidden to start a fuel powered motor.

9. It is forbidden to enter a vehicle or elevator powered by an electrical motor because in so doing he increases the current flowing into the motor which creates greater sparks. Furthermore, opening and closing the car door turns the electric lights on and off.

10. It is forbidden to open the door of a refrigerator because the door switch opens the refrigerator light and closes it when the door is closed. Other models have more than one door switch or other motors connected to the same door switch. In the case where the door switch controls only the refrigerator bulb, the simple remedy is to remove the bulb. In the case where other motors are also connected to the door switch, the door switches must be taped or stuck in so that opening the door will not cause them to go on.

Once this problem has been solved then some sages permit opening the refrigerator door. Most sages permit it only if opened and closed immediately. This means that the food must be organized in the refrigerator before Shabbos so that when opened the food needed for the meals is immediately accessible.

The easiest way to solve the problem is to attach a towel or strap to the handle of the refrigerator and open the door by two people pulling on the towel, but only one has to close it with the towel.

On Yom-Tov one person may open the door with a towel or two people without a towel.

The freezer compartment on a two-door self-defrost refrigerator is less problematic and is permitted to be opened and closed on Shabbos.

11. Drinking from a cold water fountain becomes problematic when taking a long drink or filling a bottle with cold water, because this may cause the cooling system to go on.

12. Air-conditioners work with thermostats just as refrigerators. Therefore, opening and closing the door of the room may be compared to the problem of opening and closing the refrigerator door. Many air-conditioners do not turn off if the thermostat is set on the coldest setting unless the outdoor temperature drops considerably. If the house uses central air-conditioning and central-heating the thermostat should be put in the back room farthest away from the entrance door, and the entrance door should be opened and closed immediately and not left open.

13. The problems relating to thermostatically controlled electric heaters are more serious since they involve heating by red hot metal coils which is a violation of work category 37. To avoid problems, the door of the room should be partially open to allow entering and exiting, and left that way. It should be put in the room furthest away from the entrance door, and the entrance door should be opened and closed immediately.

14. Thermostatically controlled electric hot plates may not be used on the Shabbos or Yom-Tov to place food on it to warm. If the food was placed on it before Shabbos or Yom-Tov, it may be removed on Shabbos or Yom-Tov when the indicator light shows that it is off.

15. Although it is permitted to cook by direct sunlight, it is Biblically forbidden to kindle a fire through direct sunlight.

16. Kindling a fire with a microwave oven is forbidden on Shabbos and Yom-Tov because he is creating a fire and not transferring fire from fire.

17. Electronic transistorized locks that open when a magnetic card is inserted, are Rabbinically prohibited although they turn on micro-transistorized lights. This is because the lights do not produce heat sufficient to ignite gasoline or a gas lighter.

The Sages prohibited washing one's entire body or most of one's body (because one may forget and heat the water on Shabbos). However, it is permitted on Yom-Tov with liquid non-gel soap.

Some examples of this prohibition are:

A) Stopping a fuel powered motor even by only stopping the fuel flowing into the motor.

B) Closing the light switch.

C) Removing the flashlight battery when the bulb is burning.

A fire that endangers lives should be extinguished. In our crowded cities the assumption is that a fire will spread and endanger lives if not immediately extinguished.

A fire that will only threaten property may not be directly extinguished. An indirect method may be used, such as surrounding the fire with plastic water bottles.

A door or window should not be opened near a flame because of the possibility of extinguishing the flame.

It is a Biblical prohibition to carry objects from a public domain into a private domain or vice versa. It is also prohibited to carry an object four amos (6.6 feet = 2 mt) within a public domain. It is Rabbinically forbidden to carry objects from a public or private domain into a Carmelit (to be defined later), or vice versa. It is also prohibited to carry an object four amos within a Carmelit.

Carrying is defined as carrying by hand, over the shoulder, in pockets or bags, in the mouth, throwing, pushing, etc. The violation of carrying does not depend on the size or weight of the object, that is, even a key or handkerchief may not be carried.

It is forbidden to place an object into the hand of a non- Jew if he is going to carry it out of the house. Therefore, it is forbidden to take a package from the hands of a mailman. The mailman should place the package on the floor.

One is permitted through a non-jew to carry a child who can walk by himself if the child is not carrying any object that a grown-up would be forbidden to carry. If a non-jew is not available and the child is running into the road, or even if the child is just hungry and he must be brought home but he refuses, it is then permitted to drag or carry him home. If he is carrying an object, the object should be dropped onto the street before dragging the child home. If the child is carrying an object that cannot be let to drop onto the street, then many sages are of the opinion that it is a Biblical prohibition to carry the child and consequently a non-jew is forbidden to carry him except in special circumstances such as when the child is hungry as explained before. It is however permitted to guide the child providing that he walks by himself and is not dragged.

It is permitted for a man to wear jewelry that is customary for a male to wear, and for a woman to wear jewelry that is customary for a female to wear. A gold quartz or eco-drive wrist watch that is not expected to stop working on the Sabbath, is also permitted to be worn when walking from a public to a private domain or in reverse.

It is permitted to wear eyeglasses that is needed for walking in order to cross the streets safely.

It is permitted to wear a bandage needed to cover a wound.

It is permitted to wear a rain coat. It is also permitted to wear a plastic hat cover if the rain will soak the hat and he will feel discomfort.

One is permitted to wear a bone induction hearing-aid since this type is permitted to be used.

Each type of domain is defined by a set of complicated technical requirements. Therefore, a competent Rabbi should be consulted when the need arises. As a working rule we may define a public domain as an non-walled area frequented by the public whose length and width are at least sixteen amos (26.3 feet = 8 mt). Examples of this are streets, roads, and public squares.

A private domain may be defined as an enclosed (walled) area not frequented by the public. Examples of this are houses, including the top of the door-frame of the entrance, and the window ledge above 33 inches = 83.5 cm, and walled private yards. The legal definition of a private domain is a walled area or an elevation or a pit where the height or depth of the of the walls or elevation or pit is ten tefachim (33 inches = 83.5 cm), and the length and width are a minimum of four tefachim (13.2 inches = 33.4 cm). Consequently, the top of a car parked in a public domain is considered a private domain and it is forbidden to take an object from the top of the car and place it in the street or road, or vice versa. The same law applies to a manhole in the road.

Steps leading to the entrance become a private domain from the step that is elevated 33 inches = 83.5 cm or higher, and the lower steps below 33 inches = 83.5 cm, are in the domain of a Carmelit (to be defined later).

A problem which arises often is that a person discovers an object in his pocket while in a public domain on Shabbos. What is he to do in such a situation?

1. If he discovers the object while he is in the act of walking, he should continue to walk faster than usual without stopping, into a private domain, and then remove the object in an unusual manner while continuing to walk, by turning the pocket inside out.

2. If he discovers the object while he is stationary in the street, he should remove the object where he is standing.

There are two other technical domains where the Rabbis prohibited carrying, a Carmelit and a Makom P'tur. As a working rule, we may define a Carmelit as a place not having the special technical requirements of public and private domains yet one may confuse a Carmelit with these domains.

Some examples of a Carmelit are:

A) Open country, seas and rivers.

B) A walled area or elevated area or pit where the height or depth of the of the walls or elevation or pit is less than ten tefachim (33 inches = 83.5 cm), but whose length and width are a minimum of four tefachim (13.2 inches = 33.4 cm).

C) The top of a roof that covers the walls of the building.

D) The area under an awning that extends into the public domain.

E) Fields used for agriculture or animals that are fenced but whose length and width are more than 116 feet = 354 mt.

F) A stream that passes through a private domain that is ten tefachim deep and four tefachim wide.

A Makom P'tur is an area in a public domain which is at least three tefachim (10 inches = 25 cm) higher than the public domain but is less than four tefachim in length and width.

The Sages prohibited carrying from an area used by one family into an area shared by two or more families, such as hallways, yards and roofs. The reverse is also prohibited. (The Sages feared that one would see a number of people using the same area and he would draw the erroneous conclusion that it is permissible to carry in a public domain).