Its funny how he just discovered this phenomenon now and decided its forbidden, as if people haven't used these pumps for decades. In fact this issue was dealt with before and it comes down to a question of a stringency on a rabbinic, not biblical, shabbat prohibition. I asked Haredi rabbis about this issue years ago and they ruled it was fine to use the water regardless of the pump being activated indirectly. If someone wants to follow a stringency, let him do so without making noise for others.

don't open the fridge: The pump for the cooling medium might start. Also, if your fridge has a magnetic doorframe, opening the door will change the magnetic field and thus induce current in the fridge frame, which is clearly a desecration of Shabbat. Most of all, take care not to walk on wool carpets. You might acquire static electric charge and on discharging produce an electric spark!

find fault with? How about breathing on the Shabbat? How about avoiding the draft and letting your neighbor defend you? How about not working and letting your neighbor pay for you?

......if any were needed, that we are living here in the primitive middle east. Get a life Mr Rabbi and stop spouting your nonsense at others. What are they supposed to do then if there is a 2-day festival followed by a shabbat? Not wash themselves? Stink? Nu behemet.............

This Rabbi has lead his flock back to living in caves.

"turns on an electrical water pumping system – an offense which, according to the Torah, can be punished by stoning. " I didn't know that the Torah proscribed the punishment of stoning for using electricity? Or is it just electrical water pumps that the Torah has a problem with?

I respectfully submit that Rabbi Moshe Yehuda Leib Landa may not have done all his homework before issuing his ruling and solution to the perceived problem. There are small water pumps used in many countries and available in Israel that keep water circulating through "whole house systems" that are quite reasonable in price and installation, eliminating the need to install new/additional water storage tanks on top of buildings. The small pumps, though used to keep hot water flowing the pipes, can be used for cold water as well. My question is Why Now is this an issue? after so many years with observant families living in multistory homes. This applies to any home, really. by the way, the small pumps are silent.

The man must be hallucinating and dying to attract publicity. He does not undestand the spirit of Shabbat. He may be happier to spend it in a cage in the zoo then he can't break.

is why using electricity is considered "work"? isnt getting dressed "work"? how bout walking? ridiculous to listen to anyone that still references "stoning" as punishment. also check out the punishment for believing in another god... oh yeah, its also stoning "even if it be thy own brother".

And how and by whom is this electricity produced ?

All of you can criticize this Rabbi. However I assume in most of your daily lives especially in your jobs there are stringencies you have to abide by. Even more so in people's religous beliefs. None of the people commenting here are knowledgeable enough in Halacha to say if this is nonsense or not but as a highly learned Rabbi who has clearly researched this matter, we should respect and take note of what he is saying even if we ourselves find it not to be our liking to implement it in our daily lives.

They use private generators. No joke.

Electricity is not "kindling a fire" because electricity does not burn fuel. And inducing electricity on Shabbat can not violate the will of the Almighty, because He Himself causes lightning to flash on Shabbat in thunderstorms, and lightning is electricity. And according to Einstein and Unified Field Theory, electricity, electromagnatism and gravity are all manefestations of the same energy, so using gravity instead of electricity does not solve anything. Maybe ultra observant haredi Jews like this rabbi shouldn't even walk around on Shabbat, or turn the pages of a prayer book, since doing so produces tiny static electricity discharges - more desecration. There was a time when Rabbis were great thinkers, long past, apparently.

Don't you guys see the benefit? As long as they don't go overboard on filling up water containers the previous day then this might actually help conserve some water. Who cares why they do it so long as they do it?

Can you please tell me what BB.

So, after that ruling, dont wonder should on shabbat your religious neighbours knock on your door, asking you to open the tab for them! Please, help them than, thank you.

This is decision was based on Halacha and sorry but governments and secular Jews don't decide what Halacha should say. If you want to break those laws thats between you and GOD but if these rabbis want to stick to it then they should be commended for sticking to the rules rather than taking the easy way out and saying I don't like this law so I won't keep it. If these people don't want to use the water on Shabbat then thats up to them not some seculars who think its a stupid ruling that should not be allowed.

WE can only ask this kind of favors to a Shabbes Goy,and under certain conditions.

This doesn't just apply to apartment buildings. Water requires pumps to get from a reservoir/river to your tap. While the pumps run all the time at the pumping station, it is possible that demand can cause an additional unit to kick in. What if it was the action of a single religious person turning on a faucet on Shabbat that caused this?! Just asking...

Anyone who has ever been in a city during a blackout know that the water won't run at higher levels. The fact is that if they're not supposed to cause an electric current to be activated then this ruling makes sense.

What is the relationship between the Electric Energy and the Laws of the Torah regarding the Shabat? Let´s see - Regarding the FIRE, the Torah only forbids to LIGTH A FIRE in Shabath, because, in these past times, to do it needed a great work. However, the use of the fire itself, is not forbidden. As a matter of fact the Observant Jews, are allowed to use the fire (that was lit BEFORE the Shabath) to heat the food or to be used to heating the house in winter. The problem arises at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, when the Electric Power begin to be used at home and in all the human activities. Then the Halachic Authorities mixed the concept of Fire with something very diferent, the Electric Power, a grave mistake that has twisted all the principles of the Halacha regarding to the Shabath and the Jewish Festivals. And don´t tell me the old subterfuge said by the Rabbis that to produce Electricity you need to light a fire - it is TOTALLY FALSE - There are several sources of Electric Power since the discovery of it - i. e. Batteries, Hydraulic Generators, Nuclear Plants, Solar Silicon Panels, Wind Turbines. Solar Boilers, Natural Earth Heat, etc. etc. Excuse me, but I will said it again, the matching of the FIRE with the ELECTRICITY , a serious mistake from the scientific point of view, wrongly done by the former Halachic Authorities, has brought A LOT of problems to the Religious Jews. Remeber, the Torah was delivered by Hashem, but the Halacha is the interpretation of the Laws of the Torah, and was/is performed by Human Beings, and therefore is prone to misinterpretations and errors.

Israel:stop his funding!

Breaking news to you. We are not sheep & we will not follow this stupidity blindly. You can, by all means!

Bathroom?