06 May BURNING QUESTIONS: SHABBAT ON FIRE AND THE MODERN DILEMMA

Lately, the world
seems to be going up
in flames—literally.
Wildfires are
breaking out across
many countries:
from Los Angeles, where homes have been
destroyed, to New Jersey, where vast acres
of forest have burned, and even in Israel,
which also battled major fires. This may
serve as a wake-up call to review the halachot
of what one may do if a fire breaks out on
Shabbat. Are we permitted to extinguish it,
or not?
A straightforward reading of the halacha
indicates that one may not extinguish a fire
on Shabbat unless there is a danger to life
that qualifies under the category of pikuach
nefesh. If the fire poses no threat to human
life, then even if it will destroy one’s entire
house, all possessions, and even life savings,
one is still not permitted to put it out.
This is indeed a stringent halacha. While it is
true that one must give up all his possessions
to avoid violating a Torah prohibition, in this
case, extinguishing a fire is considered a
melacha she’eina tzericha legufa—a
prohibited act done not for its original

constructive purpose, such as creating a coal,
but simply to stop the fire. As such, it is only
a rabbinic prohibition. Yet even for this
rabbinic melacha, one is required to forgo all
of his property rather than violate it. The
stringency goes so far that one may not even
ask a non-Jew to extinguish the fire. If there
is no danger to life, this remains prohibited—
unless it is done through indirect hinting,
such as saying, “Whoever puts out the fire
will not lose anything.” Practically speaking,
one may not call the fire department, nor ask
a non-Jew to do so. The fire must be allowed
to burn, even if it consumes everything.
The only permitted action is to create indirect
means of extinguishing, such as placing a
bucket of water nearby so that when the fire
reaches it, the bucket will burst and the water
will spill out, extinguishing the flames.
After saying all that, we must recognize that
today’s world is very different in many ways
from the world in which our sages originally
formulated these laws. Let us examine a few
key differences that can significantly alter
this halachic ruling:
• Risk of Looters The Rema (S.A. 334)
already warned that a fire should be
extinguished even if the area is clear of

people and there is no immediate risk of
anyone being burned. He explains that
other dangers may arise, such as thieves
taking advantage of the chaos to loot the
house while the owner is vulnerable.
We assume that the owner, seeing his
life’s savings being stolen, may attempt
to intervene, and in response, the
thieves could harm or even kill him.
Since such danger is a real possibility,

any fire is considered potentially life-
threatening, and one should extinguish

it.
• Legal consequences In some cases,
one could potentially face legal actions
if they fail to put out a fire, especially if
their neglect leads to harm, property
damage, or poses a danger to others.
The severity of the legal consequences
would depend on local laws and
regulations, as well as the specific
circumstances of the fire. In many
countries, failing to act in situations
where public safety is at risk, such as a
fire, could be classified under
negligence, which can lead to legal
liability, potentially facing civil lawsuits
or other legal repercussions.
Risk of House Explosion
Another major difference between past
generations and today is the nature of how
our homes are built. In earlier times, homes
were simpler structures, and fires would
primarily damage wood and fabric materials.
There were no electric systems or complex
infrastructure that could further complicate a
fire. Today, however, homes are filled with
electric wiring, heating systems, and even
boilers and gas lines.
This creates a far more dangerous situation.
Electrical systems can spark and cause
additional fires or short circuits, posing
dangers even beyond the original blaze.
Boilers or gas lines can explode if exposed
to intense heat, turning a localized house fire
into a large-scale threat that can endanger
neighboring houses and lives. Even if the
original house seems empty and no one is at
risk, the potential for the fire to spread or
cause secondary explosions makes it a
situation of pikuach nefesh.
Furthermore, in densely populated areas,
such as apartment buildings or row houses, a
fire in one unit can quickly spread to others.
The walls, ceilings, and electric systems are
often shared, and once a fire starts, it can put
many families in danger within moments.
For this reason, modern poskim consider
many house fires today as inherently
dangerous and permit, or even require,
extinguishing them on Shabbat when there is
reasonable concern for broader risk to
human life.

The Concern of Gentile Retaliation
(Eivah)
Another critical factor relevant to modern
times is the concern of eivah—hostility or
retaliation from non-Jews. Halachically, this
concern has real weight and can influence
decisions even in areas generally restricted
on Shabbat. If a fire were to spread and cause
damage to neighboring non-Jewish homes or
property, and it became known that the fire
was not extinguished due to religious
observance, this could spark serious
animosity and even endanger the Jewish
community.
The poskim address situations where actions
that would otherwise be prohibited on
Shabbat may be allowed to prevent hatred or
accusations that could lead to danger. This
concern is not just theoretical—in history,
Jews have faced violence for being perceived
as indifferent to the well-being of others.
Contemporary authorities, including Rav
Ovadia Yosef and Rav Shlomo Zalman
Auerbach, have written that in today’s
interconnected society, where Jewish actions
are highly visible and scrutiny is intense, this
concern becomes even more relevant. Thus,
if allowing a fire to spread could provoke
accusations or backlash, especially in shared
or urban spaces, it is halachically
permissible—and even necessary—to
extinguish the fire to protect the community.
They permit even violating Shabbat with
melacha de’oraita. Similarly, a Jewish doctor
must treat a non-Jewish patient on Shabbat if
necessary, and Hatzalah must respond if
such a patient comes their way. Failure to
help can spread quickly and create a public
backlash that poses immediate danger to the
broader Jewish community.
Summary: If a fire starts on Shabbat, one
must immediately take action to put it out
and prevent it from spreading, even if there
seems to be no one around the house. If
calling the fire department is necessary, one
must pick up the phone and do so.