what is sabbath mode in home appliances
What is Sabbath Mode in Home Appliances?
With a lot of brands in the market going head-over-heels about their Sabbath-compliant appliances, haven't you wondered what actually are they talking about? This Buzzle article will enlighten you on what Sabbath is and will give you some information about Sabbath-compliant appliances.
What is Sabbath?
Sabbath, (Shabbat in Hebrew), is to surcease. It is the day of rest for the Jews when they have to abstain from doing any kind of work or creative activities. The Jews, in order to maintain the sanctity of this day, are expected to indulge in restful activities.
Sabbath is celebrated on Friday, a few minutes before the sunset, till three stars appear in the Saturday night sky. The Jews welcome Sabbath by reciting blessings and lighting up their house with candles. This is the day when they are free from the daily chores, giving them some time to reflect on spirituality.
However, there are some activities which have to be refrained from, so as to maintain the holiness of this occasion. Among these activities are eliciting and eliminating fire, and turning on and off of electrical devices. Using an appliance that is already 'on', is permitted.
Keeping the rules of Sabbath in mind, there are sabbath-compliant appliances in the market which allow the Jews to make use of ovens, refrigerators, and gas ranges, without violating the Sabbath rules.
Sabbath Mode in Ovens and Gas Ranges
- In an oven, the 'Sabbath mode' button sets the baking setting, which enables the oven to be 'on', during Sabbath. The Sabbath mode also locks out the 'oven control lockout' feature. So the question of unintentionally, or accidentally turning the oven on or off, during the Sabbath, does not arise.
- When in Sabbath mode, an oven does not beep. The temperature display and the kitchen timer mode are also turned off.
- You must have seen that the light inside the oven turns on when its door is opened and the light goes off when the door is closed. This turning on and off of the lights is also adjusted, according to the user's preference, in the Sabbath mode. You have the choice to decide whether to keep the lights of the oven on or off during Sabbath. The light of the oven requires to be removed if you want it off.
- If you have a power cut, the oven goes back to Sabbath mode, as soon as the electricity is back. But this feature is not available in all the brands. The Sabbath mode will continue till the time you press the 'Cancel' button.
- To enter the Sabbath mode in an oven, you have to press the 'Bake' button. Then press the 'More' or 'Less' button ('more', if you want to raise the temperature and 'less', to reduce it) and then press 'Start'. Once done, press and hold the 'Timer' button for 5 seconds, till 'Sab' blinks on the screen. Now again, within 5 seconds, you should press the 'Start' button. There you are, the Sabbath mode is on. 'Sab' will stop blinking on the screen and it will just remain 'on' in the display. To resume the normal cooking mode, press 'Cancel' on the keypad.
- In case of gas ranges, the stove can be left on before the Sabbath begins (until the Sabbath ends). Then, one can cover the gas stove or the gas top with a flat plate/sheet, known as 'blech'. This blech is a reminder that you should not adjust the flames of the stove during Sabbath. Also, one is allowed to light the stove beforehand (before Sabbath starts).
Sabbath Mode in Refrigerators
- When the refrigerator is on the Sabbath mode, its display will be turned off. The display light and the light which shows up on opening the door, will be off. Also, the appliance will not give off any alarms or beeps.
- The inbuilt defrost cycle of the refrigerator will work on clock time and not according to the usage feedback from the user.
- The systems which run on electrical solenoids and motors, like the ice and cold water systems, will be turned off during the Sabbath mode.