If you have a source, I would love to see it.
Sorry, my source was my Zaydies, my Bubbies, and my entire Mishpacha, my neighborhood, and my Rov. I don’t knwo what THEIR source was, because I never ask for a source from a poseik.
My stove and oven ARE different from those made and sold in NY today. You cannot find my stove in this state due to the energy-saving features and rules that were passed for all new appliances. But in yesteryear, they were made differently, and the fire was never at any time cut off, only moved around. And I have since this thread asked about it again, and was told there is absolutely no issur in what I do. Of course, you cannot turn the oven on and off for any reason OTHER than ochel nefesh, i.e. to warm up a room in colder weather such as late fall.
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Oomis, your part about electricity constantly running in wires is interesting. I am not sure how the following would affect the halacha, but when the switch is off, there is a voltage, but no current. When you turn the switch on, or chas vshalom stick any conductor or even part of the body (since it conducts to some degree) into an outlet, you are creating a current. It is like water in a faucet which when the faucet is off, there is pressure behind it but no flow. When you open the faucet, the pressure forces the water out, and a stream flows. If electricity depends on voltage, then it could be as you say. However, if it depends on creating a current, then would be different. “
Pashuteh Yid, my knowledge of electricity is extremely sketchy, so I am not at all qualified to comment, though this is a fascinating area, and I have no doubt that today’s rabbonim will find a way to make all kinds of halachically-acceptable electric appliances to be used on yom tov someday. Look at what they did with the Kosher Lamp and Kosher Alarm Clock. I was only making a point that some time ago, EVEN electricity was permitted by many poskim to use l’tzorech Yom Tov, BASED on the permissibilty of being ma’avir fire from one place to another. Nowadays most poskim would not commit to giving such a heter, but nonetheless one is not allowed to give mussar to someone who is turning a light on and off, because there is a minority opinion that it was permissible. As I stated for the record, we do not hold by such a heter in my family, but as a child growing up I knew many choshuveh families who did.