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Recently we had a Shabbos guest who wears a Life Alert device, which has a button that can be pushed in case of emergency to summon help. The device must be GPS location enabled, because if the button is pushed and the device-wearer doesn’t respond that everything’s ok, relatives are called and Hatzola is also notified that there’s an emergency and given the person’s location. The button was accidentally pushed on Shabbos, and the wearer didn’t respond quickly enough, so phone calls were made. I am not a Hatzola member, but my thought was that I should pick up the phone and tell the operator that everything was OK and no emergency response was needed – why should one or more Hatzola members be compelled to respond when in truth there was no emergency? Wouldn’t it be better for me to answer the phone than for them to get in their cars and drive over, as well as all other actions that would be forbidden on Shabbos if not for pikuach nefesh? Someone mentioned a different way of looking at the situation – I would knowingly be picking up the phone while aware there was no emergency, but Hatzola responders would not knowingly be doing something that’s assur on Shabbos without pikuach nefesh. One additional factor to consider is my not answering possibly making a Hatzola person unavailable to respond to a genuine emergency.
To summarize, I’d appreciate halachic guidance for this situation. Should I have answered the phone and told the caller the button was pushed accidentally and there wasn’t an emergency? I’d be especially interested to hear from a Hatzola posek who may have previously dealt with this type of question.
Thank you.How about answering the phone with a Shinui – i.e., pushing the button with a knuckle or the like? The main Issur with a phone is making the connection, not speaking once it’s made. Considering that (a) according to most Poskim, electricity for uses other than an incandescent bulb is a derabanan, and (b) answering with a shinui is also a derabanan, it would seem that that would be preferable to having someone from Hatzala possibly do a deoreisa by driving over.
an Israeli Yid
Why are you directing a serious Halachic question to this Coffee Room?
Why not ask an Orthodox Rabbi?
This is a great topic for discussion! However, while CR posts may provide interesting information or other points to consider with your shaila, I would not expect to hear from a posek on the CR, and for actual guidance you really should seek out a rav that you know to be reliable.
That said, once not on Shabbos, one of my kids dialed 9-1-1 from our landline phone while joking with a sibling, and then hung up after realizing the call had connected. We got a call back from emergency services. I explained that the call was made accidentally and everything was ok, but the operator told me that since a call to 9-1-1 was made from our address, they had to send someone out. So two nice police officers came to our door and got an apology from my child. I’m not sure if hatzola has a similar policy, but in our case, calling back would have done nothing to change the response. Another possibility is that a responder might already be on the way before you call back.
The Gemara in Shabbos 2b does not allow transgressing a Derabanan in order to spare yourself from a De’oraysa.
So, this is certainly an interesting Shaayla. When you ask a Rov about this ask about having a non-Jew calling in.
You are possibly diverting hatzola from a possible another emergency and risking lives as hatzola is driving fast to get to you. Also, you are risking that next time they’ll be hesitant to respond to your address or to a similar event. Furthermore, you are discouraging people to volunteer for hatzola. Enough reasons?
I’m not sure if hatzola has a similar policy, but in our case, calling back would have done nothing to change the response.
The police have the policy because they’re responsible for responding to all potential emergencies: illness, accidents, home invasions, domestic violence, etc. If they fail to respond to a 911 call, they could be subject to civil and criminal penalties.
I would think that Hatzalah’s scope is more limited, and they would cancel their response if informed that the call was a mistake.
Why don’t you email Rabbi Hoffman with the shaylah, he loves these types of questions
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