Q. We are eating Friday night and seuda shlishis at a party room in a condominium with out of town family. The room has a fridge and the fridge has a set of LED lights which go on when the fridge is opened. I cannot figure out yet how to disable the light. So the question is what can we do… one possible mitigating circumstance is that Friday night will have non-Jewish wait staff. So I guess the question is can the non-Jewish wait staff take stuff in and out of the frige as part of their job without us explicitly asking them to? There should be plenty of light in the room so the fridge lights are not really necessary.
A. Regarding the fridge that does not seem to have a switch to tape over and disable the LED lights during Shabbos, Your best bet is to get the make and model and google to find if it has a Shabbos mode and what are the instructions to set it up. Many new models have such a mode, and it is likely that in a building with Jewish tenants, one of them would have been purchased.
If you cannot figure out how to set the Shabbos mode, when time permits, you may try the manufacturers customer service – they might have to send a technician to install the Shabbos mode or show you how to use it. (It should be free).
If no Shabbos mode is available, you may try to find out if the switch is of the magnetic kind and where it is located. You will have to slide a strong magnet on all sides of the doors edge, until the light goes off – mark that spot. You may be able to keep it on the off position with a magnetic strip. Most likely you will need a strong and bigger magnet, that you can still tape and attach.
On Star K. 0rg, the following is mentioned: “Numerous models are now using magnetic door switches instead of the mechanical, spring plunger switches. Avoid these models. If you already have such a model you may disable it by locating the switch with a strong magnet, then taping the magnet over it. The magnet must be flat enough not to interfere with the door gasket sealing properly when you close the fridge. To locate the switch, check the outside top of the refrigerator – there may be a plunger switch located there. Or, you may find a magnetic switch, somewhere along the refrigerator’s inside frame, around the sides or at the top of the fridge.
You would not be able to change the defrost cycle. To address this problem Rav Heinemann says you should open the door with a shinui (unusual manner) such as putting a towel through the handle and pulling on the towel to open the door.”
If that is also not an option. Horav Shlomo Miller’s Shlit’a opinion is that you can ask a Gentile to open the fridge for you, preferably asking before Shabbos.
Furthermore, if there is no Gentile available, in need you may do so yourself with a shinui, such as opening the door with your elbows. Once opened you may place something at the edge of the door to prevent it from closing completely. See also question 2234.
Rabbi A. Bartfeld as revised by Horav Shlomo Miller Shlit’a
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