In response to this article, someone told us of a hack you can use when staying in a hotel on Shabbat with keycards, so you don’t need to use the keycard.
NOTE: This is Part 1 of a three part series on the Laws of Shabbat as it relates to staying in a hotel. Part 2 is available here. Part 3 is available here.
What are the relevant laws that a person needs to know about staying in hotels over Shabbat?
Many of our great rabbis have hinted that a person should try to avoid staying at a hotel over Shabbat because of all the halachic complications that arise. But since it is an unavoidable occurrence, let us turn to deal with all the most important issues.
If one plans to be staying in a hotel over Shabbat, it’s advisable to have on hand tea lights and aluminum foil. Then, the lights can be lit in a secure location in the hotel room, where there is no chance they would start a fire. However, even so, most hotels will not allow any kind of fire in the rooms. Therefore, the question comes up as to whether one might light with incandescent lights instead, which replace the wick with a filament and the fuel with electricity.
This question was already dealt with in the responsum of Bet Yitzchak (Yore Deah 120). We can derive the answer from the opinion of great rabbis, who held that these electric lights violate the Torah law of “You shall not kindle a flame in any of your dwellings on Shabbat”. Among these sages are R’ Chaim Ozer Grodinsky (Ahiezer 3:60) and the Chazon Ish (50:9). Rav Chaim Soloveichik of Brisk and R’ Chaim Ozer Grodinsky would actually make havdala on an incandescent light in order to press the point that they considered this to be fire. According to such a view, there is absolutely no question that one could use these electric lights for Shabbat candles, and the responsa Har Tzvi (Orach Chaim 143) and R Ovadia Yosef (Yechavei Daat 5:24).
However, the custom that is often done in hotels, where one big table is set up in the foyer and all the women light their candles on it, is not in accordance with halacha. The entire essence of the command of the Sages to light Shabbat candles is that the Shabbat candles be lit in the room where the Shabbat dinner meal takes place, or at least in a location very nearby to this. This table does not accomplish that. Therefore even according to Ashkenazim who would make a beracha on making additional light (as opposed to Sepharadim who do not make a beracha on lighting in an area which is already lit) should not light in the hotel foyer. Doing so does not fulfill the purpose of decree of the sages at all, and the minhag is therefore not in accord with halacha. (See Chazon Ovadia Volume 1, Page 215)If the hotel fridge has a light that turns on when the doors are opened, this must be disabled before Shabbat. One should also beware that many hotels have the same kind of light in the closet or wardrobe which will turn on when these are opened, and these, too, must be disabled. One can often force the trigger switch to remain pressed by taping it down, such that it won’t pop up when the door is opened, and this will prevent the light from turning on.
There are many hotels that that have automatic doors at the entrance which will open when someone walks near them. Similarly, many hotels have lights in the hallway or rooms which will turn on when someone is in proximity to them. Therefore, one should check for an alternate route before Shabbat to avoid these, i.e. one involving other manual doors. But if this is not possible, then one can wait for a non-Jew to go in on his own accord and then go in with him. (Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 276:2) Moreover, even if the non-Jew intends to help a Jew by their action, so long as they also need to enter, it is still permissible to rely on them, because in any case, they would still need to get through themselves. (See Aruch Hashulchan 276:8)
One should refrain from opening a door that requires an electronic keycard. The best option would be to plan from the start to only stay in a hotel that has locks that can be opened with a non-electric key. However, it isn’t likely you would find such a place nowadays. Some people tape the door latch, such that it cannot shut and lock, and therefore no longer needs a keycard for entry from outside. But this is not a good option because it leaves one open to danger. Therefore, one can rely on making an agreement with the hotel staff before Shabbat that because of Shabbat, one cannot use a keycard and will require a non-Jew to open the door. That non-Jew should be requested to spend some time in the room after opening the door, so that they are also opening it for their own benefit.