Shabbat

I discovered a Conservative temple that films all its Shabbat and Yom Tov services and puts them on YouTube in order to educate others about Jewish services. They show the davening, Torah reading, and the rabbi’s sermon. They claim they set up the camera before Shabbat, then post the video after. Is there a problem watching and benefiting from these videos if they were filmed in violation of Shabbat?

Is it permitted to enter a public library on Shabbat? It is a place where money is usually not exchanged and books are only borrowed or read within the library.

Is one permitted to verbally exchange phone numbers on Shabbat to a non-Jew? Is this considered conducting business? The Jew did not write or ask the other person to write down their number, rather out of their own volition, the non-Jew wrote the number which had been said to them.

My elderly mother has dementia and is in assisted living. She was always Shabbat observant, but now she doesn’t even remember when it is Shabbat. Her facility is not Jewish owned, but has a lot of Jews and provides kosher meals. None of the caregiving staff are Jewish. The staff has a high turnover rate. Even when we successfully educate one employee about Shabbat, they are soon gone and replaced by someone else. It’s an uphill battle. My mother is unaware of when it is Shabbat and frequently calls me then. When I don’t answer the phone, she gets extremely anxious. Explaining to her on Friday that Shabbat is coming doesn’t help because she forgets an hour later. She often calls 15-20 times every Shabbat desperately trying to reach me. And I hear from staff that she gets agitated that she can’t. The facility is too far for me to walk.

On Shabbat is an otherwise Torah observant Jewish man who FOR HEALTH REASONS is confined to the home --and therefore cannot go to the synagogue for the Shabbos minyon, --is he permitted to use the computer / internet to observe and listen to a Torah reading? Is it better to NOT use electricity at all and NOT hear the Torah reading, or is it better to at least be able to hear and see a Torah reading albeit from a distance (using computer and internet technology) even though electricity is being used on, during and throughout the Shabbos? Or is it completely prohibited to use electricity on the Shabbos even to hear and see the torah reading, EVEN WHEN the machine is turned on before Shabbos starts? Thank You

Dear Rabbi, What is the reason for lighting Shabbat candles? I saw a Jewish neighbor light for last Shabbat and was both inspired and curious about why and what she was doing. Maybe I could ask her but I would like to hear the answers from a Rabbi. Thanks!

Shalom aleichem Rabbi Lauffer. Thank you for answering my last question. If one fasted on Shabbos, and he wants to fast on Sunday because he unlawfully fasted on Shabbos, does he have to be m'kabel the fast on Shabbos itself for the fast on Sunday to count toward his obligation to fast for fasting on Shabbos? If he didn't accept the additional fast on Shabbos itself, and he fasted on Sunday, would that fast still count for him to be yotzei his obligation to fast for fasting on Shabbos? And if not, in a situation like this year where the day after Sunday and the whole week he is not allowed to fast because of Chanukah, is he patur from the additional fast altogether? Thanks a lot.