On Shabbos, I stay in a building that has a front door which is locked…

 

Question:

On Shabbos, I stay in a building that has a front door which is locked. The doorman (who is a goy) is inside and he uses a camera to see who is at the door. He buzzes you in (although the door can be opened manually from the inside).

I usually try wait for someone else to walk in the door (even though it’s likely that the person is a Jew), but it could take a while for someone to come.

Do I need to wait for someone else to open the door or can I initially stand by the door, be seen through the camera and get buzzed in?

 

Answer:

You should wait and walk in with someone else who is already opening the door for themselves.

Explanation:

There are some Poskim that are more lenient when it comes to a Yid being buzzed in on Shabbos by a non-Jew, since the goy can open it via other ways, such as opening the handle, but chooses the easier path, using electronic buzzer.

However, not all buzzing devices are the same, and moreover, your case entails other Halachic dilemmas too, such as an the identifying camera, etc. and therefore, you should wait and join someone else that walks in, even if it takes a while.

P. S. Please see halacha2go.com article #321 to learn more about this topic. (This does not change the above ruling. It is only provided to you for the benefit of your understanding.)

 

 

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