New York – Rabbonim Back Bright Idea: The Shabbos Light Bulb

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    Morty Kohn, Owner of Brooklyn based Sunlite Lighting demonstrating his newly-invented Shabbat bulb on Sep. 27, 2016  (Eli Wohl/VINnews.com)New York – The owner of a Brooklyn bulb company is hoping to shed some new light on an ages old problem with a rabbinically approved bulb that can be switched from full light to darkness without any halachic violations.

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    Morty Kohn, the owner the Redhook based Sunlite which stocks approximately 9,000 different bulbs and lighting fixtures, said that the idea for the Shabbulb had been brewing in his head for many years. As LED lighting began gaining in popularity, he saw the opening he had been looking for.

    “Because LED bulbs rely on a chemical reaction, it isn’t really considered to be aish, so I knew from a technology standpoint it would be much easier,” Kohn told VIN News. “You could never do this with a regular bulb.”

    It took Kohn, a 55 year old Borough Park resident, two years to bring his vision to life.

    The resulting Shabbulb is comprised of two distinct parts: a base containing the LED components that screws into a standard light fixture, and a removable cover whose horizontal shade controlled by an outside lever.

    Sliding the lever in one direction opens the shade, allowing the light to shine through the top of the bulb, while moving it the opposite way closes the shade, keeping the light confined to the base of the bulb. Leaving the level in the middle position gives the Shabbulb the ability to work as a dimmer.

    Separating the bulb into two distinctly separate components was an extra level of stringency incorporated into the Shabbulb design to make it acceptable to an even wider audience within the Jewish community.

    The seven watt Shabbulb bears the rabbinical endorsement of Rabbi Usher Eckstein of Vaad Hakashrus Machzikei Hadas and the Orthodox Union and has also the approval of Rabbi Asher Zelig Weiss, Rabbi Yisroel Duvid Harfenes and Rabbi Mechel Steinmetz, the Skverer Dayan.
    Rabbi Yechiel Steinmetz Dyan of Square analyzing the bulb with Morty Kohn
    In response to an inquiry from VIN News, Rabbi Eckstein’s office sent an email on his behalf saying that the concept of covering a light source to darken a room is brought down in the Gemara, which discusses covering a burning candle on Shabbos.

    “By moving the knob you are placing a cover on the light that blocks its shine, the same as the cover over the candle,” explained Rabbi Eckstein. “When covering, there is no change to the amount of power to the bulb and absolutely no electricity involved.”

    The Shabbulb’s sliding lever does not fall into the category of muktza because both the lever and the cover can be completely removed from the base which houses the bulb.

    The Shabbulb is completely permissible for the general population, according to Rabbi Eckstein.

    “This cover may be used by everyone and is not limited to the sick and old. It is muter lechatlichilo for everyone,” noted Rabbi Eckstein.

    The Shabbulb retails for $24.99 and will be available for sale on September 29th on the Sunlite website and Amazon. Kohn said that the bulb, which can work with both 110 and 240 voltage and is only intended for indoor use, will also be available worldwide in Judaica stores and major kosher supermarkets.

    The bulb bears the safety seal of the ETL which certifies that it complies to North American safety standards. The expected life of the Shabbulb is 10,000 hours, according to Kohn.

    The Shabbulb is not the first Shabbos light source market to the kosher consumer. As previously reported on VIN News (http://bit.ly/2d7MAyq), the Kosher Lamp, an upright lamp with a movable shade, debuted in 2004. A 2008 New York Times article reported that tens of thousands of Kosher Lamps had already been sold.

    Creating the Shabbulb was a labor of love for Kohn who said the product was never intended to be just another product in his inventory but rather a useful tool for Orthodox Jews, who could have a small, easily transportable light source that takes up minimal space and still produces a beautiful white light.

    “I have a very large business,” said Kohn. “This was about doing something for the klal, to make people’s lives easier.”

    Online:
    http://www.shabbulb.com/


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    50 Comments
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    7 years ago

    How is this different than the kosher lamp???

    WallBase
    WallBase
    7 years ago

    I know this Reb Mordche Kohn personally (Senpater roov) he’s a tzadik of a Jew… Lot’s of tzedakah and a life dedicated to klal yisroel… צלח ורחב

    anonymous889
    anonymous889
    7 years ago

    The Kosher lamp is a stationary object that you need to take out before every shabbos. The bulb on the other hand, gets put into your regular lamp, which is used throughout the week. No need for the separate lamp now. Brilliant idea! Need to stock up on a couple for my house.

    OyGevald
    OyGevald
    7 years ago

    Genius. You get to keep your nice lamps.
    No more ugly “Shabbos lamp”.
    It’s a Mitzvah to have light in every room.

    bplady
    bplady
    7 years ago

    This is good for traveling. When you go to a hotel you can take it along.

    7 years ago

    The only aveira over here is the price.

    7 years ago

    First the “Kosher Switch,” now this.

    anonymous889
    anonymous889
    7 years ago

    Since this bulb is LED it lasts way longer then the kosher lamp. So no hassle in changing the bulb… as it will last you a while!

    shmuly
    shmuly
    7 years ago

    About using it in a regular lamp, if you will be touching the lampshade, there might be a shailah of muktzah.

    enlightened-yid
    enlightened-yid
    7 years ago

    Just don’t forget to turn on this LED bulb before Shabbos starts or you will still be missing the toilet seat in the dark as usual.

    alterknaker
    alterknaker
    7 years ago

    Genius, the only thing is, that it makes a mockery of shabbos, HETEIRIM AHER AHEEN, it’s not KVOID SHABBOS,

    shmielglassman
    shmielglassman
    7 years ago

    kohn is a good guy and he means well but all this fun of the kosher lamp is disingenuous, where exactly are you putting this bulb? not on the cieling, do u have a big lamp w a shade for a 7 watt bulb not much light . dont get it but time will tell

    7 years ago

    The Kosher Lamp is convenient to use, it’s sits on the night able and you just give a twist. It uses CFC bulbs which also last quite a while.

    To use this, either the bulb has to be exposed or you have to do all sorts of contortions to switch it around and under the lamp shade. And that is assuming there is room for the little switch in the fixture.

    It would seem to me that there are limited uses for this.

    But I wish the designer Hatzlocha.

    zelmo
    zelmo
    7 years ago

    Next -The Kosher TV!
    Yes, a shade with goes over the TV and blocks the remote signals too.
    Works only with TV that use close caption!
    Twist the window louvers and see TV with closed captions, another twist on window louvers and see a blank windows shade. Totally detachable from the TV.
    A Great Gift!

    LuckyStrike
    LuckyStrike
    7 years ago

    “I have a very large business,” said Kohn. “This was about doing something for the klal, to make people’s lives easier.”

    If he did it for “The Klal” does that mean he is selling it at cost and not making anything on them? That is, after all, what it would imply.

    Raphael_Kaufman
    Raphael_Kaufman
    7 years ago

    Mr. Kohn says, “Because LED bulbs rely on a chemical reaction, it isn’t really considered to be aish, so I knew from a technology standpoint it would be much easier,” LED light is not caused by a chemical reaction. The current passing through the Light Emitting Diode causes release of energy from the individual atoms in the form of photons.
    His statement that “…isn’t really considered to be Aish” begs the question: What is the halachic definition of aish and why modern electical devices do or don’t meet the definition?

    grandpajoe
    grandpajoe
    7 years ago

    The Kosher lamp directs the light to a specific area -the light let say on the safer or table – i use them in my bedroom – you indicate the light shines up – how does that shed light in the room ? – but the good part is that if this really works – you can go away for shabbos take a bunch of bulbs to where your staying, and voila you have light on shabbos. Now I shlep the Kosher lamp 🙁

    HaRav
    HaRav
    7 years ago

    Because LED bulbs do not give off heat, you can use any LED bulb and cover it, It will not cause a fire since there is no heat. Don’t need any fancy gadget