Post-Shabbat Media Consumption

Dear Rabbi, On Motza'ei Shabbat, I want to see pictures and news clips that were recorded on Shabbat. I don’t feel it's right to see these pics since they were taken on the holy day of Shabbat. Is it halachically okay to see them or not? Thank you.

Understanding Ma’aseh Shabbat

When a Jew or non-Jew performs a prohibited activity (melachah) for a Jew on Shabbat, such as cooking, it is then forbidden to benefit from this melachah. This is a rabbinical prohibition extending even beyond Shabbat. For example, if a non-Jew delivered a parcel for you after a three-hour drive on Shabbat, you must wait three hours after Shabbat before opening it. This delay ensures that one does not immediately benefit from the work done on Shabbat, thus maintaining the sanctity of the day. Rashi, in Tractate Beitzah 24b, explains that this prevents one from enjoying the pre-completed work right after Shabbat. Similarly, Rabbeynu Tam argues that allowing immediate benefit could lead to asking non-Jews to perform tasks on Shabbat.

Regarding your specific case of viewing images taken on Shabbat, we must analyze if this also constitutes benefiting from Ma’aseh Shabbat:

1. Is Visual Appreciation Considered Benefit? The Talmud states that enjoying visual or auditory experiences does not breach the prohibition against misuse of consecrated items (me'ilah), such as looking at the Beit Hamikdash or smelling the ketoret. Therefore, one could argue that merely viewing a picture or listening to news recorded on Shabbat is not considered benefiting. However, the Pri Megadim, in Mishbetzot Zahav Siman 252, mentions that a non-Jew repairing a clock on Shabbat that chimes every hour, if done for a Jew, is prohibited. This is based on theince the Mishnah in Tractate Shabbat 122a which states that one cannot benefit from a candle lit by a non-Jew on Shabbat, so we see how the Halachot of Shabbos differ from other prohibitions and that even if the benefit is only by vision, nevertheless it is considered having benefitted from ‘ma’aseh shabbat’.
2. Is Viewing a Digital Picture Considered Direct Benefit? While looking at a digital picture may not seem akin to benefiting from physical labor, like light or cooked food, the transmission of the picture as digital codes, which are then rendered into an image on your device, might still be considered benefiting. Halachically, even this indirect benefit from Ma’aseh Shabbat is forbidden.

Halachic Implications for Post-Shabbat:

• Media Recorded by Non-Jews: If a non-Jew recorded the media for non-Jewish purposes, it is permissible immediately after Shabbat. If, however, it was recorded with the intent to share with Jews, one must wait for the duration it would typically take to produce such media.
• Media Recorded by Jews: If the media captures something that could also be captured on a non-Shabbat day, such as scenery or landscape, it is permissible only after the time it took to do the melacha. However, if the media captures something uniquely occurring on Shabbat, like an event during a terrorist attack, it is forever forbidden to benefit from it as the prohibition against a Jew performing melachah on Shabbat is more severe.

Rashi, Tractate Beitzah 24b

Rabbeynu Tam Ibid

Pri Megadim, Mishbetzot Zahav Siman 252 -

Mishnah, Tractate Shabbat 122a