Sabbath mode
Sabbath mode, also known as Shabbos mode (Ashkenazi pronunciation) or Shabbat mode, is a feature in many modern home appliances, including ovens, dishwashers, and refrigerators, which is intended to allow the appliances to be used (subject to various constraints) by Shabbat-observant Jews on the Shabbat and Jewish holidays. The mode usually overrides the usual, everyday operation of the electrical appliance and makes the operation of the appliance comply with the rules of Halakha (Jewish law). Background Halakha forbids Jews from doing "work that creates" on Shabbat. Observant Jews interpret this to include various activities including making a fire, preparing food, or even closing a switch or pressing an electronic button. A range of solutions has been created for those who need to use electronic (or electronic-controlled) devices on the Shabbat, including a special "Sabbath mode" for otherwise standard appliances. Appliances Oven While according to Halakha, raw food may not be cooked on the Shabbat, food that was already cooked beforehand may be kept warm until mealtime. In the past, the Sabbath-observant would leave their food heating on the stove where it had been covered with a blech (metal sheet), or in the oven in which it had been cooked before