By Rabbi Berach Steinfeld
In Shmos 20:5 the Torah tells us that One should remember to sanctify the Shabbos. The Rambam in Hilchos Shabbos 29:1 says there is a Mitzvas asseh to sanctify the Shabbos using words. This is called kiddush. The Rambam adds that the remembering to sanctify Shabbos applies both to the time when Shabbos comes in and when Shabbos leaves. Kiddush when Shabbos enters and Havdala when Shabbos exits. The Chinuch in Mitzvah 31 says the same that one should speak about Shabbos as it enters and exits. The Mishna Berura 296 says that the Rambam holds the Mitzvah of havdala is Min HaTorah just like kiddush is. The Mishna Berura brings down another opinion that it is only MiDeRabbanan.
The Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 299:10 says that one can not, do any melacha before one makes havdala.
The question arises; why in Eretz Yisroel, people are not makpid not to hire taxi drivers that are mechalelei Shabbos? The taxi driver did not hear havdala and does not say Boruch hamavdil bein kodesh lechol that would constitute an issur for the driver to do melacha. By hiring this driver, we are being machshil him by doing melacha despite the fact he did not make havdala.
There are several answers. The first answer is based on Reb Shlomo Zalmen Auerbach brought down in Teshuvos Vehanhagos 8:99 and Shmiras Shabbos Kehilchaso 55:31. Reb Shlomo Zalmen would make sure to tell the driver “a Gutte Vuch” and his driver would respond in kind and that would constitute as if he said Boruch Hamavdil and it will help him that he can do melacha. The Tzitz Eliezer 11:34 argues and says one can not, be yotzei the chiyuv of havdala by just saying “a Gutte Voch”. The reason these words do not suffice since it is not in the nussach of havdala. Therefore, based on the above Rambam that says it is Min HaTorah to make havdala and that the reason we say it is to sanctify Shabbos and show the greatness of Shabbos.
The second answer is based on the Piskei Teshuvos 299 that says that if a person did not keep Shabbos and thereby did not make kiddush then that person does not have a din to have to make havdala.
The Shulchan Shlomo Orach Chaim 299:14 says that one is not allowed to be machshil a person. This would apply even if the person being nichshal is like a misasek which means he is doing melacha unintended. This would apply to record a person on Motzei Shabbos where the person is still in middle of Shabbos as he has yet to make havdala and he is saying divrei Torah. One can not, say that it is lo nicha lei that he is not happy about it because if the person is happy to be recorded during the week, then it is considered nicha lei even on Shabbos. The Shulchan Shlomo concludes that if someone did record someone while it was Shabbos for the person being recorded one could have hanaa from it and is not considered having hanaa from meleches Shabbos.
The Shailos UTshuvos Meshane Halachos 11:254 says that it is forbidden to record a person while the person is still in middle of Shabbos. This in spite of the fact, that the person being recorded does not even know of it.
May we all be zocheh to keep Shabbos and be mekadash and make havdala properly!
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