If a Jew, on shabbat, turned off someone else’s plata, consequently the food on the plata cooled down, he then plugged the plata back on, so that the food became warm. We are dealing with food that was entirely cooked, the benefit is the heat.
1) Is it permitted to benefit from this food, while it’s hot, on Shabbat?
2) Is it permitted lechatechila to use the plata, that was turned off, and then on, since that’s how it was set before Shabbat?
3) What if it was a non-Jew who played with the electricity?
Answer:
1) If the Jew performed the melachah intentionally, it is not permitted to benefit from the food, and to enjoy its heat. If he performed the melachah be-shogeg, the Mishnah Berurah rules that one can only be lenient under extenuating circumstances, and this might apply to one’s Shabbos meal, depending on the type of food, the time of the year, and so on.
2) No, one may not use the hot plate. Although it was on before Shabbos, it’s being on now is only the result of somebody’s violation of the Shabbos, and the hotplate therefore may not be used — unless the melachah was be-shogeg, and under extenuating circumstances.
3) If the non-Jew played for his own “fun,” there is no problem. If he did it for the purpose of the Jews, then benefit cannot be derived even from the melachah of a non-Jew.
