This is quite a nuanced question and I’d like to know more about it. Before discussing further, I’d like to acknowledge similar scenarios and their rules
Rule #1: Shabbat Lift/Elevator. From what I understand, halachically it is allowed, but it does break the spirit of shabbat. Rabbis will say only use it if you have to, but still begrudgingly say it is allowed on shabbat. I believe the idea around it is that the force never changes, there is no altering from the person using the elevator, thus it is okay
Rule #2: Bus stop. Now there is incredibly hypothetical idea that technically you are able to get on a bus on shabbat, but only if you are, for example, forced onto it. However, if you are the one that stops the bus, even though you were forced onto the bus, you still had the kavannah (intention) of stopping/getting on the bus, thus you broke the sabbath
Now to my zebra crossing/crosswalk question – when you go to such a place on the road, the expectation is that a driver will stop his car and wait for you. Some cars, when stopping, the engine turns off completely, and then they’d need to restart their car to start again. So while you are not stopping the car, the kavannah is that you are causing the car to stop.
Now this is different to Rule #1, the elevator will stop no matter what. In the crosswalk situation, the car would continue on in its journey if you weren’t there to cause it to stop.
And it is also different to Rule #2, because you again caused the bus to stop by waiting there, even if you got forcibly pushed on.
So the question is, is crossing at a crosswalk, forcing a car to stop, breaking shabbat? Maybe I am overthinking, but a 5 hour flight to Tel Aviv got me thinking
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