The below letter was submitted by Zman Technologies in response to this morning’s letter on TLS.
Dear Lakewood Scoop,
Thank you for providing an opportunity to clarify the new OU/CRC Hisachdus Shabbos mode.
For the past few years, Zman Technologies has been working closely with the OU and the CRC Hisachdus Harabbonim to overhaul and upgrade Shabbos modes on appliances.
Together with the help and support of GE Appliances we’ve successfully created a new Enhanced Shabbos mode for refrigerators and ovens that is now compliant with the highest halacha standards.
To create a better product for the consumer, we also added many features to provide more flexibility, usability and automation for Shabbos and Yom Tov.
What is “Enhanced Shabbos mode?
As opposed to “regular” Shabbos mode, our enhanced Shabbos mode completely disables buttons, lights and sensors, so there is no electronic flow when opening the door, and more importantly, completely computerizes the heating elements (or cooling systems in refrigerators) so they are not affected at all when opening or closing the door to an appliance on Shabbos.
Keeping the oven (or refrigerator) at optimal temperatures without the use of sensors, is a technology breakthrough that no other brand has yet been able to achieve. This enables more useability as the oven door is now permitted to be opened and closed as many times as necessary during Shabbos or Yom Tov and also allows one to keep food warming inside for both Friday night and Shabbos day. This is currently not permitted with existing Shabbos modes.
The Enhanced Shabbos mode comes highly recommended by rabbonim and appliance dealers.
To prevent the common Shabbos mode recalls that many people are unfortunately too familiar with, each of our product releases go through a strict halachic qualification process and field testing to ensure our customers are receiving the best possible compliance with halacha.
Why do you need the Shabbos Keeper device?
Due to various technology constraints, full Enhanced Shabbos mode capability can only be received on the range by an add on device called the Shabbos Keeper that connects to a data port behind the appliance. It essentially automates the Shabbos mode each week and Yom Tov in accordance with the Jewish calendar and tells the appliance whether it is Shabbos or Yom Tov, allowing for additional automated features such as higher temperatures at certain times to cook on Yom Tov.
Some of the less expensive ovens do not have a data port for customers to utilize these features and there was no way to provide them with the upgraded OU/CRC certified Shabbos mode.
As a service for our customers looking to purchase an inexpensive oven, we’ve added the halacha upgrade as well as limited automation features to a new built in Shabbos mode that does not require an add on.
These customers can now also follow the highest halacha standards as well.
The chart you are seeing in the manual for the inexpensive ovens, represents the different scenarios for a Shabbos followed by a one or two day Holiday or Shabbos coinciding with a Holiday. Selecting the correct choice when setting your Shabbos mode on these ovens, gives higher temperature during cooking hours for both days of Yom Tov and 220-230 warming temperatures during Shabbos. All of this is automated on other ovens with the use of Shabbos Keeper.
For over five years all products have been receiving excellent reviews from our discerning customers and we hope to continue to expand these lines soon with many more Shabbos products.
Please feel free to reach out tosupport@zmantechnologies.com with questions or comments.
Automatic Shabbos mode? This sounds great!
My husband always forgets to turn it on. Where do I get this??
Thank you TLS for posting this.
I never new about the problems with the old Shabbos mode.
Happy to hear someone is addressing the kashrus issues in appliances.
So what are the “additional automation” options that are available with their external plug in module? They’ve admitted that it’s the same enhanced shabbos mode.
I’d really appreciate more information about the problems with the current Shabbos mode and recalls.
is anyone able to explain why halachically this one is better?
is it more Garuf vkatum? if yes, how?
is there no issue of gram kivui or gram havarah? is the thermostat delayed? if so, how long?
also some rabbonim hold there is an issue with hatmanah, was this addressed?
thank you
The old version was based mostly on groma. You would push the buttons on yom to adjust the temperature but really you weren’t doing a direct adjustment. The computer by itself would cycle through and it would take about a minute or two for it to realize that the temperature input is higher now than what it had been.
Unfortunately they still haven’t addressed why consumers should be paying so much more.
This is a very common mistake that people make, I spoke to CRC and StarK and they said there was no delay or groma, you can read everything on their website, don’t assume anything.
Ask a RAV, it is amazing how many people don’t know the truth about the ovens.
It is easy to research what issues exist and what solutions are being offered. This letter does very little to address and explain what they fixed.
They are saying there is no “grama” at all.
Grama was part of the problem with old Shabbos modes and they are correcting it.
Who’s going to pay for the engineering if they don’t charge? It’s regular business but it doesn’t seem like they are trying to rip anyone off. If you want a better Shabbos product, it needs to be paid for somehow.
My ruv told me that I can use the regular shabbos mode block the button with the ez erev shabbos oven control and only open the door when the fire is on?
It’s fascinating.
When no one is doing anything to fix a problem. we hear complaining ‘why isn’t anyone doing anything?’
When a company is addressing an issue, we hear yelling: they’re deceiving is to make more money.