Q. Re- question 1327 on using a hotel key-card on Shabbos and the challenge this almost universal change now presents to the observant traveler, I heard from Rabbi M. Skobac an easy way out. It is to fasten a cord to the inside handle the lock, and have that string slightly stick out from under the door, so it goes unnoticed. He warned that the cord should be strong enough to permit the pull on the handle, and that it is better to have a thicker and stronger cord inside, attached to a thinner string that is not that obvious under the door, only used to bring out the cord.
I have a question, since this method will only work if the cord stays attached to the far end of the handle and the cord may slip when you pull on it, can you on Shabbat open a band-aid or remove some tape from another surface (such as a sticker on a suitcase) and place it over or next to the cord, to keep the cord in place?
A. Although, placing a piece of used tape or a band-aid to secure the position of the cord on the handle, could be seen as transgressing the prohibited melocho of tikkun maneh or creating and fixing a utensil, Horav Shlomo Miller’s Shlit’a opinion is that since it is only temporary, it could be done in need. Horav Dovid Pam Shlit’a suggested using a rubber band.
Rabbi A. Bartfeld as revised by Horav Shlomo Miller Shlit”a.
Important Numbers
