Design of Shabbat Lamp
The Shabbat lamp is a product designed specifically for Orthodox Jews that, among other things, do not turn lights on and off from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. Though timers, which can be set prior to the start of Shabbat, have become popular, a Shabbat lamp can still be found in most bedrooms of the average American Orthodox Jewish home.
The main purpose behind the product is to provide light to a room that can be “turned off” during Shabbat without breaking the laws of Shabbat. This goal is achieved with a two-part, hexagonal prism system. The bottom part is hollow with a lamp in the base and a long oval cut out of a side and replaced with a translucent film. The upper part has a hexagonal prism on top with a long, hollow cylinder that slides into the bottom part and has a long oval cut out of it. The top part can be spun to line up the ovals or not, which is how it “turns on and off”.
The problem with the design is that it can only provide light in one direction and is not very bright. This makes it a poor design for a product advertising itself as a light. While it is better than trying to get around the room in the dark to get ready for bed, it doesn’t light up a room well enough to comfortably spend time there.
