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Lighting a fire is one of the few melakhot mentioned explicitly in the Torah, as we read, “You shall kindle no fire throughout your settlements on the Sabbath day” (Exodus 35:3). Perhaps fire is singled out because it represents human activity in general. Due to the incredible power of fire, people can rule over natural forces and harness them for their needs. The Shabbat prohibition includes all types of fire and electricity.
Israel needs electric power all week, including Shabbat. Interrupting or impairing the power supply can endanger human life, as many dangerously ill people rely on electric devices to stay alive. Therefore, any malfunction of the system must be fixed as soon as possible. Once the repair work is permitted because of the sick, everyone else may benefit from the subsequently generated electricity. The Israel Electric Corporation should supply electricity while minimizing the violation of Shabbat as much as possible. However, even when it is not as careful as it should be about Shabbat, the consumers may still benefit from the electricity since the unnecessary Shabbat violation does not give them any extra benefit.
