Shabbat

Shalom aleichem Rabbi Lauffer, thank you for answering my last question. If one fasts all day on Shabbos but eats after sundown on Saturday, would he have to fast another day for having fasted on Shabbos, or would the fact that he ate, albeit after sundown, cause it to be regarded as if he didn't fast on Shabbos, and he would thus not have to fast another day. Thanks.

Scientists are currently working on developing thought-activated electronics. They would be able to do things like turning a light on and off just by wishing it that way. Suppose one lived in (or was visiting) a house that had a thought activated light. Such thoughts are difficult to control. What would one do on Shabbat?

Are you allowed to pick up flowers that have fallen on the ground in Shabbat? My kids like them

Can one drink from a water fountain on shabbat?

I always thought you cannot do things to prepare for after Shabbat. And you cannot carry anything within an eruv that you plan to use solely after Shabbat. But I’ve faced a common scenario where I go over someone’s house for a Shabbat meal and they offer me leftovers and other food to take home that realistically there is zero chance I will eat during Shabbat. They get offended if I say no. When I explain the laws of the eruv, which are printed explicitly in the eruv guidebook everyone has, they act like it doesn’t apply in this situation. Many people get upset that I act like a know-it-all when all I am trying to do is follow Jewish law. Even some rabbis I go over sometimes offer me food to take home. This appears to be widespread practice in our community as many view the eruv as a free-for-all. What should I do about this?

The shul I attend has some members who are not fully observant who drive there. One of them is an elderly gentleman who walks with a cane. This past Shabbos, he dropped some of his change on the floor (which is muktzeh). He was determined to retrieve it all himself. But I thought it would be a hazard for him to bend down and pick it all up, and I did it for him. Did I do the right thing? No one else seemed to notice.

The area I just moved to has no eruv. I moved into a gated community in the area. The entire development is surrounded by an uninterrupted fence. It has one entrance for cars and two for pedestrians. The car entrance/exit has a set of gates that slide open whenever an authorized car approaches and closes once the car passes through, forming a complete seal. The pedestrian entrances are metal gate-style doors that open with a key provided to each tenant. Can this be considered an eruv that would permit carrying within the development?

Does Friday have any special holiness above earlier days of the week because it is closer to Shabbat? Does the day need to be treated with any extra respect? Are there any activities in modern times that Jewish law actually either requires or forbids us to do on Erev Shabbat in honor of Shabbat?