Victor Cohen
From ovens, to refrigerators, to heating drawers and freezers, the advent of “Shabbat mode” technology has significantly enhanced several aspects of Shabbat observance. Many refrigerators, for example. now have “Shabbat button” that one can easily press on Friday afternoon to disable to door sensor so that the door may be opened and closed on Shabbat without turning the light on or off. Especially this time of year, when Shabbat begins early on Friday afternoon, every spare second on Friday counts, and so any technology that makes Shabbat preparations more convenient is a welcome addition to the Jewish home.
Noam Water has continued this trend with a new product that allows busy Jewish households to erase an item from their Friday afternoon “to do” list.
Every Host’s Nightmare
Every Friday afternoon, someone in the home needs to remember to pull out the urn, fill it up with water and turn it on. As heating water on Shabbat is forbidden, the hot-water urn – which is filled before Shabbat and keeps the water hot throughout Shabbat – has become a ubiquitous feature of Shabbat-observing households. But besides the inconvenience of this process on busy Friday afternoons, there are also other drawbacks – the risk of the water running out on Shabbat, especially when there is lots of company, and the hazard of having a large – often less-than-sturdy – container of boiling hot water on the crowded kitchen counter.
Moreover, there is the risk of forgetting to prepare the urn before Shabbat. It’s every host’s nightmare – you’re having company Friday night, and you’re running around all day Friday, just barely making it into Shabbat. Then, as you go to the kitchen to prepare tea to accompany dessert, you realize that the hot water urn is still in the cabinet…
But what if your hot water urn could prepare itself for Shabbat? Imagine if this process unfolded automatically, so you don’t have to think about it when you’re busy with all your other Shabbat preparations?
In 2026, with so much of our lives being automated, this shouldn’t be a fantasy. And, thanks to Noam Water, it isn’t.
Noam Water is a water cooler/heater powered by Israeli technology, marking a huge leap forward from the typical Shabbat urn, allowing one to use the same source for hot water on Shabbat as on weekdays. Noam Water can be used on Shabbat in a permissible way just as easily as an everyday, 24/7 water cooler and heater in your home. It is the ultimate Shabbat product because it obviates the need to manually toggle between different modes – it knows how to do it on its own!
Shortly after it hit the Israeli market, Noam Water was servicing over 100,000 households throughout the country. The creators did not initially plan on bringing this product to the U.S. market, but due to popular demand, they have now brought their innovation to these shores.
Let’s explore Noam Water in more detail – looking at the safety-related reasons why it got started, some of the important aspects behind its design, and why this amazing, game-changing innovation has become so popular in the Jewish world.
Safety Comes First!
The founders of Noam Water took note of the danger posed by hot water urns in small, crowded kitchens, especially when young children are in the home. Too many dreadful stories are told of youngsters who suffered burns, Heaven forbid, as a result of an urn that toppled over. Noam Water set out to create a product with a safe, sturdy design that’s easy and safe for everyone. Moreover, it does not need to be brought out especially for Shabbat. It is a 24/7 water cooler and heater, giving families the chance to truly get acclimated to its structure and reducing chances of injury.
In a video presentation, Rabbi Shmuel Choueka of Congregation Ohel Simha (Park Avenue Synagogue) highlighted a key advantage of Noam Water, emphasizing its safety.
“The most important thing,” Rabbi Choueka enthused, “is that it doesn’t allow for any accidents with hot water urns, has veshalom [Gd forbid], falling on kids.” Safety comes first, and Noam Water helps make households safer.
It is also safe in a different way. Typical urns and water heaters that are supposedly “Shabbat friendly” do nothing to filter the water that they receive, letting harmful chemicals and tiny particles get in, dirtying the water and potentially causing harm to your health. Noam Water features a double-filtration system designed to ensure that you’re drinking pristinely clean water at all times.
A Built-In Jewish Calendar
Noam Water is unique in that it was designed from the outset to serve Shabbat observant Jews. The accommodation for Shabbat observance was not a later addition or modification; it was created for this very purpose, to provide a convenient, permissible way to access hot water on Shabbat.
Noam Water is synchronized with the halachic Jewish calendar, such that it automatically switches to “Shabbat mode” one hour before Shabbat and Yom Tov, and turns back to “weekday mode” one hour after the conclusion of Shabbat and Yom Tov. It is programmed to align with halachic times for nearly the next three decades, until the year 2054.
When Shabbat begins, Noam Water stores about 5.5 quarts of water to be used as hot water throughout Shabbat. For those – like myself – who rely on coffee for their day-to-day functioning, this means approximately 30 cups. Unless you’re having a coffee or tea party (or really trying to stay awake…), with Noam Water, you should be completely fine in terms of hot water supply.
Noam Water provides an unlimited supply of cold water, too, to cover your needs during the hot summer. It also provides water at room temperature.
The convenience offered by Noam Water directly translates into significant health benefits. Simply put, the convenient access to filtered water at the desired temperature encourages you to drink water – which, as we know, is critically important for maintaining good health.
Unfortunately, many people – particularly on Shabbat – choose other, less healthful, beverages, such as soda and other sugary soft drinks. The cold water spigot on the Noam Water cooler makes it inviting to do the right thing for your body and drink water. And, as mentioned, the double-filtration system ensures that you’re drinking the cleanest water available. If the filter malfunctions, the company will personally send over a Noam Water representative to fix it.
The installation process, too, is relatively simple and convenient, requiring only around 30 minutes. It has already become a hit in Israel, and will undoubtedly earn the same popularity among observant Jewish homes here in the United States, as well.
Rabbinic Endorsements
Noam Water has secured certifications from both OU and CRC, ensuring that their product is fully compliant with halachic requirements. They received authorization also from the renowned kashrut agency of Rav Avraham Rubin, and of the Technological Institute for Halacha. This is, by far, the most halachically-sound water cooler/heater in the world.
“It has all the right haschgachot [supervisions], I saw it with my own eyes,” Rabbi Choueka says. “I hope everyone buys it, and I wish them hatzlachah [success].”
Rabbi Eliezer Harari also signed on, saying, “It’s halachically good and kosher, and it’s also safe.”
Additionally, Hacham Yitzhak Yosef, the former Chief Rabbi of Israel, gave his blessing to both the first iteration of the Noam Water system and the newest, second edition, emphasizing that there is no possibility of Shabbat desecration when using this product. Rabbi Shlomo Moshe Amar, another former Chief Rabbi of Israel, said that the arrangement designed by Noam Water enhances the honor of Shabbat, and he strongly encourages people to use it.
The Next Generation of Shabbat Technology
As technology continues to improve lives around the world on so many different levels, it’s heartening to see that in the Jewish world, we are continuing to innovate and come up with new ways to help us serve Hashem better. Shabbat modes on appliances make it easier and more convenient for the average Jew to keep Shabbat by simplifying some of the processes. Noam Water has now taken halachic technological innovation to an entirely new level. For many years, the hot water urn has been a fixture in the Orthodox Jewish home, together with a blech/hotplate and crockpot. The new Noam Water machine is eliminating the need for an urn with a safer and more convenient way to heat water in a halachically acceptable manner.
More generally, Noam Water is paving the way for further innovation through its built-in halachic calendar. It is spearheading a revolution in Shabbat preparation by providing an automated system that turns itself on and off when Shabbat begins and ends, allowing us to do the many other things that we need to get done. Ever since the first Jew stuck a piece of tape over the sensor to a fridge, keeping the light permanently off during Shabbat, Jews have been innovating to make the conveniences of modern life easy and halachically valid. Noam Water is taking us one giant leap forward through its ground-breaking automation technology, which is likely to become standard in Jewish homes within the next decade.
As Jewish homes continue to integrate advanced technology, Noam Water offers a compelling glimpse into the future of Shabbat living. Its seamless automation, built-in halachic awareness, and emphasis on safety suggest a new standard – one in which observance and convenience no longer compete, but work in harmony. If this is the direction Shabbat technology is heading, Noam Water may well be remembered as a turning point.