Q. My elderly father's old wheelchair broke last Shabbos and since he strongly needed it to move around the house, we temporarily fixed it by using a few nylon cable zip ties that although they are only a temporary solution, they usually are very strong and can last a long time. Was that permitted?
A. Shulchan Aruch (313: 8) rules that if a leg fell out of a bench during Shabbos, one should not place it back. Mishna Berura (51) prohibits even loosely, since he may come to secure it properly, and as he writes (ibid. 41), that may constitute a Biblical prohibition.
Horav Shlomo Miller's Shlit'a opinion is that in principle one should avoid trying to fix and secure parts of the wheelchair during Shabbos, but rather procure to obtain another one.
Rabbi A. Bartfeld as advised by Horav Shlomo Miller and Horav Aharon Miller Shlit'a
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