PM- thank you for your reply. Truly, i don’t understand your question about differentiating between full extinguishing and reducing the light. This has been the substance of this whole discussion. If reducing light ( heat,fire)is “ossur’ because it is considered the same as extinguishing, then our whole discussion is redundant. if there is a blanket “issur” on reducing heat-light, what are we arguing about? If one allows to turn down heat while cooking (let us fully accept the oichel nefesh need) then clearly it is not considered “kibui” that is ‘ossur”. You yourself have -rightly- pointed out that there is no ‘mitoch” with “kibui” but that for “oichel nefesh’, it is allowed. Nonethless, virtually everyone will accept that a full extinguishing of a flame cannot add to “oichel nefesh” and is certainly prohibited. Reducing the falme is allowed. SO, bemechlas kevod torshcho, I don’t understand your question. This has been the essence of the discussion.
As per your second point, I have accepted all along -and you have pointed out the source-that a full kibui without cause is not allowed. You are right in questioning my speculation that ‘hefsed merubah’ was a part of the possible hetter, but it was only in the context of reducing the light. The remo seems to allow even FULL extinguishing of fire for ‘oichel nefesh”, even though none of us today woudl say that yo ucan put out the gas light TOTALLY to save the food. So, there is quite some different messages here. Thank your for your input. it gladdens my heart to be able to discuss weightier matters than the problems of Lakewood.