[QUOTE=Chronos]
But, as I understand it, a Jew is allowed to benefit from a non-Jew performing a forbidden act for his own reasons, correct? So if a Jew and his non-Jewish friend are going to a party on the Sabbath, and the gentile offers the Jew a ride, the Jew is allowed to accept, but he’s not allowed to ask for a ride, or to pay anyone to drive him.
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That is my understanding - if a non-Jew performs an act classified as work for their own sake – such as turning on / off the lights in a room, or a transoceanic voyage lasting more than a week – a Jew may derive benefit from the action. But if the work is for the Jew’s benefit, than now.
As Junior Spaceman noted, all restrictions are off in a bona fide emergency. As for his other question - I would expect (personal opinion here) that the web server operating under Shabbat rules uses Shabbat as observed at its physical location.
Which segues into another question: What happens to Shabbat and festival rules of sunset-to-sunset in the polar regions?
Which segues into another question: What happens to Shabbat and festival rules of sunset-to-sunset in the polar regions?
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Just returned from the Great Land where I spent the holidays in Anchorage and Fairbanks. A few years ago I asked Rabbi Greenberg of the Anchorage Chabad that question. He replied, and I paraphrase, that the start and stop times are based on the nearest Jewish community that actually has a sunset (and sunrise).
That is not much help because in Fairbanks there is only about two hours between sun up and sun down near the summer solstice, and there ain’t no stars out. Faribankians, being a resourceful sort of people, just have friday night services about the same time through out the year. The Congregation up there - Ohr Hatzafon - is an eclectic mix of Jews in the middle of nowhere.
I seem to remember a similar question about space travel - probably around the time of Ilan Ramon’s ill fated flight on the Shuttle. IIRC you observe the times based on the place you were before blasting off from. I have no idea how shomer shabbas you can be in space. Candle lighting is probably verboten.
My conservative rabbi told me that you pick something convenient, especially if you’re travelling, for example based on the same longitude, what the time zone would be if you were at a lower latitude.
In a similar vein, I’ve wondered what a devout Muslim in orbit would do when it comes to Salah? The qibla would be changing on a minute by minute basis so I’m guessing you’d just stick with where it was when you started, but determining the direction in the first place might be a bit complicated.
It’s definitely reasonable - commerce is forbidden on Sabbath. It might be OK for them to receive orders through the web site on Sabbath, but perhaps they feel that allowing that to happen will result in non-observant Jews violating Sabbath and ordering from their web site, so they remove themselves from providing others with a sinful temptation.
Aside from any legalistic aspects, it is said that one will not see good fortune come from monies earned on Sabbath. Perhaps for that reason they make it impossible for themselves to earn any on Sabbath.
Correct. A Jew cannot have non-Jews doing forbidden acts for his benefit.
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How would this work with a business that, by its nature, must be available 24/7?
How would an Orthodox Jew own a nursing/retirement home, hotel, radio station, or internet service provider?