E-Commerce continues to grow as an up and coming way to create income. The prevalence of e-commerce poses a question regarding Shabbat. Must one disable his retail website on Shabbat, in order to prevent transactions from occurring during Shabbat? The Halachic precedent for this issue is found in the Poskim who discuss whether a Jew may keep his vending machines operating on Shabbat. Does the sale of goods and receipt of money on Shabbat by an automated machine present a problem on Shabbat? The responsa of the MaHarshag (Rav Shimon Greenfeld) concludes that one may be lenient, assuming that the majority of customers are non-Jews, and the machines are not located on the Jew’s premises. Presumably, the case of e-commerce websites is similar to vending machines and would also be permitted on Shabbat. The Poskim add that if one does keep his website open for business on Shabbat, it is preferable to adjust the settings so that the credit card details entered are processed only after Shabbat.
By Rabbi Eli Mansour
May e-Commerce be Conducted on Shabbat?
Typography
- Smaller Small Medium Big Bigger
- Default Helvetica Segoe Georgia Times
- Reading Mode
