Police Deployment on the Sabbath in Bnei Brak

Opening post by the rabbi

Police Deployment on the Sabbath in Bnei Brak

Posted on 30/12/2009

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Police Deployment on the Sabbath in Bnei Brak

I have just received, in a private message, a link to a fascinating article:

http://www.bhol.co.il/news_read.asp?id=14412&cat_id=1

The mayor of Bnei Brak has appealed to the police to increase their presence in the city on Sabbaths, because there has been an increase in burglaries of homes whose occupants traveled away for the Sabbath.

And I wondered to myself: was the mayor’s appeal cleared by any of the city’s rabbis?

Do they hold that it is permissible to desecrate the Sabbath in order to prevent theft of property? Or perhaps, in their view, a police officer’s Sabbath desecration does not count as Sabbath desecration (because he is not from our own community)?

After all, the article states that the city itself organized patrols by non-Jews. Why not by Jews (I even have a name for it: ‘The Break-ins Patrol’—and yes, I mean burglaries, not licentiousness)?

It seems to me that this is a genuine pinnacle of hypocrisy, or else astounding innovation. Leibowitz, who will remove the dust from your eyes? (He said that in a modern state all services must operate, including the Foreign Ministry, on the Sabbath as well, and not by non-Jews!)

I, the humble undersigned, once wrote an article on Jewish law about this, in which I argued that it is indeed permissible, even for property alone (even without any concern for danger to life). But I am convinced that if the rabbis of Bnei Brak were to read the article, they would excommunicate me.

I would be glad to hear your views on three points:

1. Is this indeed permissible according to Jewish law?

2. Why does the mayor allow himself to do this: does he think it is permissible, or does he hold the police officers in contempt (and ignore his own prohibition of placing a stumbling block before the blind)?

3. Does anyone know of an authoritative rabbinic ruling, in Bnei Brak or elsewhere, that permits this?

Source (forum ‘Stop, People Are Thinking Here’): http://www.bhol.co.il/forums/topic.asp?topic_id=2739640