Q&A: Volunteering on the Sabbath
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
Volunteering on the Sabbath
Question
Hello Rabbi,
I recently started volunteering with Magen David Adom, and of course volunteers are needed on the Sabbath as well. Is it permitted from the outset to take shifts on the Sabbath, or is it preferable to avoid it? Also, if the shift is on the Sabbath, is it permitted to do everything just as on weekdays?
Answer
Absolutely. It is advisable to take shifts. It is permitted to do whatever is required for the routine functioning that ultimately saves lives. But of course not things that are unnecessary. Whatever you do, do it as usual. No tricks or workarounds.
If the shift begins on the Sabbath itself (not from Friday and continuing into the Sabbath), is it permitted to get into an ambulance (basically a ride) in order to get to the station, or is that considered unnecessary (it is possible to go on foot, but it is an hour’s walk)?
I assume that going back home when the shift ends on the Sabbath is certainly forbidden.