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Q&A: Cruise on the Sabbath

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This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.

Cruise on the Sabbath

Question

Hello Rabbi, I wanted to ask about taking a vacation on a cruise ship when the departure from Israel is on Wednesday and in practice the ship also sails on the Sabbath. The crew is generally non-Jewish, but in my opinion most of the passengers will be Jews. There is kosher food, a Sabbath elevator, etc., but the question is whether there is a problem of a non-Jew acting on behalf of Jews and so on?

Answer

https://ph.yhb.org.il/01-02-10/?gclid=CjwKCAjw0dKXBhBPEiwA2bmObZskbyK3PFf1oAhyDdRqiwMBtKdu7ujIhHo0yHgG-J4nUN8OGpKVABoCvdcQAvD_BwE

Discussion on Answer

Noam (2022-08-12)

According to what is written there, there is a problem if most of the passengers on the ship are Jews, but the question is whether that completely forbids staying there on the Sabbath? More fundamentally, when a non-Jewish company operates for its customers on the Sabbath, does the percentage of Jews among the customers matter? And does the fact that it would operate in the same way whether a given number of people came onto the ship or not anyway—the cruise departs on fixed dates regardless—make a difference?

Michi (2022-08-12)

The question of the majority really isn’t clear to me. But in my view it leans toward stringency, not leniency. Even if Jews are a minority, the work is still being done for them too. On the other hand, the ship would sail and operate even without me. But that distinction is relevant to using businesses that desecrate the Sabbath publicly (like stores or companies that are open and operating on the Sabbath), where it is relevant to say that they would open even without me. But benefiting from their service when it is provided to me on the Sabbath itself is more problematic (similar to using electricity from the electric company, but there there is permission because the service they provide is for essential needs).
There is room for the majority argument, but I’m undecided about it.

Cruise for the trip to Uman (2022-08-12)

I don’t have a position on a “cruise” on the Sabbath, but it seems fitting to get to Uman by “cruise,” since Rabbi Nachman commanded: “They should make a proclamation that they should come to me for Rosh Hashanah” 🙂

Best regards, Gevini Cruise

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