Q&A: Is It Permissible on the Sabbath to Benefit from an Item Purchased by a Secular Jew
Is It Permissible on the Sabbath to Benefit from an Item Purchased by a Secular Jew
Question
Hi Michi. Assuming I hold that a secular Jew’s transgressions do count as transgressions, is there a prohibition of benefiting from an act done on the Sabbath if a secular Jew buys something and brings it to me?
Answer
This goes beyond the prohibition of an act done on the Sabbath. It is an act that was done for me. But even with an act done on the Sabbath unintentionally, it is permitted to you after the Sabbath, at least if one waits the amount of time it would take to do it. And logic suggests that for an item that cannot be bought after the Sabbath within that amount of time, here the equivalent would be to wait until Sunday morning.
Discussion on Answer
I didn’t understand the question.
You wrote that “this goes beyond the prohibition of an act done on the Sabbath.” So I’m trying to understand what that means — is it prohibited because of agency? Because of mutual responsibility?
An act done on the Sabbath for your sake is more severe.
What is the definition of the prohibition regarding an act done for me?