Q&A: Ordering from a website abroad where it is still Sabbath abroad
Ordering from a website abroad where it is still Sabbath abroad
Question
I am interested in ordering a product on Saturday night in Israel, but the seller is located in a country where it is still Sabbath, such as the United States. The concern arises that the product may already be packaged on the Sabbath.
To the best of my understanding, the non-Jew is under no obligation to package the product specifically on the Sabbath, and if he does so, the responsibility for that rests on him.
What is the position of Jewish law on this matter?
Answer
I don’t know what the position of Jewish law is. I can tell you what my halakhic opinion is. In my view there is no prohibition here at all. There was no telling a non-Jew to do something, and this is also not a case of a non-Jew’s Sabbath labor, because that is his own decision and he is acting for his own purposes. In any case, if it is considered Sabbath labor, then wait the amount of time it would take to do it. That is, after the package arrives, wait five minutes before using it. 🙂
Discussion on Answer
Ahmed, exactly the opposite. That is an enactment that does not exist for a Jew (although there are those who question this).
“Wait the amount of time it would take to do it” applies only to Sabbath desecration by a Jew, I think.