Q&A: Receiving stock options from work at an Israeli start-up company that desecrates the Sabbath and has no heter iska
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
Receiving stock options from work at an Israeli start-up company that desecrates the Sabbath and has no heter iska
Question
- If an employee works for an Israeli start-up company under Jewish ownership, which among its other activities also involves Sabbath desecration (though not as its main line of business), and that employee has no influence over or involvement in decisions related to Sabbath desecration, and the company has not signed a sale permit (heter iska) — is there a halakhic problem with receiving stock options from the employer as part of the terms of employment?
Answer
In my opinion there is no prohibition, at least when he has no control.
Discussion on Answer
In my opinion, even exercising them poses no halakhic problem, as long as you have no control.
Thank you to the Rabbi for the answer. I saw at the Keter Institute a distinction between holding the options and exercising them.
Here is the quote:
"I understand that this is a company that desecrates the Sabbath and is not signed on a heter iska. (If it is not such a company — there is no problem in receiving these options.) If so, the best thing would be to try to persuade it not to operate on the Sabbath and to sign a heter iska.
In any case, merely holding the options and selling them without exercising them — there is no prohibition."
Does the Rabbi think that there is also no problem with exercising the options?