Q: I make crafts and would like to sell them at an upcoming fair. However, the fair will take place on Shabbat and Sunday. A non-Jew is willing to sell them both days on consignment for a percentage of the sales. May she do this for me on Shabbat? A: In a situation where a non-Jew will conduct commercial activity that involves a Jew's property on Shabbat, we have to ask a few questions. 1) Is the non-Jew working on the Jew's behalf or on his own? 2) Does the arrangement appear to the public to be one that is forbidden on Shabbat (mar'it ayin)? 3) Is the Jew improperly receiving financial benefit from work done on Shabbat? Work on the Jew's behalf In your case, where the seller at the fair works for a percentage of the sales, she benefits directly from the sales. Thus, she would be working on her own behalf, not yours, even if you would benefit more than she. However, a problem remains. The Shulchan Aruch and Rama (OC 307:4) say, respectively, that one cannot givea non-Jew money to buy or merchandise to sell if he tells him to do so on Shabbat, even in a case of katzatz (see Mishna Berura 307:14). Is your case like one of telling to sell on Shabbat? On one hand, you could refrain from telling her to sell on Shabbat. Although both of you would like her to sell on Shabbat, we can still say that she does so for her own gain. On the other hand, this may be a more severe case than those of the Shulchan Aruch and Rama. There, it sounds like there are a set number of items to be bought or sold. Thus, it is likely possible for the non-Jew to buy or sell them without doing so on Shabbat. The choice to do so on Shabbat is his. However, if it is unfeasible to sell all of the merchandise without selling on Shabbat, then it is arguably like telling him to sell on Shabbat. Magen Avraham (307:4) addresses a similar case. He says that one may not ask a non-Jew to buy something for him when the market day, which is the only logical time to obtain the object, is only on Shabbat. In your case, it seems that you will meet the optimal scope of selling crafts only if the seller sells them for two days, including Shabbat. However, we have a strong indication that even when full profits can be met only with the help of the non-Jew's work on Shabbat, the Jew can allow the non-Jew to work in a case of katzatz. A bathhouse was classically operated by workers who were paid by time. Therefore, due to mar'it ayin, it was forbidden for a Jewish-owned bathhouse to be operated on Shabbat by a non-Jew even for a percentage of the income from admission (Shulchan Aruch, OC 243:1). However, in a place where katzatz is the norm, this practice is permitted (ibid.:2). This case is parallel to yours, as Shabbat's income cannot be made up on another day. We see that despite your desire that she sell on Shabbat and your gain from it, it is not considered like telling her to do so, if you do not require it of her. Marit Ayin - This is not a problem if either your product is not publicly traceable to you by its label or a known feature or it is standard that sellers at the fair work for a percentage of the sales. Profits from Shabbat - As long as the seller gives you the money in a lump sum without singling out money that was made on Shabbat, this is not a problem (Mishna Berura 245:8). There are other possible ways to deal with these issues. However, we have sufficed to point out that under the normal circumstances we described, having a non-Jew sell the crafts for a percentage of the sales does not require special conditions. Ask the Rabbi Q&A is part of Hemdat Yamim,
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Ask the Vebbe Rebbe is partially funded by the Jewish Agency for Israel Yitzchak does not understand the cause of the delay. But then he lifted up his eyes and saw the camels coming. Seeing them he understood the cause of the delay. Rav Dovid Moskowitz, in "Gelilei Zahav"
explains that kosher animals require two signs - an external and an internal
one. The internal one requires an animal to chew its cud while the external
one requires the animal to have split hooves. The combination of both means
that the animal is kosher. Yitzchak attempts to understand what is delaying the Final Redemption and concludes: "Behold the camels are coming". At the time of Ikvatei D'Mishicha, the Jewish people are like camels possessing heartfelt belief, prayer and deveikut but lack the external sign - the return to Eretz Yisrael. They indeed cry and mourn over the Destruction of the Temples and pray for the Return to Zion but are not prepared to arise and "return home". Says the "Gelilei Zahav", it is preferable at the time of "Ikvete D'Meshicha" that Jews exhibit the external signs and take concrete steps to return and rebuild the Land even if they lack the internal signs. This is so because as Chazal say , the chazir acquired its name since in the future the Almighty will "return the chazir to its purity". Thus the action of returning to the Land and rebuilding it, will bring the Almighty to purify us all. Today who does not want to be a "Kosher
Jew"? Therefore, in addition to the prayers for the return to Zion, we must
act to return and thereby bring about the Final Redemption. "Rebbe, my husband ran away, and I don't know where he is," R' Menachem Mendel would say to her: "Go to this-and-this town, and you will find your husband living there." She would then go to that town, and find her husband living there. Everyone considered the Rebbe to me a miracle worker, and one who was able to foretell the future. His son, R' Leib of Kopust, once asked R'
Menachem Mendel: "Father, do you really have the gift of prophecy?" 2) The Torah, prior to Avraham sending Eliezer to finding a wife for Yitzchak, describes that Eliezer RULED OVER ALL OF HIS (Avraham's) POSSESSIONS. (24:2) Why is this seemingly unrelated fact important for us to know prior to this mission? 3) Why did Avraham insist that the wife for
Yitzchak come from his own family and not from the people of Canaan (24:3)
considering the fact that both groups were pagan? 2) The Kli Yakar explains these words to mean that Eliezer ruled over Avraham's possessions and they did not rule over him. Nothing in the physical world could hold sway over Eliezer's intelligence and decision making ability. This was the reason why Avraham chose Eliezer for this mission and, thus, it functions as important background to the story. 3) The Drashot HaRan answers that while the
people in Avraham's family worshiped idols, they had good character traits.
The people of Canaan, on the other hand, were not only pagan but they were
selfish and unkind. Thus, Avraham insisted that his daughter-in-law be from
his family. Some- one who is religiously off the path can be more easily
salvaged than one who is unrefined in areas of character. In order to help Eliezer with his mission, Avraham sent him with the best things that he owned KOL TUV ADONAV B'YADO (24:10). After seeing how Rivka gave him water to drink and gave water to all 10 of his camels, Eliezer took out a (nose) ring weighing half a shekel and two gold bracelets weighing ten gold shekels for Rivka. These were a token of thanks for the hard work she had done and also a way to convince her to come join Avraham's family. These objects did have an effect and Laban, Rivka's brother, after seeing the expensive gifts Rivka received, ran to greet Eliezer and invited him to their house. Lavan and Betuel agreed to the marriage idea and Eliezer took out more gifts (24;53). He gave MIGDANOT to Rivka's brother and mother. Migdanot are either PRI MEGADIM, delicious fruits of Eretz Yisrael according to Rashi, or nuts KLIYOT V'EGOZIM according to the Midrash Lekach Tov. He gave Rivka expensive clothes as well as gold and silver jewelry thereby acting as a shaliach to do the ERUSIN (betrothal) ceremony with Rivka for Yitzchak. He had brought along a minyan of his own, 10 men, ANASHIM (one for each camel), for the brachot of the ERUSIN (Oznayim LaTora). Only then did he and his men sit down to eat (at the ERUSIN meal, a SEUDAT MITZVA) having refused (24;33) until then the food that Lavan served. There are a lot of gifts mentioned here in detail. Rashi sees a hint in these gifts: Ring weighing half a shekel - the half a shekel given in the Mishkan and Temple and two gold bracelets - the two Luchot, weighing ten gold shekels - the ten commandments. These all hint to the fact that by marrying Yitzchak, Rivka became part of the Torah and the Jewish people. In some Jewish communities this Torah portion is read as Maftir for a
Shabbat Chatan. The Lubavitcher Rebbe explains that a Jewish person is indeed measured by the deeds attained during his lifetime, but more so by the legacy that he leaves behind. The true measure of a person's virtue, the Rebbe notes, is reflected in the acts of his children. Most significant here is what distinguished Sara from Avraham. Avraham as the "Father of many nations" begets children from Sara and Hagar and is concerned to bless them all. In contrast, Sara's only concern is that her son Yitzchak be the sole heir to the Jewish heritage. Ultimately, Sara is vindicated, as indicated in the Torah: "And Avraham gave all that he had to Yitzchak" (Breishit 25:5). And Sara's legacy continued, as recorded with respect to Rivka. For when Rivka enters Yitzchak's tent, Yitzchak is now, "consoled after his mother". The Malbim explains that Rivka possessed Sara's qualities and in that merit the blessings that typified Sara's home returned to her son's abode (cf. Rashi on 24:7). Let us pray that the spirit of Sara similarly pervades our lives and our homes. Shabbat Shalom, Menachem Persoff [The Parshat Chayei Sara Homepage]
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