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Following Court Order, Shliach Weighs in on Shabbos Observance

A court order that leads to a Jew observing Shabbat (the Biblical Sabbath) can be a great thing, says Chabad-Lubavitch emissary to Tel Aviv Rabbi Yosef Gerlitzky.

The Central Tel Aviv Rabbi spoke with Arutz Sheva about the stores in Tel Aviv that have received an order from the court telling them they must close on Shabbat.

Gerlitsky, Rabbi of Central Tel Aviv and director of Chabad Tel Aviv, says that “If one Jew will observe Shabbat because the courts have said ‘You have to close your store because of Shabbat,’ that’s a great thing.”

Gerlitsky went on to explain, however, that a court order isn’t really the point.

“The issue of Shabbat (Sabbath) is that the Holy One, Blessed Be He, gave us Shabbat and the Ten Commandments and we have to observe Shabbat …. 26 hours from lighting the candles until Saturday night – and to make Kiddush (blessing over the wine) and havdalah (blessing separating the Sabbath from the rest of the week), and to bring together the Jewish family with praying and studying and singing. That is what Shabbat is all about, and that is what we are campaigning for,” the rabbi said.

It’s a gift to the Jewish People, he added. The first person to oppose it, to denigrate it, was the Pharaoh in Egypt “when we were slaves.”

Chabad of Tel Aviv is in the midst of a special campaign to publicize  the importance of Shabbat, he said, and has publicized the issue in all the bus stations and buses. “Every house received a brochure about Shabbat,” Gerlitsky told Arutz Sheva.

“We received calls from neighborhoods all over Tel Aviv, tens of thousands of people called, asking about Shabbat, ‘where could we study about Shabbat, where could we come to pray on Shabbat, where could we have a seudat Shabbat (Sabbath meal) that we could see what a Shabbat table is all about,’ … therefore this year we will come out with a much greater campaign,” he smiled, “including our Shabbat candle lighting campaign on the beach.”

Following Court Order, Shliach Weighs in on Shabbos Observance

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15 Comments

  • Shabbos observance

    Shabbos is the source of blessings for the entire coming week. “Minei misborchim kulei yoma”.

    Shabbos elevates the mundane of the past week and gives it meaning and value.

    Shabbos protects us from all bad. “Kol hashomer es haShabbos, haShabbos shomer olav”.

    These are some of the things that should be said to get people to keep shabbos.

  • moshe

    only an israeli would think that a secular court forcing a person to close his store means the person is “observing shabbos”.

  • Crown heights resident

    Rabbi Yossi Gerlitzky shlita ,one of our great G’doloim/treasures in klal yisroel ,( happens to be a brother to the Gabbai Menachem gerlitzky shlita)

  • Amused Observer

    I’m glad that in the United States, at least, such a court order would be found unconstitutional (unquestionably so) and overturned.

    It’s very disappointing to see the Israeli court ruling this way, using the government’s power to push religion. Hopefully this decision will be overturned there, and soon.

    • Milhouse

      What are you talking about? First of all, Sunday blue laws are constitutional and are alive and well in the USA. Second, Israel is not religiously neutral, and shouldn’t be. Israel is supposed to be a Jewish state, so why should the Jewish religion not be established there?

      After all, we believe in “Lesaken olam bemalchus Sha-dai”, that the whole world should be established under Hashem’s rule, including the USA! We do not believe that all religions are equal, we know that ours is the truth and idolatry must be stamped out. So kol shekein in Israel Torah law should be established as the law of the land.

  • Milhouse

    It’s only positive if someone will actually keep shabbos as a result. If everyone who was working or shopping will instead do other melochos then nothing has been gained . At least in the shops they are generally not doing melochos de’oraisa.

    • Nothing has been gained???

      Did you forget the difference between chilul shabbos b’far’hesya vs. b’tzina…? Also, that the shop owners require their workers to come work on shabbos are choteh u’machtee…? Also, that the store keeper is machshil the shoppers to come to his store? What do you mean nothing is gained???

  • um no

    court order forcing ppl to do specific things? So if it’s ok and we like it lets have it, but what happens when the table is turned?

  • Milhouse

    Why should the table be turned? And just because we wouldn’t like it if it were, why should that change anything? Of course we wouldn’t like a bad law, is that any reason not to support a good one?! You sound like someone who’s upset that stealing is illegal because we wouldn’t like it if stealing were mandatory, or if there were a law against borrowing or something. It makes no sense. We would not like bad laws, and we should support good ones.

  • to no. 4. Amused observer

    I am in total shock and disbelief that someone can write what you have written. Unless you are a michallel shabbos bfarhesia, chas vshalom, then all of Torah bkasav and torah shebal peh, encourages enforcement of shabbos by the law of the land.

    We are reminded hundreds of times in Tenach to enforce shabbos, and make it the law of the land.

    This golus mentality of yours is nauseating and repulsive.

    • Amused Observer

      Israel can pass these laws if they want. In America, we are reminded once in the Constitution that “Congress will make no law respecting an establishment of religion . . . “.

      No law. Pretty simple.

      Now, think for a second what America might be like without that amendment. You could try to “make shabbos the law of the land”, certainly! Best’o’luck on that! Do you think that would happen, or is it perhaps just a bit more likely that Christians might just be a tad more successful at imposing *their* beliefs on American life (impacting all Americans, including you), rather than what *you* want to impose on *everyone*?

      Here’s a hint while you’re thinking: there are a lot more Christians in America than Jews. A lot. Be careful what you wish for.

  • Amused Observer

    Milhouse (comment 5) – you’re right, the Blue Laws were upheld by the SCOTUS. I’m guessing that you don’t know *why* that was so, though – it’s because the laws were found to be *secular* in intent. A law put in place to promote the observance of the Sabbath hardly meets that standard, wouldn’t you agree?

    In any case, do you know who were the ones suing to overturn the Blue Laws? Mainly a bunch of Orthodox Jews who didn’t like being forced to close their stores on Sunday. They were fighting (correctly, IMO) the kind of garbage that religiously driven laws leads to.

  • concerned

    bsd
    To amused
    I am concerned that the amused observer (in #11) gets his/her amusement by denigrating religious values on which the Founding Fathers of the USA based the American constitution how much more so the Torah and Mitzvas of HaShem which are valued by all Jews in their heart and soul!

  • @ Milhouse

    Try getting a communist country to buy what you are saying. And, if a law like this is enforced you really think all people will abide by it. Don’t be naive please.