DailyHalacha.com for Mobile Devices Now Available

Click Here to Sponsor Daily Halacha
"Delivered to Over 6000 Registered Recipients Each Day"

      
(File size: 748 KB)
Renting Hotel Rooms to non-Jews for Shabbat

The Shulhan Aruch (246:1) rules that it is permitted to rent utensils to a non-Jew on Friday, even if he will do melacha with them on Shabbat. This leniency is based on the principle "En Shvitat Kelim B’Shabbat"-a Jew is not required to ensure that his utensils desist from working on Shabbat. The accepted interpretation of this ruling is that it is permissible to rent to a non-Jew even for the day of Shabbat alone. All the more so if it was done "B'havla'ah,"-where it's done for Friday and part of Saturday night, where the Shabbat rental is encompassed within the weekday period.

One important application of this Halacha is a Jew renting hotel rooms to non-Jews for Shabbat. The issue of the non-Jew using hotel amenities, such as lights and hot water, is not a problem because "En Shvitat Kelim B’Shabbat." There is also no issue of profiting from the Shabbat, since part of Friday and Mosei Shabbat are also included in the rental term. This constitutes "Havla’ah" and would solve the problem of earning profit on Shabbat, even according to the stricter opinions.

The same principle is also the basis for permitting the rental of cars and telephones over Shabbat. Hacham David permits this even if the client is paying per mile or minute.

SUMMARY
It is permitted to rent hotel rooms, cars or cellular phones to non-Jews on Friday.

 


Recent Daily Halachot...
The Recitation of “Emet Ve’yasib” After the Morning Shema
Answering “Amen” to a Beracha After Completing “Hashkibenu” at Arbit
Does Minha Precede Musaf if One Did Not Recite Musaf Until the Afternoon?
Reciting the Verse “Yiheyu Le’rason” After the Amida
Laws of Kaddish
Halachot Relevant to Reciting the Verse “Hashem Melech”
Answering to Kadish, Barechu, Kedusha or Berachot During Baruch She’amar
May One Answer “Amen” During Pesukeh De’zimra?
If One is Praying the Amida When the Hazan Reaches Nakdishach
If One Mistakenly Recited Al Ha’mihya Instead of Birkat Ha’mazon
The Latest Time to Recite the Morning Amida, Baruch She’amar and Yishtabah
May a Kohen Interrupt Pesukeh De’zimra or Shema to Participate in Birkat Kohanim?
Upon Arriving Late To Minyan of Arbit
One Who Did Not Recite Minha the Day Before We Begin Reciting “Barech Alenu”
If One Mistakenly Recited “Barechenu” Instead of “Barech Alenu” on the Night of December 4th
Page of 239
3585 Halachot found