Monday, July 28, 2025

Fwd: Business Halacha Daily


---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Bais HaVaad Halacha Center <info@baishavaad.org>
Date: Mon, Jul 28, 2025, 8:03 PM
Subject: Business Halacha Daily
To: <agentemes4@gmail.com>


 Can a Property Owner Have a Manager on Call For Emergencies on Shabbos?


Question: The owner of an apartment building employs a non-Jewish superintendent. He pays him for his work during the week but also needs him to be on call for emergencies on Shabbos. How can he go about this in a permitted way?  



CLICK BELOW TO WATCH THE VIDEO

Rav Yosef Kushner


Answer: Most managers and superintendents have the status of a kablan because they are paid for their work, not by the hour. We said previously that one may not explicitly tell a kablan to work on Shabbos. Still, if one needs the super to be on call for emergencies, such as problems with the heating or plumbing, it could be permitted. 


The Rishonim speak about a case where a Jew purchased the rights to collect tolls on a certain road. In such a case, he would suffer a tremendous loss if he could not have a non-Jewish worker collecting the tolls for him on Shabbos and the business would be unable to function at all; therefore, Chazal permit him to hire a kablan to collect the tolls, even though the work is done in public.


So too, in the case of the super, if no one would be available to take care of emergencies on Shabbos, the landlord would lose tenants and the entire business would be unable to function; therefore, it is permitted to ask him to respond to emergency calls on Shabbos. The halacha is that the worker in such a case should be paid separately for the work he does on Shabbos. In our case of the super, this would mean that his regular salary should be for the work he does during the week, and he should be paid a separate fee specifically for jobs he does on Shabbos. 


In cases like this, it is important to ensure that the worker's pay is structured in the permitted way. Another example of this is if a Jew owns a nursing home that employs secretaries who are needed on Shabbos. If they are paid like a sechir yom, it would not be permitted to allow them to work on Shabbos. Instead, their pay structure should be arranged in the permitted way for a kablan

For more information on the Business Halacha Daily project, visit https://baishavaad.org/business-halacha-daily/

To sign up to the BHD WhatsApp group click click HERE.

Any comments? We welcome your questions and feedback. Please reach out to us! info@baishavaad.org | 888.485.8223

OR SEARCH "BUSINESS HALACHA DAILY" VIA YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST VENUE

For more information on the Yorucha project, visit Yorucha.org/about/.

For the full topic syllabus,visit Yorucha.org/curriculum/

Feedback? yorucha@baishavaad.org | 888.485.8223 ext.302

Bais HaVaad Halacha Center | 290 River Ave. | Lakewood, NJ 08701 US

Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice

No comments: