Question:
Business Open on Shabbes
Shalom u’bracha, is there a way for a business owned by a couple that sells things (in a non-jewish area) who don´t have a non-jewish shutaf, to open on Shabbes. It is a struggling couple, and they have 2 non-jewish workers. The problem is that the workers change fast, seemingly it is hard for them to keep them, so we need an efficient way to do this with a new worker. The earnings of Shabat are around the same as the full salaries of the 2 non-jewish workers (maning what they earn for working the whole month)
Answer:
Part of the mitzvah of Shabbos is that our business should not be open on shabbos. As you stated the only way to keep the business open on Shabbos is if the non- Jew will own the business and get all the profits from the business on shabbos. Exactly how to make such a contract and how to do this is not our topic now. It is hard to understand why that fact that workers change is making things harder on the couple regarding shabbos. In any case the best thing for your business, although it is not easy at all, would be for the business to stay closed on shabbos. Shabbes is the mekor habracha- the source of all blessing, and by keeping the shabbos correctly you will only prosper, and your finances will grow. The gemora says that our shabbos expenses are paid back to us by H-shem. Therefore the profit that you will be losing by keeping the halacha is not going to be lost to you. H-shem has many, many ways to send you your parnasa.
IY”H you should be zoche to overcome this tremendous nisayon, and you should also be zoche to clearly see, the siyata dishmaya of having an abundance of parnasa as a result. In addition, since Shabbos is he mekor habracha, you should have, brachos and yeshuos, in all aspects of your lives, in the zechus of the mesiras nefesh for H-shem’s holy Shabbos.
Best Wishes
