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What is your opinion about working in i.e an office on Chol Hamoe and what do you think of the idea about working until 1.5 hrs before Shabbos – If things are quiet would it be alright to leave earlier?
why dont you ask your rabbi? who care what people think. all these insane halacha shailos. the moderator should just stop them and leave the discussion board for inane subjects not dealing with halacha.
Most of us are working to pay the bills, and college, and to financially survive, so taking time off on chol hamoed isn’t an option for some people. Especially with all the days people have to take off for the holidays, which comes out to a lot. Working close to shabbos, isn’t working on shabbos, so i don’t think it’s a problem. Think of it this way, the hours you work leading to shabbos (& perhaps chol hamoed), is what’s helping put the shabbos food on the table, and paying the rent or mortgage to have a home to enjoy your shabbos in. If your boss doesn’t have a problem with you leaving work early, then I don’t see why not?
I’m not 100% sure what you are asking or what your situation is, but here is mine:
I dont get enough vacation time as it is (I barely cover the yom tovim days) so I have to work chol hamoed. I try to schedule more enjoyable things for chol hamoed if I can (like field trips to power plants), but its not always possible.
For shabbos in the winter, I leave 1.5-2 hours before my shift ends, which usually gets me home 30 minutes – 1 hour before shabbos. I try to aim for 2 hours but it is not always feasible. My company has a strict policy of working 8 hours (plus 45 minutes lunch) a day, but because of my religious restrictions they grant me the allowance to make the time up throughout the rest of the week. I cannot take advantage of this though, so I take as little time off as possible.
My husband does most of the cooking for shabbos because he is off every other friday and has a more flexible schedule.
may the golus end VERY soon.
yoshi,
I am not sure if your argument is necessarily correct in all situations. I would ask a Rav. It is not as simple as you think. I happen to unfortunately have to work on Chol Hamoed as I would be fired if I would not work then. (There are mostly frum employees in the company and there are very good reasons for the company having to stay open on Chol Hamoed and if we would have a choice we would all take off on chol hamoed so they cannot allow that).
There are many situations that one must work on chol hamoed but in some situations it is actually assur. Not just a plus to take off but Assur.
Ask your rav!
Simple solution to chunchie & SJSinNYC: Move to Eretz Yisroel, where the weekend is Friday/Shabbos. Also, when you start working at a company, you get more vacation days (EXCLUDING the Yom Tovim) than any USA job could think of, even after a few years of working there!)
Yes, it’s true, salaries aren’t the same as in America. But when you think of how much insurance and tuition that you DON’T have to pay (I saved about $30,000 once I moved – yes, $30,000), it makes the big picture MUCH different.
One more thing: If you’re in the IT field, there are TONS of jobs available here, much more that in the USA.
You can work on chal hamoed if you will be fired otherwise.
Mutar.
I am lucky enough that my work gives me off on chol hamoed. Not everyone is that lucky. You need to speak to your rov and see what what he says. It may not just boil down to getting fired. It may be better to work then and take off another day so that you and your wife can have quality time. Not everything is black and white.
Most people cannot take off for Ch”H. They would lose their jobs. The halacha is that it is preferable NOT to work then, but if one cannot avoid it, it is permissible.
I will be working durring Chol Hamoed, I live in Israel so I get of on Hag but half days on Erev Hag and normal days on Chol. I could take vacation days then if we had something planned I guess but I would rather use them in Nov when my father comes to Visit from the US.
It seems to me that the main difference with work on Chol Hamoed and work on actual Yom Tov is that you may not work on Yom Tov no matter what (I’m talking about life and death situations). However, on Chol Hamoed, if it involves a major loss (meaning not just the days’ salaries but loss of job or a huge amount of money like a business transaction that can only come about by doing it then etc. ) you may work. But it is not so simple that you can work if it is convenient that day.
Keep in mind that being mevasa a yom tov is compared to serving Avoda Zara so think twice.
Woops!
(I’m talking about life and death situations).
I meant to say I’m NOT talking about life and death situations).
Kitzur, Israel is just too hot for me 🙂
In a practical sense though, living in Israel is just not for me. My entire support system (as well as my husband’s) is in the New York area. So I’ll keep my solid, stable job in America for now.
I live in Israel and work for an American company and gotta work on Chol Hamoed!
SJSinNYC, don’t worry, people blare their AC here that you don’t feel the heat 🙂
True, if you’re set up financially etc. in America, than you probably shouldn’t think of moving – each person has their own story of why or why not…
This entire thread is as ridiculous as they come. If this is a legitimate Shayla, it should be addressed to a Rav, not a bunch of anonymous posters (me included) who may, or may not be fluent in halacha. Whatever happened to “Asay Licha Rav”?
Do people have a Rav any more? Are they waiting for a Kol Koreh on the matter? 🙂
Regarding the actual Shayla. Melacha on Chol Hamoded is generally assur unless a number of specific conditions are met. I am not a Rav or a Posek to tell anyone how their specifics work out according to halacha, however I can say this, “Melacha” has nothing to do with an office. It would be the same Melacha if done in your basement or out in the backyard. Unless of course one of the coonsiderations was doing the melacha “bitzinah”.
BeHaB was instituted after Pesach & Sukkos because of Zilzul Chol haMoed; Consequently, there was noo need to institure BeHaB following Shovu’os.
@147 – Why ‘up’ a 3 year old thread?
Anyway, on topic: I’ve also always had to work on Chol haMoed. Both in E”Y and in chu”l.
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