Addressing the 10th Annual Jerusalem Conference, Rabbi Yaakov Medan, a rosh yeshiva at Yeshivat Hat Tzion in Gush Etzion explained “Jerusalem needs secular residents too” and he feels that movie theaters should be open on Shabbat to accommodate them. Rabbi Medan explains that the tickets for Shabbat performances may be sold before Shabbat to avoid having to engage in business transactions on the holy day but feels the needs of the secular have been ignored and this has resulted in serious ramifications.
The Rabbi does not favor businesses opening on Shabbos, but he feels the non-frum community needs its entertainment. Therefore, the movie theaters should operate on a Shabbat mode. He explains that opening businesses compels many many thousands to be mechalel shabbos to report to work against their will and therefore, this must be prevented.
He explains that for him, it is about supporting Shomer Shabbat businesses, citing a personal example; gassing up his vehicle in such a station to show the owner he does not lose any business by closing on Shabbat. He stresses the positive, not boycotting the stations open on Shabbat but by supporting those that are closed on Shabbat.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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12 Responses
Then we can have buses…… in Shabbos mode too.
I guess that he will also figure out a way to be “matir” the viewing of the overt “giluei arayos” and “shfichas damim’ on the screen. Maybe there is a “Heter” mode for this too.
Hashem Yerachem!
Guess what Rabbi Medan- there is an invention called a television. It also works on shabbos, and if someone so chooses to be mechalel shabbos he can do it B’tzina and not cause anyone else to be mechalel. I’d go so far to say that it’s repulsive that you are condoning such behavior, much less giving them your blessing.”But Rabbi Medan said it’s ok for ME to eat treif with my cholent because I have menuchas shabbos”. Instead of watching your fellow brothers spiritually kill themselves how about giving these people a taste of what shabbos in a frum house is supposed to be like. SHAME ON YOU MEDAN,and shame on US for not doing enough. You should look to RAV SIMCHA HAKOHEN KOOK, to see how he has been mekarev mechalel shabbos businesses in Rechovot before you prattle nonsense.
Sincerely,
Every Jew that understands how special Shmiras Shabbos is.
1) This seems to be a trending view amongst SOME of the Mizrachi who are turning Judaism into another man made religion, as if it is not significant for non-religious Jews to uphold it.
2) This reminds me of the time when a Mizrahi Rabbi once privately asked me my opinion about hiring a gentile driver to go around the community in a van on Shabbos and pick up members that lived far from the shul. NOT GOOD!
I understand the concern for others, but it’s like the Chofetz Chaim once said to a Jew that asked permission to violate the Shabbos just this one time (for a business deal), “if the Shabbos was mine”, he said,”I’d let you, but Shabbos doesn’t belong to me…”
The purpose of D’Rabanans is to keep one far away from violating a D’orisa. This “Rabbi” probably thinks that the results from his idea would be more observance and less Chilul Shabbos, when in fact it would result in the direct opposite. It’s good that we have Gedolim still that are much smarter than that.
🙁
Whether anyone like it or not Israel is a true democracy. A liberal approach would say its not, and the government should dictate what and how their lives should be run (take a look at Cuba). A movie theater is not owned by the state and thus should be operated and decided by the owners. I pass a movie theater when I walk to shul on Shabbos (in the US) and I do not complain. We have a president who wants to control plenty of aspects of our lives already. I don’t want to see the state or city dictate what business may operate when,how, and why.
There are plenty of seculr Jews out there (unfortunately). Keeping their theater home will not Mikarev them at all. So lets keep those jobs open, and sales tax dollars come on in.
What kind of “rabbi” is this??? is he orthodox???
Jewishflorida- if it was an adult theater and your kids had to walk past it everyday you wouldn’t feel the same way. Shabbos is a gift, it’s not a right. You can use it or you can throw it away, the same as wealth. It’s your choice what you do with it, but to rationalize and allow it in a lesser fashion doesn’t make it acceptable. We’re not talking about shabbos clocks and air conditioners on timers, we’re talking about allowing small breaks in the chain of Yiddishkit. Being a Sabbath observant country is a national pride, regardless of how you define your “day of rest”.
All a chiloni needs is an excuse, then everything else is open to his interpretation of what’s Shabbos appropriate and what’s not. And what if they want fresh popcorn in the theater ?(no one likes day old stale popcorn) Even if it was on a time clock it’s still BISHUL!!!
We all know that at least 60% of knesset members are mechalel shabbos (or don’t have shabbos because they aren’t jewish) but they don’t have sessions on Shabbos no matter what’s at stake – some things aren’t negotiable. Don’t make excesses, any teen knows how to find the latest movies on the internet so who is this for? The 40-90 year olds? Common….
Give the RZs enough time and they’ll invent a Shabbos airplane that will take them back to galus.
brooklynnhocker, appreciate your comment. We aren’t disagreeing whether shabbos is a gift or not, it certainly is; what my argument is should the government dictate what a private business (the theater) can and can’t do? In truth they should not be opened during Chol Hamoed, or any day of the year for that matter. But I don’t see anything wrong with free enterprise, playing within the legal ramifications of the law.
You are talking about the popcorn and snacks…. who said those snacks are all reliably kosher on Shabbos or a regular Monday, let alone cooking the popcorn on shabbos? The issues are endless.
jewishflorida – I don’t know if you’ll see this, but just in case. Your argument, in truth, is faulty. You are trying to argue that in a true Democracy the government does not regulate business. That is so far from the truth. In America business regulations are out the wazoo. I’m sure you are familiar with the inability to buy liqueur in stores after midnight and after 2am in bars. For decades the law was that businesses could not be opened on Sunday (this, BTW, made it difficult for frum Jews to find work). There are laws in regards to smoking in restaurants and requirements to have bathrooms that accommodate the handicap.
I’m sure businessmen in all sectors could go on and on and on of all the Government regulations that they have to tolerate. It is just not true that Government stays out of the affairs of businesses.
With all said and done, one more point. Israel is an exception over hear. Being that it is a Jewish state (that does not have a Constitution that separates from Church and State) it has to play by different rules. Torah, Shabbos, and religious life can not be ruled out when creating policies. It has been that way since the creation of the state.
Incidentally, anyone who lives in Israel knows that Israel is not a true Democracy as much as they try to portray themselves as one. You do not live here. That is why you see things differently. If you are someday zoche to come live here you see within a couple of years what I am talking about.
It’s beautiful that you live there. I spent one year there for yeshiva. The majority of restaurants are not kosher. I spent shabbosim in neighborhoods where many Jews drove. I witnessed several stores owned by Jews in towns outside of Jerusalem conduct open business on shabbos. Who am I to stop it? Who am I to be against it?
Under Obama, the US is pulling more and more regulations on businesses and oil drilling, which I’m not thrilled of. Israel like you said has tighter regulations and much more government involvement. The argument of mixed coed portions of the Kotel I am strongly against, aside from halachic prohibitions, the Kotel is state-run. If a private business wants his theater open on shabbos, I don’t want the government to get involved. Just like I don’t want the government to get involved and dictate rules to private yeshivas, shuls, and mikvahs.
Final example, I dislike conservative/reform shuls, and seeing many of their congregants drive there. I don’t want the State of Florida to get involved in it. If my tax dollars funded it (as a state-run shul), I’d fight against it. Leave private businesses alone!
Thank you softwords. Once again jewishflorida- we aren’t arguing the idea, what my problem is that a supposed “Rabbi” would get up in public and say “we have to find a way to allow this absurd behavior, just to accommodate the cheloni citizens of Jerusalem”. Medan doesn’t care how I spend my Shabbos. Medan doesn’t check my kashrus. And Medan won’t be there for me after 120 to give a din v’chesbon because HE said it’s O.K.
Bottom line- he should not have said anything rather then selling out.