Buying & Selling on Sabbath

[ananda]

Is it prohibited in Torah?

The only possible reference to this I've seen is in Ketuvim - in Nehemiah 13, where Nehemiah closed the gates to Jerusalem. However, it's possible that he was only doing so to prevent the people from working & carrying a burden on Sabbath (13:15-16, 19b), and not specifically to prevent buying and selling.

What do you think? Are there any other references in Torah or Neviim, or even Ketuvim, about this? Thank you.

 

[Steve Petersen]

How do you feel about employing someone on the Sabbath by buying and selling? Is this something God would want?

What about the passage that envisions a day when ALL flesh will appear before God from Sabbath to Sabbath?

 

[ananda]

Well, that's my question. Does Torah prohibit buying and selling on Sabbath?

 

[Calcemo]

Well, that's my question. Does Torah prohibit buying and selling on Sabbath?

Wouldn't carrying on a business be considered "work"?

 

[Calcemo]

These may be interesting considerations on your question:

Amos 8: Hear this, you who trample the needy
and do away with the poor of the land, 5 saying,
“When will the New Moon be over
that we may sell grain,
and the Sabbath be ended
that we may market wheat?”—
skimping on the measure,
boosting the price
and cheating with dishonest scales,
6 buying the poor with silver
and the needy for a pair of sandals,
selling even the sweepings with the wheat.


This also:



Nehemiah 13:15-
In those days I saw people in Judah treading winepresses on the Sabbath and bringing in grain and loading it on donkeys, together with wine, grapes, figs and all other kinds of loads. And they were bringing all this into Jerusalem on the Sabbath. Therefore I warned them against selling food on that day. 16 People from Tyre who lived in Jerusalem were bringing in fish and all kinds of merchandise and selling them in Jerusalem on the Sabbath to the people of Judah. 17 I rebuked the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this wicked thing you are doing—desecrating the Sabbath day? 18 Didn’t your ancestors do the same things, so that our God brought all this calamity on us and on this city? Now you are stirring up more wrath against Israel by desecrating the Sabbath.”

 

[Lulav]

I think that goes to the point of not allowing gentiles to bring their wares for sale on the holy day of Shabbat. They were allowed to go into the city for 6 days, which is plenty of time to buy what you need.

Now today, we have in many Messianic synogogues visitors who have things to sell, this is how they make their livelihood, weither by singing praise songs, or preaching the word and support of them is warranted by some on the Shabbat. In my congregation I protested against this, and they did acquiesce to some degree by having a 'coffeehouse concert' after Shabbat was over and then taking donations and allowing merchandise to be sold.

The only time I 'buy' on Shabbat is when it is something that isn't offered any other time or for a charity purpose, for I believe it is good to do good on Shabbat.

 

[ananda]

Wouldn't carrying on a business be considered "work"?

For many, yes. But if believers are not working, yet patronize other unbelievers who decide to work on the day, is that a sin?

 

[ananda]

These may be interesting considerations on your question:

Amos 8: Hear this, you who trample the needy
and do away with the poor of the land, 5 saying,
“When will the New Moon be over
that we may sell grain,
and the Sabbath be ended
that we may market wheat?”—
skimping on the measure,
boosting the price
and cheating with dishonest scales,
6 buying the poor with silver
and the needy for a pair of sandals,
selling even the sweepings with the wheat.

The people in question here are prohibited from selling on Sabbath. But is purchasing on Sabbath expressly prohibited?

This also: Nehemiah 13:15-
In those days I saw people in Judah treading winepresses on the Sabbath and bringing in grain and loading it on donkeys, together with wine, grapes, figs and all other kinds of loads. And they were bringing all this into Jerusalem on the Sabbath. Therefore I warned them against selling food on that day. 16 People from Tyre who lived in Jerusalem were bringing in fish and all kinds of merchandise and selling them in Jerusalem on the Sabbath to the people of Judah. 17 I rebuked the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this wicked thing you are doing—desecrating the Sabbath day? 18 Didn’t your ancestors do the same things, so that our God brought all this calamity on us and on this city? Now you are stirring up more wrath against Israel by desecrating the Sabbath.”

Thanks, I addressed this in the OP.

 

[ananda]

I think that goes to the point of not allowing gentiles to bring their wares for sale on the holy day of Shabbat. They were allowed to go into the city for 6 days, which is plenty of time to buy what you need.

Now today, we have in many Messianic synogogues visitors who have things to sell, this is how they make their livelihood, weither by singing praise songs, or preaching the word and support of them is warranted by some on the Shabbat. In my congregation I protested against this, and they did acquiesce to some degree by having a 'coffeehouse concert' after Shabbat was over and then taking donations and allowing merchandise to be sold.

The only time I 'buy' on Shabbat is when it is something that isn't offered any other time or for a charity purpose, for I believe it is good to do good on Shabbat.

Thanks for your input, Lulav. You provided much to think about.

 

[visionary]

There is no explicit comment from God, but we get the gist of the ideal of dropping the worldly business and dwell upon Him during this time period set aside.

 

[Lulav]

Orthodox Judaism doesn't do it but I think it has more to do with carrying on the Sabbath. Remember the man with the sticks? Although I think it went deeper than that , that is the reason for that commandment.