14 May EARNING MONEY ON SHABBOS

The Gemorah says
that one may not earn
money on Shabbos.
Money earned on
Shabbos is called
sechar shabbos and
is prohibited in order
to prevent one from
conducting business
on Shabbos. The issur
of sechar shabbos is
even if the actions being done on Shabbos
are permitted (i.e. babysitting or tutoring
someone). Nonetheless, since the money is
being earned on Shabbos, it is forbidden.
There is no difference if the employer is a
Jew or non-Jew. This issur also applies to
rental income, thus one may not rent his
possessions exclusively for Shabbos.
The Recipient or Giver
There is a big machlokes among the poskim
if the issur of sechar shabbos applies to
the giver or the receiver. Most poskim say
that the issur applies only to the receiver.
According to this opinion, one would be
able to compensate a goy for work done on
Shabbos on behalf of a yid. However, a yid
would still not be able to pay another yid for
services done on Shabbos since by taking the
payment the recipient would be transgressing
the issur of sechar shabbos, the giver would
transgress l’fnei eiver by paying him.
Having Benefit from Sechar Shabbos
One who receives sechar shabbos may not
use the money. Some suggest that one give
the money to tzedaka in a way that one does
not benefit from the giving.
Giving a Present to Someone
One may give a present to someone who
did work for him on Shabbos. However, a
worker may not demand that a present be
given to him. Based on this it is permitted
for a father to promise his child a present on
Shabbos.
The Heter of Havlah
It is permitted to receive a single lump sum
as compensation for a job that was performed
both during the week and on Shabbos. This
is called havlah, which means the payment
for Shabbos is mixed-in with compensation
for a weekday.
To be considered havlah the Shabbos work
must be part of a single job for which one
payment will be given. Each person must
understand that they cannot back out of the
job.
According to some poskim it would be
permitted to receive money for services
provided on Shabbos as long as some
preparatory work or monetary expense was
incurred before Shabbos- even if it is not

directly related. For example, a Rav may
be paid for a shiur delivered on Shabbos
since he had to prepare for the shiur before
Shabbos. Similarly, a chazzon who practiced
for many years until he perfected his skills
would be permitted to receive payment for
a job done on Shabbos. However, relying on
this heter is questionable and it is preferable
to work out an arrangement where there is a
direct weekday preparation for the Shabbos
job.
Babysitting on Shabbos
A babysitter who works hourly may not
receive money specifically for the hours spent
babysitting on Shabbos. However, if she also
baby-sat during the week, one may pay her
one lump sum which includes the hours that
she worked on Shabbos. If the babysitter
provided diapers etc. for the baby, some say
one does not have to make an arrangement
to pay her with havlah. One may not make

a rotational system on Shabbos and baby-
sit for someone who baby-sat for you on

Shabbos. Others are more lenient with this.
Some say that one who owes a baby-sitter
three dollars for work done on Shabbos he
should give her three dollars and ten cents.
The ten cents is a gift and it comes out that
the $3.10 is all a present.
Tutoring on Shabbos
One may accept money for a tutoring job
on Shabbos if he either prepares for the job
during the week, or tutors the person during
the week and receives payment in one lump
sum.
A Ba’al Koreh/Darshan
A ba’al koreh needs much preparation
during the week to lain properly on Shabbos.
Therefore, a ba’al koreh may receive money
for laining on Shabbos as the payment is
considered havlah. It is also permitted to give
someone bar-mitzvah lessons on Shabbos
and receive money for them. The heter of a
ba’al koreh also applies to someone who is
paid to give a shiur on Shabbos and prepares
for it during the week.
Waiters/Caterer/ Mashgiach in a Hotel
A waiter may receive money for work done
on Shabbos, as long as he is not being paid
exclusively for Shabbos. For example,
the waiter could set the tables before
Shabbos. Furthermore, a waiter often has
a tremendous amount of cleaning work on
Motzei Shabbos, so the payment for his job
is havlah. One who has a job to cater an
affair on Shabbos is permitted to take money
for the job. The reason is since in all cases
the caterer has to prepare the food, etc his
payment is havlah. A mashgiach in a hotel
for Shabbos should make arrangements to
do some work on Friday in order for his

payment to be considered havlah.
Long-Term Rentals
One may rent out an item for a
period of many days, even if it
includes Shabbos. The reason is the
payment for Shabbos is included in
the payment for the other days that
the item was rented. This is very
common when one rents a car for an
extended period of time.
Renting a Hotel Room
Many times one who rents a hotel room for
Shabbos leaves immediately after Shabbos.
One may still pay for this room, since
the hotel incurs expenses before or after
Shabbos (cleaning and setting up the room);
the money given is considered havlah.
Vending Machines
Many poskim permit one to own a vending
machine which is placed in an area that will
be making money on Shabbos. The reason
is because the money earned on Shabbos is
absorbed in the rest of the week’s earnings.
Furthermore, during the week there are
expenses incurred for the up-keep of the
machine.
Paying for a Mikvah
The question arises: How is it possible for a
woman to pay for the mikvah that she uses on
Friday night, since the mikvah is receiving
money for services that were provided on
Shabbos? The same question applies to those
who have the minhag to be tovel on Shabbos
morning before davening. Nevertheless, the
poskim say that the payments in these two
cases are permitted. The reason is since
someone works during the week to make
sure that the mikvah is up to par when one
wants to use it on Shabbos the payment for
the mikvah is a havlah payment which is
permitted.
Interest from Bank Accounts
One may receive interest which is computed
over an extended period of time. Interest
which is computed on a day to day basis may
create a problem of sechar shabbos. However,
the poskim point out that this would only be
a problem of sechar shabbos if the interest
is calculated according to the Jewish day.
However, banks calculate interest based on
the secular day, which starts at midnight
and ends the following midnight. Therefore,
Horav Moshe Feinstein zt”l said that interest
earned on Shabbos is permitted, since it is
always mixed with a weekdays interest.
When Yom Tov falls out on Friday and
Shabbos or Shabbos and Sunday this heter
would not apply, since the interest earned
on the first day is not mixed with a weekday
payment because another holy day follows

the first one. Horav Moshe Feinstein zt”l
held that any interest received on such days
should be given to a tzedaka in a manner
where one has no benefit from giving it.
Performing a Mitzvah
There is a big discussion in the poskim if one
does a mitzvah on Shabbos whether or not
one may receive money for his work. Many
poskim say that one may receive money for a
mitzvah performed on Shabbos, while others
are more stringent with this. According to
these poskim, one who receives money for
a mitzvah done on Shabbos will not see
any beracha from that money. Examples of
a mitzvah would be a ba’al to’ke’ah, or a
chazzon for the yomim no’raim, etc. In these
cases, it is preferable to work out a deal that
one is also getting money for work done
during the week. For example, some say a
chazzon should daven selichos before Yom
Tov, and in this way the money received
would be a havlah payment. Some say the
ba’al to’ke’ah may take money for his work
since he has to prepare for his work during
the week in order to make sure he does a
good job on Yom Tov. Others say the ba’al
to’ke’ah should blow during the month
of Elul and the payment for Yom Tov will
include these tekias.
Doctor/ Midwife
A doctor is allowed to receive money for
work that he did on Shabbos. The reason is
so doctors should not hold themselves back
from treating patients on Shabbos out of fear
that they won’t receive payment. One may
pay a midwife for services performed on
Shabbos.
A Shabbos Bris
A mohel may receive money for a bris that
is performed on Shabbos. One of the reasons
is because he has to come back during the
week after the bris to make sure that the baby
is well. Therefore, the money is considered a
havlah payment.
Learning Mishnayos for Someone on
Shabbos
There is a discussion in the poskim if one
may receive money for learning mishnayos
for someone on Shabbos. If this situation
arises, one should consult a Rav.