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Habayit Hayehudi is looking to make Sunday an offcial day off in Israel, and is advancing the idea in coalition talks.
Personally, I think it can only add to Yidden keeping Shabbos, and think it is an excellent idea. It just shows how the party is concerned about the Ribbono Shel Olam and ALL of his children to keep more Torah & do more Mitzvos.
I don’t think it will make much difference in the sense of Jews keeping Shabbos who would otherwise go out for a fun day at the beach or movies on Shabbos, but it would certainly be refreshing for those Shomrei Shabbos who could use that day free to do errands, have fun with the kids, etc.
The alternative is to have FRIDAY as the second day off. This facilitates getting ready for Shabbos. As it is most frum Israelis take a half day off on Friday, or take the whole day off. Having Sunday has an official day off puts pressure on people to work on Friday.
There is also the issue of wanting to accomodate the Christians as opposed to the Muslims (remember that the largest religious minority in ISrael are Muslims and their day off is Friday,and also the adjacent countries are Islamic, so that closing on Sunday instead of Friday sends a message that Israel isn’t interested in peaceful coexistence with its neighbors).
Of course there is the option of a four day week.
Sheishes yamim ta’avod! Shabbos and only Shabbos is our day off!
I completely concur with akuperma. Friday and Shabbos, as currently set, is the far better option for a 5-day workweek, for the reasons explained by akuperma (Shabbos preparation and Friday has to be a half-day no matter what.)
But a 4-day workweek with Sunday off, and a 10-hour workday, is food for thought.
Maybe make Sunday half a day off, so that Christians (who, unlike Muslims, contribute to the state, serve in the army, aren’t committed to its destruction) could attend to their needs.
I was considering moving to Israel, but couldn’t because of working on Sunday! I need that day off to take care of things around the house, shopping or just doing anything that I need. Sunday is awesome in America becasue the kids are in Yeshiva and the adults can do what they need to do.
In Israel there is a 6 day work week and the only day off is Shabbos, so many non-relgious spend shabbos either going to the Mall or going to the beach, the idea of a Sunday is to give these people a day to do these things.
Once you have decided to give a non-shabbos off, you have to realize most business have to more or less follow the world schedual. For example if you are a stock broker or an international trader in import/export you need to work when people are doing the same thing.
International traders work M-Fr not Su-Th or M-Th 10 hours a day.
There is very little movement in US for 4 10 hour days except in jobs like health care, its really hard to work for 10 hours, I know Ive done it many times
anon1m0us – Who says that schools would be in session on Sundays? Public schools in America are NOT, only the private yeshivas and Beis Yaakov schools. Here, where funding for Beis Yaakov comes from the government, what reason would they have to be open?
Gavra at work, while the idea is debatable, Bennet’s caring for toira and mitzvos, is unfourtunatley undebatable. He wants to draft all the frummers, legalise intermarriage and various other issurim, etc…
anon1mous-
thats soo not a good enough excuse in my books 2 stay in the u.s.
waiiiitt in america noone works on sunday?? thats so weird that isreal does then.. and isnt it guna ttly mess up their economy if they have way less production of items? like 1/7 less of exports, no?
I frequently have a discussion with a friend of mine who tells me I should take Sundays off because I need a day when I don’t work. I keep telling him I have Shabbos.
When he responds that it isn’t enough, I ask him whether I should believe him or Hashem?
Where do people get this idea from that Israel has a six-day work week?
Friday in Israel is like Saturday in Europe or the USA. Everything is closed, except for shops. All offices are closed. If you would say Israel has a six-day work week, the same would apply to the UK, USA, Holland, France, etc.
Now, on topic: I think it would be a great idea. Working Sunday to Thursday is so annoying. I never have a day *off* – a day on which I can do whatever I want. Most of all, it’s very annoying to never be able to go on any day trips except if you take a day off (holiday). There are so many beautiful places around here, but I can never go there unless I would take a holiday day (meaning I would have less days for real holidays).
To A charedi a day of rest means, going to shul in the morning, having a nice shabbos meal and then taking a nap
To a Chiloni, a day of rest means either going to the beach and relaxing or going to the mall and hanging out , maybe going to a cafe, Seeing a movie or soccer game.
They are going to do these things anyway on their day off. Its better for them to do it on Sunday than Shabbos. Many Gedolim in Israel are in favor of Sunday off for this reason
Friday in Israel is like Saturday in Europe or the USA. Everything is closed, except for shops. All offices are closed. If you would say Israel has a six-day work week, the same would apply to the UK, USA, Holland, France, etc.
Maybe you’re office is closed. Mine isn’t. Friday is half-day at work.
They are going to do these things anyway on their day off. Its better for them to do it on Sunday than Shabbos. Many Gedolim in Israel are in favor of Sunday off for this reason
Why is it an either/or proposition? What makes you think the chilonim won’t do these things on Shabbos and Sunday?
Zd,
Which gedolim? Please name and cite references.
Besides, your comment makes no sense, how will making Sunday a day off change what the chilonim will so on Shabbos? Going to work does not seem better than what they are doing now.
It willhowever make working even more difficult for religious people. If the day of rest, the day off, is not Shabbos. I am sure that there will be chilonim who will use this as another reason not to hire religious Jews. And I am sure you will defend them as well.
I was considering moving to Israel, but couldn’t because of working on Sunday!
That’s your reason for not making aliyah?? Because you “can’t” work on Sunday?
Sheishes yamim ta’avod! Shabbos and only Shabbos is our day off!”
That doesn’t have to mean actual earning-a-salary type work. The sixth day of work can be ANY melacha that is ossur on Shabbos, including driving to the mall to do some shopping. For most women who work outside the home, it would mean doing all their cooking and cleaning for Shabbos, without having to come in to an office besides.
haifagirl:
That is an exception then. Sure, there are places that are open. But in the field I’m in (high-level IT), Friday is simply the weekend and the only things that are open/manned are the things that must work 24/7.
Actually the biggest opponents of this is the business community as they are afraid of lost profits.
haifagirl:
That is an exception then. Sure, there are places that are open. But in the field I’m in (high-level IT), Friday is simply the weekend and the only things that are open/manned are the things that must work 24/7.
Not everything in Israel is IT. There are plenty of offices open on Friday. Certainly there are fewer than there were 20 years ago, but there are still plenty of people working.
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