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ASK THE RABBI

Rabbi Yosef Zvi Rimon Rabbanit Sharon Rimon

Reading Newspapers

on Shabbat

ME’IKAR HADIN, READING people are in a similar position, always they wouldn’t be able to produce them
NEWSPAPERS IS PERMITTED on the lookout for good deals and without that income. Still, it would
offers, i.e. they wouldn’t be able not to be worth having clear guidelines: the
he Yavetz discusses the look at the ads, “so it would be correct majority of the publication should
question of whether it is to forbid it entirely.” be divrei Torah, prices should not be
Tpermitted to read papers on stated (or in small print at the foot
Shabbat. He writes that in light of the From his comments, it seems that he of the ad), preferably the publishers
Terumat HaDeshen’s comments, that is particularly stringent with business- should assess the ads first and give pri-
people can chat about the news if they people, who have a special interest in ority to those that strengthen Judaism
enjoy it, it appears that it is certainly commercial ads. However, today in (like ads for new books, etc.) rather
permissible to read newspapers if a many ways we are all considered busi- than those that deal purely with busi-
person enjoys reading them. nesspeople and so we also have an
interest in these ads. ness and totally secular matters. Sim-
ilarly, it would be preferable if all the
HOWEVER, IT IS FORBIDDEN TO Following the Yavetz’s ruling, the ads were concentrated in two-three
READ ADVERTISEMENTS AND Mishna Berura rules (307:63) that or however many pages, so that the
ABOUT FINANCIAL TOPICS one should not read newspapers on divrei Torah would stand alone, with-
Shabbat.
Indeed, the Yavetz continues by saying out ads on the page. In this way, one
that there is an argument to forbid Nevertheless, since the main problem could only read the divrei Torah pages
the reading of newspapers on Shabbat is reading about business and econom- on Shabbat and leave the ads till after
because of the adverts and the com- ics, the Shemirat Shabbat KeHilchata Shabbat.
mercial content. (29:46) rules that one is allowed to As far as readers are concerned, try
read papers on Shabbat, if one is care-
Chazal forbade looking at “layperson’s ful not to look at ads, classifieds, etc. not to read ads on Shabbat, and cer-
documents” (e.g. accounts, prices, tainly not prices and costs. Likewise,
etc. ) on Shabbat, and thus it is cer- Despite the leniencies, it is worthy be wary of turning our shuls into non-
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tainly forbidden to read those parts in not to read newspapers on Shabbat, holy places, and preserving the service
the paper dealing with business, such because Shabbat is a day distinct as it should be. Hence, I would recom-
as the financial section and the ads. from the rest of the week, designed mend distributing these sheets after
for Torah study and spiritual pur- the service outside the actual sanctu-
In light of the Yavetz’s ruling, it is clear suits rather than catching up on the ary, so that people can take them, if
that one shouldn’t read the ads in the news, which – if one must – should they want, to read at home.
papers or in the Parashat HaShavua be kept to a minimum.
sheets (particularly those dealing with
secular topics such as trips overseas, PARASHAT HASHAVUA SHEETS 1 The Rambam is of the view that the
real estate, hotel offers, etc.) prohibition is because he may come to
erase, while the Rosh, in the name of Rabbi
In light of the above, it would be Yitzchak, holds that the prohibition is from
IT IS BEST TO LIMIT ONE'S READING best if there were no ads at all in our the law of preparing things that are forbidden
OF NEWSPAPERS ON SHABBAT Parashat HaShavua sheets. Moreover, to do on Shabbat even if the actual action
there is another problem – bringing will be done on a weekday. One can explain
this opinion in that although it is permitted
The Yavetz also addresses the ques- commercial items into the shul, since for someone to think about his business on
tion of whether one can read papers on “one should not make calculations in Shabbat, reading is a more significant and
Shabbat without reading the ads? them [shuls]” (Shulchan Aruch 151:1). obvious action than thinking, and so Chazal
forbade it.
Chazal teach us that we should “keep However, it is very difficult to abide by
the Nazirite away from the vineyard” these demands in our times, because Rabbi Yosef Zvi Rimon is Head of Mizrachi’s
so he shouldn’t be tempted to eat the it’s the ads that fund the publication Shalhevet Educational Advisory Board and
grapes. The Yavetz says that business of the sheets in the first place, and Chairman of Sulamot

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