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Aug 18, 2016
Legalizing professional sports on Shabbos
Minister of Economics Chaim Katz has decided that he is going to find a way to make it legal for professional sports to be played on Shabbos.
Until now, since the foundation of the State, it has technically been illegal to play on Shabbos. The Minister of Commerce and Trade has been able to give a temporary exemption, or pass, and the issue was basically ignored by all willing parties.
source: One Sport
Katz is making a dramatic statement with this, as it means the State of Israel will legalize chilul shabbos. the change in practice is not great, as it has been happening until now anyway, but at a social level it is a statement that many will find hard to swallow.
Personally i am less bothered by his coming attempt to legalize it. The fact that it has happened for the past 70 years makes this change one in semantics alone and therefore not that important to me. Semantics are for the politicians. the reality is that it has been happening and this is not a practical change of facts on the ground.
Behadrei also calls it the breaking of the status quo, which is also an argument I am less than impressed with. For the same reason - it might have been illegal, but for the past nearly 70 years the leagues have all played on Shabbos. The change in status quo is on paper alone. Facts on the ground will not have changed on iota.
What bothers me more, or surprises me more, is that recently there has been a trend to try to accommodate religious and traditional athletes, with teams moving games to weekdays from Shabbos. Ministers in recent years have spoken about the need to move games when possible, to be more inclusive of the religious and traditional communities, of fans and athletes alike. It seemed, to me at least, that we were heading on the path of the leagues moving away from Shabbos, and suddenly we are seeing an act that will likely solidify the league's hold on Shabbos for years to come.
Until now, since the foundation of the State, it has technically been illegal to play on Shabbos. The Minister of Commerce and Trade has been able to give a temporary exemption, or pass, and the issue was basically ignored by all willing parties.
source: One Sport
Katz is making a dramatic statement with this, as it means the State of Israel will legalize chilul shabbos. the change in practice is not great, as it has been happening until now anyway, but at a social level it is a statement that many will find hard to swallow.
Personally i am less bothered by his coming attempt to legalize it. The fact that it has happened for the past 70 years makes this change one in semantics alone and therefore not that important to me. Semantics are for the politicians. the reality is that it has been happening and this is not a practical change of facts on the ground.
Behadrei also calls it the breaking of the status quo, which is also an argument I am less than impressed with. For the same reason - it might have been illegal, but for the past nearly 70 years the leagues have all played on Shabbos. The change in status quo is on paper alone. Facts on the ground will not have changed on iota.
What bothers me more, or surprises me more, is that recently there has been a trend to try to accommodate religious and traditional athletes, with teams moving games to weekdays from Shabbos. Ministers in recent years have spoken about the need to move games when possible, to be more inclusive of the religious and traditional communities, of fans and athletes alike. It seemed, to me at least, that we were heading on the path of the leagues moving away from Shabbos, and suddenly we are seeing an act that will likely solidify the league's hold on Shabbos for years to come.
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Well, with a six day work week when do you expect them to play?
ReplyDeleteSwitch to a five day work week and then you've given them Sunday as a viable alternative to playing on Shabbos!
I don't understand why a five day work week is not a priority for the frum parties?
Here in the USA we all go crazy when yomtov is on Sunday and we lose our one weekday to do "chol" things.
During Rav Meir Kahane's short stint in the Knesset, moving to a five-day work week was one of the things he tried to accomplish - unsuccessfully, of course.
DeleteSuggest at this time not to make it on sunday but on another day of the week. Otherwise, it really is copying the goyish world and could be construed as making it a judeo-xtian country, chas v'chalilah. Sunday is their day of rest.
ReplyDeleteThat's baloney, most countries do it, it makes the most sense for standardization with the rest of the industrialized world. Even China and Japan that are most certainly not Christian countries are also on a Mon-Fri work week.
DeleteBesides if you're going to do it, it makes sense it should be two consecutive days. So the only other choice would be Friday and Shabbos.
That still will cause more chillul shabbos from Friday late afternoon and evening soccer games.
So skip the baloney about Sunday is "goyiish" and this would minimize Chillul Shabbos the most while standardizing work wise with the rest of the western world
I don't see why Friday Shabbat would have to cause chilul Shabbat. You just start a tradition of Thursday night games. Of Sunday night games or both. And actually played right the work on Suday get a jump on the West can actually be attractive. Your client's work waiting for them when they stroll in Monday.
ReplyDeleteLes Aym: The whole idea of a 'Jewish Israel' is NOT to be like the other nations. We stand apart from them. What is wrong with the frumkeit of today? The spiritual has really become quite ill!
ReplyDelete