5898 —איסור הנסיעה באניה ישראלית הנוסעת בשבת, ודחיית הטענה שהרווח מסייע לארץ ישראל

B"H, 4 Kislev, 5718

Brooklyn.

Blessing and peace!

...^[1] You write about your journey to America, and ask about traveling on a Jewish ship that is under way also on Shabbos^[2].

As explained in detail in some of my letters^[3] on this matter, on the basis of how ships are operated in our time, there is no doubt that traveling on such a ship — a Jewish ship that moves also on Shabbos — is a definite prohibition of desecrating Shabbos; and since many people travel on it, it is a public desecration of Shabbos. This applies even if the ship sets out at the beginning of the week; the law is the same then too.

It is surely superfluous to stress the greatness of keeping Shabbos and the dreadfulness of desecrating Shabbos in general, and public desecration of Shabbos in particular. I want to add that unfortunately there are those who want to justify this public desecration of Shabbos through traveling on such ships, because through it Jews, the owners of the ships, will earn money; and especially since the owners are from Eretz Yisrael, the earnings will come to Eretz Yisrael.

And incidentally, it is the very same argument with which one could demand — and it is demanded — that all the factories in Eretz Yisrael should work on Shabbos and that the fields should be worked on Shabbos, because through Shabbos the income of Eretz Yisrael will grow and the income will help the Jews there; and much more so than through the desecration of Shabbos by the ships, since the income is so much greater.

In all this one forgets that Hashem, blessed be He, has declared in His holy Torah that from business through desecration of Shabbos, not only can no benefit come to Eretz Yisrael, but, in the words of our Sages (Shabbos 119b), "Jerusalem was destroyed only because they desecrated the Shabbos in it"^[4]. Those who want to help Eretz Yisrael with money that comes from desecrating Shabbos are like someone trying to put out a fire with kerosene or naphtha, may the Merciful One save us.

Great is the darkness of exile and the confusion of minds, that there are those who call the latter by the name of "lovers of Israel", although the Creator and Ruler of the world says that they are destroying Eretz Yisrael; while those who hold fast to our Torah, the Torah of life, which alone sustains and gives life and holiness in Eretz Yisrael, are reviled: why do they not want people to work on Shabbos in the factories, and to work the fields on Shabbos, and why do they not want the ships of the Jewish owners to desecrate Shabbos publicly before the eyes of all the nations?

If in all circumstances a Jew must fulfill Torah and mitzvos in the fullest measure, this is all the more necessary when one needs a special blessing from Hashem, blessed be He. I am therefore sure that, regarding your health, about which you write, the fact that your journey will be in a way of keeping Shabbos according to halachah — not, G‑d forbid, through public desecration of Shabbos, may the Merciful One save us — since Shabbos is equal to all the mitzvos^[5], this merit will stand by you for an improvement in your health soon, for a speedy and complete recovery.

With blessing for good news

Publisher's notes

Printed in Likkutei Sichos, vol. 16, p. 643.

In some of my letters (אין אייניגע פון מיינע בריף): see above, vol. 15, letter 5534, and the sources noted there.

Below, letters 6010, 6089, 6097, 6121, 6141.

Notes

[1] ... (the opening dots): The first part of the letter was not printed.

[2] A Jewish ship that is under way also on Shabbos (א אידישער שיף, וועלכע איז אין וועג אויך שבת): An Israeli passenger ship (Jewish-owned, with a Jewish crew and staff) sailing between Eretz Yisrael and America and under way on Shabbos as well. In 5717–5718 the Rebbe spoke out many times against traveling on these ships, on which melachos are done on Shabbos by Jews, and worked to have the matter put right at its root (see the publisher's notes and the letters listed there).

[3] In some of my letters (אין אייניגע פון מיינע בריף): See Igros Kodesh vol. 15, letter 5534 (21 Sivan 5717), a sharp rebuke to someone whose brother traveled to the Holy Land on an Israeli ship on Shabbos, calling it "public desecration of Shabbos, which is equal to all the mitzvos." The Rebbe wrote on this at length again later: letter 6010 (24 Teves 5718), encouraging a rav who had roused those under his influence about "public, wholesale desecration of Shabbos through travel on ships... on Shabbos, since, as is known, the crew (and all the services are done by) Jews"; and letters 6089, 6097, 6121 and 6141. On how ships are operated: letter 6121 explains that further prohibitions keep coming to light, through further melachos on the ships, which are not run automatically.

[4] Jerusalem was destroyed only because they desecrated the Shabbos in it (לא חרבה ירושלים אלא בשביל שחיללו בה את השבת): Just before this, the Gemara says: "Fire is found only where there is desecration of Shabbos, as it says (Yirmiyahu 17:27): 'But if you will not listen to Me to sanctify the Shabbos day... I will kindle a fire in its gates, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem and shall not be quenched.'" Far from helping Eretz Yisrael, desecration of Shabbos is what brings about its destruction.

[5] Shabbos is equal to all the mitzvos (שבת שקולה כנגד כל המצות): See Talmud Yerushalmi, Berachos 1:5; Nedarim 3:9. The emphasis on "all" is in the original.

Summary

This letter tells one who is ill and traveling to America that sailing on an Israeli ship that is under way on Shabbos is public desecration of Shabbos, even if it leaves early in the week. It rejects the argument that the profits help Eretz Yisrael — Jerusalem was destroyed because of Shabbos desecration — and blesses him that the merit of keeping Shabbos bring a speedy recovery.