Featured Halacha
Asking a Non-Jew to Perform Melacha on Shabbat
There is a general prohibition to have a non-Jew perform a forbidden labor (Melacha) on Shabbat, either by telling them directly or by having it done on one's behalf. This is because the non-Jew is an agent of the Jew and by association, the Jew is complicit in the performance of such a labor. Another reason for this prohibition is because the labor is a mundane, weekday-type of act which is not appropriate on Shabbat, as is alluded to in the verse (Yeshaya 58:13) "Asot Heftzecha" (lit. "Your [mundane] affairs").