Question
A shomrei Torah person has a business of which he is the sole owner.
One of his employees is a non-Jewish person.
One way of recruiting clients entails meeting with potential paying clients. Most appointments are set up for week days.
However the non-Jewish employee often has appointments with potential clients on shabbis. Some of these clients pay on the day of the meeting i.e. if the meeting is on shabbis, they pay on the Saturday; some pay on the following Monday. This same practice continues on all Yom Tovim including Rosh Hashona.
The clients include both Jewish and non-Jewish clients i.e. Jewish potential clients come for an interview and pay on shabbis.
When the business owner is confronted on the kashrut of this practice, he insists that it is kosher and the rabbis have endorsed this practice.
Is this practice of the non-Jewish employee meeting with potential clients (non/Jewish ) on Shabbis and Yom Tov kosher for the shomrei business owner? Is he permitted to keep the money earned as a result of the Shabbis and Yom Tov appointments?
Answer
This is a complex question and can’t be answered without knowing more details about the nature of the business and meetings.
In general a non-Jew can’t work for a Jew on Shabbat.
If the non-Jew works for himself to save himself time on the Sunday for instance, or does things which not necessarily require breaching the laws of Shabbat, it might be Halachacly permissible.
The money should not be collected on Shabbat though in some cases it might not be a real problem.
It should not be done with Jewish potential clients.
