בס׳ד

"Where does it say that you have a contract with G-d to have an easy life?"

the Lubavitcher Rebbe



"Failure is not the enemy of success; it is its prerequisite."

Rabbi Nosson Scherman



11 Feb 2010

Lottery fever

Lottery fever has gripped the European Union as the Euro Millions prize draw is expected to be around 129,000,000 euro. The European lottery takes place once a week, on Friday evening.
The jackpot has reached a sufficiently high amount to make me take notice. But, I wondered if there are halachic implications for a Jew in purchasing a ticket where the winning numbers are picked after the Sabbath commences.
I emailed a rabbi who wrote back promptly.

If the company that owns the lottery is not owned by Jews, (or it is not public knowledge that it is by Jews,) I have seen those who write that it is permissible to buy the lotto during the week even if the drawing is on Shabbat. The sources given were:
שו"ת מנחת יצחק חלק ג סימן א, שו"ת חשב האפוד חלק א סימן מב.


Since my track record in winning prizes through purchasing raffles or lottery tickets is not the best, I think I will stick with a sure thing. I will contribute the 2 euro I would have spent on a ticket to a tzedaka pushke.
Have a good Shabbos and, for those of you who participate in the lottery, wishing that Hashem fulfills your desires for the good.

P.S. Anyone having an opinion about whether to buy a ticket is welcome to comment. I would love to hear your views on the matter.

1 comment:

  1. If it IS owned by Jews, it may be a problem to buy a ticket even if the drawing is on a weekday due to other (Hoshen Mishpat) considerations.

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