Business partnerships on Shabbos

Answer

Answered by Rabbi Abadi

Business partnerships on Shabbat is in Shulchan Aruch. It isn't new I have seen this in the past for flower shops, factories, dairy farms and at jewelers trade shows. I do understand that there are Rabbis who permit this even under very very flexible conditions. (When my grandfather came to America, and saw that it was impossible to make a living in retail without working on Shabbat, he just decided instead to go into wholesale. This turned out to be the best business decision ever). Recently, for the first time I saw this used for a caterer under a nationally recognized haschgacha. The Gentile "partner" supervises the gentile workers to cook and prepare food on Shabbos for weddings and simchas on Saturday night and Sunday. There is always a mashgiach present (on Shabbat) . The kashrus agency permits the pilot light method of Bishul Yisrael. The Rav Hamachshir of the supervising agency has permitted this because the business is not Jewish owned on Shabbat or Yom Tov. My question is, if the profit from the Shabbat work is actually earned when it is not Shabbat (when the simcha is actually catered), can this concept ever apply to a kosher catering business such as this situation? Thank you!!!