Contrary to what one would think, a person doesn’t lose out on his earnings by not working on Shabbos. In fact, from observing Shabbos one can earn a large profit. Adam Neumann, an extremely wealthy Jew who was raised secular, said the more he keeps Shabbos, the more his company earns.
How can refraining from work on Shabbos be a source of blessing if we’re not doing anything to earn money?
R' Shimshon Dovid Pincus offers a powerful analogy: If you walk into a grocery store during the day, you might not see large shipments of food and merchandise being delivered. Yet after hours, when the store is officially closed and no customers are allowed in, workers are busy at the back—unloading trucks, stocking shelves, and preparing everything for the next day.
Although the store appears closed, in truth, it is fully active—receiving and organizing what it needs to serve others.
So too with Shabbos. On the surface, everything seems to pause. No business, no labor. But in that quiet, unseen realm, blessing flows. Shabbos is not a restriction but a pipeline. It channels spiritual and material abundance into our lives—blessings that may only manifest later in the week, but whose source is rooted in Shabbos itself.
A large financial institution in England was on the verge of collapse. They drafted a proposal offering the company to a man of means for 2.5 million pounds sterling. The price was considerably lower than the true value of the company but it wasn’t a great bargain. The telegram was sent Friday night but was ignored because the man was Shabbos observant. The next morning, they sent a new proposal for 2.2 million pounds which was also ignored. Out of desperation, the company sent a third offer of 1.7 million. On Motzei Shabbos, Baron Rothchild saw all three telegrams and responded to the third offer. It was this institution that garnered him his great wealth.
About Rabbi Alt
Rabbi Alt merited to learn under the tutelage of R’ Mordechai Friedlander ztz”l for close to five years and received semichah from R’ Zalman Nechemia Goldberg ztz”l. Rabbi Alt has written thousands of Torah articles on numerous topics for various websites and publications and is the author of ten books including the recently released “Astounding Torah Insights about the Human Body.” His writings, many of which have been translated into Yiddish, Hebrew, German and French, inspire people across the spectrum of Jewish observance to live with the vibrancy and beauty of Torah. His shiurim can be found on various websites including Kol Halashon’s. Rabbi Alt lives with his wife and family in Kiryat Yearim (where the Aron was for 20 years [Shmuel 1, 7:1,2]) where he studies, lectures, writes and teaches. The author is passionate about teaching Jews of all levels of observance.
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Additional Note
This scheduling helps stores avoid disrupting customer flow during peak shopping times and gives staff time to unpack, restock, and organize shelves before the store gets busy. It also allows delivery trucks to navigate urban areas more easily, avoiding daytime traffic and parking restrictions.
