Shabbos goy

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A Shabbos goy (Yiddish: שבת גוי) is an individual who regularly assists a Jewish individual or organization by performing certain acts for them on the Jewish Sabbath which are forbidden to Jews within Jewish law. The phrase is a combination of the word "Shabbos" (שבת), referring to the Jewish Sabbath, and "Goy" (גוי), meaning "gentile." It can also refer to a gentile individual who works on behalf of Jews or Israel in a more general sense.

Orthodox Judaism prohibits certain types of work on the Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath. Within certain guidelines (as dictated by the Shulchan Aruch, one of the codified Jewish codes of law), one can request that a non-Jewish inividual perform certain acts which would be forbidden for the Jew to perform. In certain households and synagogues a particular non-Jewish person (invariably not a member of the home/synagogue) may be designated as "the Shabbos goy" for that place. This individual is usually one who would be present regardless of this role, such as a babysitter or a synagogue maintenance crewmember.

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