The laws regarding amirat akum (statement made to a gentile regarding work on Shabbat) are often not well understood and observed in some orthodox circles. Often requests that are not truly permissible are made of gentiles on Shabbat. This presents a poor image of the limits of what can be requested (even in hinting) or received from a gentile on Shabbat. Also, the introduction of electrical appliances sometimes now permits an action that would not have been permitted beforehand. For example, asking a gentile to light a candle would have been prohibited. However, today we can hint about flipping of the lights (in certain conditions) since it is only a prohibition d’rabanan.
Even though this issue is not directly dealt with in the New Testament, we do have the difficulty of applying the new reality of gentiles described for us there into practice. On the one hand, gentile followers of Yeshua are still not required to observe Shabbat, so we could say that this area of halachah is fully operative for us. On the other, they are full members of our communities, and we would not wish to create two classes within our communities. Though there will be variety, this should not be made into a demeaning thing. Also, many of us feel, at least at a certain level, that this sends a bad message about our observance, that we will only be able to observe if we employ others to break the Shabbat for us. We have the additional problem of many gentiles among us who, if otherwise given the opportunity, would have been converted by now. Asking people in this situation to perform melachot for us would only serve to put salt in their wounds, wounds that are largely the product of being a believer (i.e. less access to the conversion process either because we do not have our own or because they are not converted because of their belief in Yeshua etc.).
However, we must also remember the reverse side of this issue. There are two main sub-categories in relation to the Shabbos Goy, amirat akum, the actual request or hint to a gentile, and also the issue of whether we may benefit from the melachot of a gentile, regardless of whether we asked for them to be performed. Though we have seen some of the difficulties of making use of the amirat akum above, if we were to wipe out the whole category of halachot regarding the Shabbos Goy, we would have to spend undue effort to avoid the results of melachot performed by a gentile. This could easily lead to curtailing their freedom as a gentile to perform such melachot, essentially rejecting their unique calling. Also, if we were to categorically reject these halachot, then in a minor emergency one would not be allowed to avail themselves of the help of those who are allowed to help.
Instead, I propose that we as believers in Yeshua, those who are aware of the new status of the gentiles who follow him, limit our freedom to utilize the amirat akum. This limitation is voluntary, but should be generally done by all believers, considering their common beliefs on this issue. This solution is beneficial in that it does not limit the freedom of gentiles to perform melachot and still allows us to benefit from their actions where appropriate. However, this ability to benefit should largely only be made use of so that their freedom does not impinge on ours or in emergency situations (specifically medical). Also, this still leaves us the ability to utilize the amirat akum in cases of medical emergency. This proposal also has the added benefit of not condemning those who do make use of the laws of amirat akum in the wider Jewish world.
