like most issues involving torah and convenience, this can be easily overcome with a little creativity.

How much money will be wasted to change command lines and testing the website for this non-shabbat site? How much could be spent with poor people instead of this insane idea?

Menachem Begin closed down EL AL on shabbat because he said it was an embarrassment to the Jewish state to be operating on Shabbat. He was not Chareidi. Why is this different?

In Muslim countries the debate is about women wearing the burkah, in Israel we have this........., same thing really - supression of freedom. How enlightened this Yishai is. Perhaps when he's not busy intefering in civil freedoms, he can go and deport some more children. Religion!! - good isn't it!?

WHAT NEXT? NO ELECTRICITY SERVICES ON shabbat and yom tov?

What about Israelis not in Israel and thus not Shabbat for them? People in the USA would loose Friday Afternoon as option to pay fees or do automated transactions because of this. What about the non-Jews living in Israel that do not observe Shabbat? This is an inconsiderate change that does nothing to encourage observance of Shabbat (by citizens using the site - nor the employees of the ministry) and only serves to make the government less accessible. Not a well thought out plan and one that will be

that this man is dangerous. Herein lies the proof. We are slowly regressing to the middle ages, correction, quickly to the stone age.

it's time to leave this country. i am a bit too old but if my children make the decision I will support them 100%. you have to be "black" here in order to ENJOY life.

Is that what we want?

...religionists to run a country. That's why progressive countries resolved centuries ago to separate "church" and state, and shove religion out of public life and out of decision-making. These freaks never stop. Give them an inch, they'll take a mile and then ban the yard in favor of the Biblical furlong. Religious factions have to be booted out of the government and, ideally, banned. I have to say though: Kudos to these lunatics for the endlessly innovative ways they think of to inconvenience EVERYbody in order to pursue their sick agenda. I mean, even the greatest "minds" of Iran and Saudi Arabia didn't manage to come up with this kind of nonsense. Next they'll be shutting off electricity during shabat.

Just wait, social security payments are next. If you are not religious, Yshai will see to it that you get only half of your social security!!

They could be looking to take care of issues kind of like "plaguing" their minds in a "relaxed" atjmosphere away from the "hustle and bustle" times of the "workweek" to feel more at "rest".

Here comes the dictatorship of the Rabbis and followers - good bye democracy. Listen to Einstein: "The world is a dangerous place not because of those who do evil but because of those who look on and do nothing".

it was assur for a COMPUTER to work on Shabbes by itself. Does Yishai turn off his refrigerator on Shabbes, his house clocks.... This does not "cause" any Jew to break Shabbes.

In case his royal holliness has forgoten people still have a choice. Once agian he is forcing the religious life style on the secular public. Instead of presenting the beauty of Jewdism to the public he introduces more laws which actually have the opposite effect on the public and cause those seculars who might of had an intrest in Jewdism to distance themselves even further.

INTERNET KILLING SMALL RETAIL.

May this help you better understand the difference between Israel being a "Jewish State" as opposed to a State which is a "Home for the Jewish People". Same as if one talked about a state which could be a "home for the blind" versus a "blind state".

It's not assur for the computer to be running itself, the minister is trying to stop the jews from using it on shabbat- duh. ie- if the site doesn't work on shabat maybe they won't bother to use the computer to try to pay bills on shabat. Is the concept so difficult to understand?

It reminds me of the time, many years ago, when the government blocked color TV transmissions forcing everyone to watch only in black and white. That was silly and so is this.

He is doing untold damage - he's a crazed mental case who cannot live and let live - why should he CARE what seculars are doing on Saturday? It's NONE of his business! I hate him, he's a hateful stupid ass.

he's appointed our ambassador to the royal court of king ahmadenijad?

Gotta point.

what is wrong with the computer program being set to work again immediately after shabbat? if the government wants employers to not make their employees work on shabbat it has to set an example - even if the computer program doesn't need any people. it just helps to emphasize that shabbat is a different day from the rest of the week. even non-jewish secular techi types are recommending that people disconnect from the computer/ telephones etc one day a week ! it's not healthy for the psyche/ people's mental health to be connected 24/7.. so this is the israeli government leading the way to help protect people's mental health.