Here’s a pretty strange story, with a weirder twist.
A Brooklyn judge has ruled that the kosher hot dog stands at Citi Field, home of the New York Mets, can be open on Shabbat. But it’s not what you think. This isn’t the Mets forcing the stand to be open on Shabbat. It is, in fact, the exact opposite.
The Mets must have been worried that they would lose their kosher-eating clientele if their kosher hot dog stands were open on Friday night and Saturday day. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have banned Kosher Sports Inc. from serving their hot dogs on Shabbat. However, Kosher Sports Inc. felt like they were losing out on some well-deserved profit. They sued the Mets for 1 million dollars in lost earnings.
You read that right. It was the professional sports team that was defending the sanctity of Shabbat and not the kosher meat company.
But the judge sided with Kosher Sports. Questions remains though as to a) if the stands will be able to keep their hashgachah b) Even if they get a kosher seal from another company, how much business will they lose?
They must have figured out all the math in this (at least I hope) before they sued. If many kosher eating Jews won’t eat at a restaurant that is open on Shabbat, Kosher Sports Inc., in their heads, can’t be kosher. If they think they can take the hit on profits from that clientele, then I guess they have every right to be open on Friday night.
kosher
Pronounced: KOH-sher, Origin: Hebrew, adhering to kashrut, the traditional Jewish dietary laws.
Shabbat
Pronounced: shuh-BAHT or shah-BAHT, Origin: Hebrew, the Sabbath, from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday.
