Shoveling Snow on Shabbat

Question

Can a Jew shovel snow off the sidewalk around their property on Shabbat if failure to do so poses a hazard to oneself and passersby, and there is no gentile around to shovel (and besides, it is a legal requirement)?

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Answers

  1. The Just Ask! - AskTheRabbi.org Team

    The following is taken from the OU site (https://outorah.org/p/47706/):
    If there is so much snow that it is difficult to walk, then one may have a non-Jew shovel the snow manually, though not with a snow blower. If possible, one should arrange before Shabbos for the non-Jew to shovel should it be necessary. If one did not make such arrangements before Shabbos, he may ask a non-Jew to shovel on Shabbos itself but he may not discuss the financial arrangements until after Shabbos (see OC 306:6). If a non-Jew is not available to shovel, the general halachic consensus is that is still preferable for a Jew not to shovel on Shabbos if at all avoidable. Some authorities permit a person to walk on the sidewalk and to kick the snow aside with his foot as he goes, while others prohibit this. (See OC 316:11 and MB 316:51 for halachic precedents.) If salting is insufficient, sweeping the snow aside using a broom might be a halachically-preferable alternative to shoveling.

    Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team