Raffles on Shabbat

are you allowed to do a raffle on Shabbos

Thank you for your question.

According to the halacha detailed in Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 322, conducting a raffle on Shabbat is generally prohibited. However, the Mishnah Berurah (Keif Katan: 24) references a practice from the Temple era where the Kohanim would cast lots on Shabbat to determine roles such as who would slaughter the sacrifice or sprinkle the blood. This was permitted because it was done in the context of a mitzvah.

Expanding on this, the Mishnah Berurah writes that if the purpose of the raffle is a mitzvah, it may be allowed under certain conditions. For example, rather than using tickets, which is not permitted on Shabbat, one may conduct a raffle using a book. To determine a winner, the book is opened to a random page and read aloud. The participant whose name begins with the first letter that appears in the text is declared the winner. Alternatively, participants could each guess a number prior to the raffle. Then, the book is opened, and the page number that appears on the randomly selected page, the participant whose guess is closest to this number wins.

This approach can be used for mitzvah-related decisions like assigning aliyot or choosing who will lead prayers. It is also suitable for awarding prizes to children engaged in reciting Tehilim or studying Torah. To comply with Shabbat laws, any prize must be designated before Shabbat on behalf of the eventual winner this involves transferring the prize to a third party who will physically lift it up, thereby acquiring it on behalf of the eventual winner. This will ensure that it is considered his possession from the outset and does not involve transferring ownership on Shabbat. Additionally, the prize must not be muktzeh, meaning it cannot be an object typically set aside from Shabbat use.

• Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 322
• Mishnah Berurah, commentary section 24