Hachona - Extending an Invitation

Q. If one meets their friend on Shabbos, can they invite them to a simcha that will take place after Shabbos, or is this considered hachona (preparing for after Shabbos)?

A. Shmiras Shabbos K’hilchaso (28:91) writes that this is permitted. He infers this from Shulchan Aruch (307:7) that writes that one may not hire a worker on Shabbos, but one may tell him, come to me after Shabbos. From here we see that inviting someone to come to you after Shabbos is not hachona. This is presumably because no tircha (exertion) took place, and nothing was prepared on Shabbos for after Shabbos. All that happened was that a verbal offer was made, and this is not considered hachona.

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The Gerald & Karin Feldhamer OU Kosher Halacha Yomis is dedicated to the memory of Rav Yisroel Belsky, zt"l, who served as halachic consultant for OU Kosher for more than 28 years; many of the responses in Halacha Yomis are based on the rulings of Rabbi Belsky. Subscribe to the Halacha Yomis daily email here.