"Can I send an email to someone in a different time zone where it’s still Shabbos?"

Prepared for print by Faigy Peritzman

Does cherem d’Rabbeinu Gershom apply to email? Can spouses read each other’s emails?

Cherem d’Rabbeinu Gershom forbids opening and reading another person’s private letter without the recipient’s explicit permission. If the letter contains private or sensitive information about the sender, then his permission would be required as well. An email is a letter just like any other, and is therefore included in the prohibition. Spouses may not read each other’s emails without permission, since the sender may be sharing private or sensitive information. Even an outgoing email may not be read by a spouse if there’s a possibility that the email contains information that the recipient would not want shared with the spouse.

My neighborhood has a Neshei email list and I often post questions there. But sometimes my questions are particularly personal and I don’t want anyone to know it’s me. Am I allowed to post using a pseudonym?

There is nothing wrong or deceitful about using a pseudonym. It’s a tool that’s been used by many gedolei Yisrael who opted to share Torah thoughts or public messages without revealing their true identities.

Can I send an email to someone in a different time zone where it’s still Shabbos? What if they have a generic last name and I don’t know if they are Jewish or not?

It is permitted on Friday or Motzaei Shabbos to send an email to anywhere in the world, even if the recipient’s computer will receive it when it’s Shabbos in their time zone. In general, we need not be concerned if the intended recipient is Jewish or otherwise. Still, if you have reason  to believe that a secular Jewish recipient is eagerly anticipating your email, and will likely turn on his computer (or other device) or check his email provider specifically in order to read your email, you should avoid sending him that email until Shabbos passes in his time zone.

Is there any problem with forwarding an email I receive to someone else? Does it make any difference if it’s in a personal or professional capacity?

If the email contains private or sensitive information that the sender would object to having shared with others, it would be forbidden to forward it. Otherwise, it is permitted, irrespective of whether it’s professional or personal.

My boss likes me to BCC her on all my emails so she can stay in the loop. Is there an element of geneivas daas, since the recipients of my emails don’t know someone else is also reading them?

In the professional, academic, and business worlds there’s no issue of geneivas daas, since it’s well-known that BCC (“blind carbon copy”) is commonly used when sending emails. In the private world, however, it’s less common and many people may be unaware of it, so if there’s reason to believe that the recipient would object to a third party being copied, it may be a violation of geneivas daas.

Often discounts are offered online the first time you sign up with your email address. Am I allowed to sign up again under another one of my email addresses and receive the discount another time?

That would depend on the individual company policy. Contact the company and ask if they permit multiple signups with different email addresses. Note that companies may have diverse policies regarding this issue.

I work within the frum community and send out many emails. Is there any problem with my addressing men by their first name in an email?

If you don’t know who the recipients are and you are just sending out generic emails to the general community, there’s no issue at all. If you’re sending out personal emails to people who you have a relationship with, and as a rule you do not address them by their first name because of modesty, you should not do so in an email either.

I work in sales, and occasionally, I receive an email in which someone asks for a quote, but due to inexperience, sends one email to several contacts — including some of my competitors. Am I allowed to lift and use these contacts’ addresses from the email as it was sent to me?

In general, information that is supposed to remain private and was somehow mistakenly released may not be used by the recipient, particularly if that information will be used to damage another party. In your specific case, however, it’s doubtful that email contact addresses are considered private information, since they’re readily available and accessible.

(Originally featured in Family First, Issue 748)