Saturday is Harry Potter day (starting at 12:01am). But you know that already. The problem is, Harry Potter day is Saturday–or, for us observant Jews, Shabbat, the Sabbath, day of rest, yadda yadda. Of course, nothing is more relaxing and Shabbat-appropriate than settling in with a good book, but the issue is getting that book. We don’t spend money on Shabbat, so buying it in a bookstore is out, and we don’t open packages or other pieces of mail, so we can’t order it online for early Saturday delivery.

This issue was of much concern to my wife, who is the Potter fan(atic) in our house. Luckily, this isn’t the first time that a much-anticipated Harry Potter book is being released on God’s day of rest. And luckily, we don’t live in Israel, where stores on closed on Shabbat, so even the non-observant majority of Israelis can’t get their immediate Potter fix (though some book stores are reportedly defying the ban and opening this Saturday).
After much fretting–and concoting a few unlikely or Jewish-law-bending schemes–the solution was easier than expected: More bookstores than I’d imagined allow for preordering and pre-paying. On release day, all my eager wife needs to do is go to the store, say her name, and walk out with the coveted book. No need to even produce a credit card. Now that’s magic.