Question: What is a Shabbes Goy?
Answer: "Goy" refers to anyone who is not Jewish. "Shabbes Goy", a Yiddish term, refers to a non-Jewish person who is employed by an observant Jewish family to perform activities forbidden to Jews on the Sabbath, such as cooking and turning lights on and off.
In the past, the Shabbes Goy made it possible for a family to strictly observe the Sabbath day prohibitions. The Shabbes Goy was considered an important part of the Jewish community. Today, technological advances such as timing devices make the need for a Shabbes Goy much less essential, and it is more rare to find Jewish families employing a Shabbes Goy.