One of the benefits of e-commerce may be that customers can expect 24/7 shopping and service, but some e-tailers with strictly observant religious owners or execs do not complete orders or otherwise engage in business on their Sabbath (Jewish or Christian) - apparently with no serious consequences - writes the New York Times. Adhering to the tenets of both business and religion can be tricky, though. For example, observant Jews who sell through eBay can't schedule auctions to end on the Sabbath. Even more interesting, however, is the conundrum posed by web marketing.

Google, Yahoo and the like continuously serve up ads and charge the sites on which they appear each time that an ad is clicked. Though sites tend to make payments in lump sums - and not on the Sabbath, in this case - Jewish scholars have yet to thoroughly consider the issue, apparently.

And, as with most systems of law, there are technicalities for getting around such issues. Jewish businesses owned in part by non-Jews can operate on the Sabbath - if certain guidelines are followed.