Questions and answers on the laws of Shabbat
This section contains Rabbi Yisroel Barenbaum's answers to questions asked by women in his lessons.
The text was worked on by R. Yisroel Barenbaum, as well as Risha Kuravskaya, Edna Emirgova and Leya Beinish.
Preparing Salads on Shabbat
Is it allowed to tear off lettuce leaves sold in pots on Shabbat?
It is permissible to pick fruit or leaves from a branch plucked before the start of Shabbat. It is forbidden to tear anything from a plant growing in the ground or a pot. The exception is situations when the plant was grown in the ground, and then transferred to a pot and did not have time to germinate there (it stayed there for less than a day). In practice, lettuces in pots are indeed sometimes grown in garden beds and only then transferred to pots. But, since it is not known how long they have been in pots, tearing off the leaves is strictly prohibited.
Is it okay to check greens on Shabbat?
On Shabbat, it is allowed to check food for insects, but it is forbidden to kill them. Therefore, salting and soaking the leaves in order to kill insects is also prohibited. If, as a result of the check, a large insect is found, it can be removed from the beshinui - in an inconvenient, unusual way (since any animal is muktse on Shabbat, and it is forbidden to move it in the usual way). If the insect is small, its branch will be considered a borer, even if it is taken along with a large piece of the leaf. In this case, one should either shake off the insect (thus, the plant chosen will remain in the hand), or cut the head of lettuce into pieces; then it will be possible to take leaves that are clean from insects, and then throw out the remaining unwanted pieces.
How to cut vegetables for salad, what size should the pieces be?
Here we are faced with melakhet tokhen (grind) - in its idea the opposite of melachi lash (knead, i.e. combine individual parts into a whole). We are not talking about melekhet mekhatech (cut) here at all, since this type of melacha implies cutting out parts of a certain size, in cases where the size itself is fundamentally necessary (cutting clothes, cutting cork or patches).
Now the rules:
Foods that do not grow from the ground, such as meat, cheese, eggs, are allowed to be cut even very finely on Shabbat. It is also possible to grind flour products, since they (being in the form of grains) have already been ground.
Vegetables and fruits, according to the law, can be cut even very finely immediately before eating. Nevertheless, Shulchan Aruch haRav recommends to be strict - and even then cut vegetables larger than usual (according to the river Sh.Z. Auerbach: larger than the size that a person swallows without chewing). Then it is not necessary to do this immediately before the start of the meal.
According to R. Tzemach Tzedek, cutting very thin is just as problematic as cutting finely (although many modern rabbis dispute this psak).
In principle, crushing that does not result in separation of the fruit into pieces (for example, crushing an avocado or banana) is also not subject to this prohibition. However, some poiskys also predetermine this action by pre-cooking the food (that is, they are allowed to crush and smear boiled potatoes, etc.). According to all opinions, even a raw fruit can be smeared in an unusual way - with the back end of a spoon or fork. This is allowed even if the fetus breaks into separate parts.
Special devices for grinding (grater, egg cutter) cannot grind food on Shabbat, due to the fact that this is considered uvdin-dehol (everyday activity).
Can sauces and salad dressings be made on Shabbat?
Liquids are allowed to mix with each other on Shabbat. There is no prohibition of lash (kneading) in this. Ketchup and mayonnaise are also quite liquid products, and they can be mixed.
Lemon juice (according to the achronims) can only be squeezed onto solid food (salad, fish) or dishes where solid food is its main part (food with gravy), and lemon juice is intended to improve the taste of this particular - solid part product. However, it is forbidden to squeeze it into a liquid or into an empty vessel, even if you plan to put solid food in it later. Squeeze a lemon completely (without leaving juice in it) only immediately before a meal.
More about the sauce. It is forbidden to add any juice to vinegar, because it starts to turn sour and becomes part of the vinegar, and it is forbidden to cook vinegar on Shabbat. But you can add water to vinegar, moreover, both to weaken its strength and to increase its amount. By the same logic, oil can also be added to vinegar.
Squeezing juice on Shabbat
When is juice allowed?
It can be squeezed out in two cases:
a) solid food
b) for the sake of the product that is squeezed out, and not for the sake of the juice itself. For example, if a pickled cucumber tastes better to your taste after squeezing the brine out of it, this is allowed.
When squeezing juice on Shabbat in a permitted way (unless it happens immediately before a meal), one should not squeeze any fruit to the end (for fear of violating the prohibition of borer), but always leave some juice in the fruit itself.
Can you squeeze lemon juice over sugar?
If they plan to add sugar to tea, then the situation is controversial, because. the juice eventually gets into the liquid and is squeezed out for this very purpose (and as you know, juice can only be squeezed into dishes where solid food is the main one). Chaey Adam and many after him are inclined to allow this option. R. Tsemakh Tsedek believes that this permission is very doubtful. The way out is this: you can squeeze the juice before Shabbat or put an ordinary piece of lemon in tea.
Can fruit juice be sucked out?
You can add to the question also the sucking of liquid from bread, which is dipped in sauce, or the sucking of fat from meat.
Shulchan Aruch haRav, citing arguing opinions (Ktsot haShulchan arguing with Mishnah Bruhra), summarizes: the custom is to allow to suck, and in this there is someone to rely on; but on the stricter (do not suck the juice even from the fruit lying in the mouth) - a blessing will come.
Peeling Garlic on Shabbat
Can garlic be cut into cloves on Shabbat?
One of the forbidden works on Shabbat is called Dash: peeling, which is usually done specifically for (improving) the preservation of the product (although the Poiskys are somewhat unsure of this definition). For example, husks from grains, bean pods, etc. The Torah forbade peeling them from the husk or pods. Therefore, although in our time, nuts and seeds and much more have begun to be cleaned industrially - since this is done solely for the convenience of their use - they do not fall under this ban.
Concerning garlic: The opinion of the Jerusalem Talmud, and some Poyskim cite it as lealacha, is that on Shabbat it is forbidden to remove the outer husk from the head of garlic due to the Melechet Dash. In order to avoid violating Shabbat prohibitions, the head can be cut into several pieces with a knife, and then the cloves are removed. Peeling individual cloves on Shabbat is permitted by all accounts.
Also, there are those who forbid picking dates from their clusters, and corn from the cob. Although these arrangements are highly controversial.
Making tea on Shabbat
How to make tea on Shabbat?
If you are not looking for khumrot, tea can be brewed either backli shlish (in the third vessel) or mikli sheni (pouring water from the second vessel onto the tea bag). In other words, the sachet can either be dipped in water poured into the cli slish, or put into the cli slish and filled with water from the cli shen. For example: a pot or a boiler in which water is heated - Kli Rishon. A thermos into which boiling water was poured directly from a pot or teapot before Shabbat - kli sheni. A ladle with which water is scooped up and which does not linger there at all is a clisheni. Accordingly, the water pouring out of it is iruy mikli sheni.
(It is customary in the world to rely on Avnei Nezer, who allowed to draw clean water even from a pot standing directly on the fire / blekh. Any other food should be collected by removing the pan from the fire in order to avoid the prohibition of “stirring food on fire”. However, regarding its water heter (relaxation) is not indisputable. Ktsot HaShulkhan does not recommend relying on this opinion).
Now let's turn to how to remove a tea bag from a glass. When taken out of the bag, drops drip and, therefore, questions arise with the prohibition of borer. These drops drip into tea, and, therefore, we use them. Therefore, they are considered the desired part - ohel, and the bag - psolet. And although the drops here are a passing result of the action that is not significant for us, nevertheless it should be prohibited, since this is a psychic reisha (guaranteed to happen). And since this is fraught with a violation of the prohibition of the Torah, it is difficult to rely on ambiguous relief here. One of the acceptable options is to remove the bag from the glass with a spoon in such a way that the drops are not guaranteed to drip from the bag into the glass (in this case, it’s not scary if a few drops still fall into the glass).
According to the Alter Rebbe, pouring tea from glass to glass, leaving the bag in one of them, is the only way out if both glasses are in your hands. If we leave a cup with a bag in our hand, and pour out the tea we need, we choose exactly the bag we don’t want, which is prohibited.
The third option is to drink tea without taking out the bag.
Is it possible to pour cold, clean, without leaves, tea leaves into the second vessel, and drink this tea without sugar?
Can. In the second vessel, we try not to put any food for fear that there is cooking for some of them (except those clearly listed). But we know for sure that any liquids are not boiled in the second vessel.
From the point of view of the law, what is better to use - a bag or tea leaves?
There is an opinion according to which brewing tea in any form - even in cli shlish - is prohibited (the authors of this opinion consider tea an easy-to-brew product, since it is brewed even in the third and in any other vessel). And although we do not consider this opinion to be the main one (according to experience, tea always gives a certain color and taste; but it does the same in cold water) and we allow tea to be brewed under certain conditions, there is still a place for khumra here. Those. refrain from brewing tea on Saturday, but only dilute the tea prepared before Saturday. Acceptance of this kind of humrot is a personal matter for everyone.
Can you put sugar or salt in boiling water?
Sugar can be put in the kli sheni. It's also no problem to stir it.
Salt, in principle, has a similar status, but there are opinions that do not recommend putting it in a klishen as long as the water in it is warmer than 45 degrees.
Does kli sheni have to be dry?
Kli sheni, when water is poured into it from Kli Rishon (or when it is immersed in Kli Rishon), must be dry, or the liquid/drops of water contained in it must be boiled and boiled and still warm. Therefore, you can lower the ladle into the water in a row over and over again, since the water that has just been drawn is still warm. If a few minutes have passed, and the water has cooled down, the clips should be wiped dry for the next use.
Spreading food
1. According to Ramo, it is better to be careful and not smear those foods that are so customary to eat (butter or mashed potatoes). You can smear them only to fill the empty space, but no more. That is, you can spread the butter on an empty area of \u200b\u200bbread, but after that you should not smooth it.
2. Spreading and smearing foods that are not usually spread is always possible, as long as it does not violate the prohibition of tokhen, as explained earlier.
Salting on Shabbat
Salting food on Shabbat is prohibited.
With regard to the use of salt on Shabbat, all types of food are divided into those that:
1. Salt changes their nature (makes them softer, removes bitterness, etc.). This group includes: cucumbers, onions, beans, etc. Such products can be salted using only one of two methods:
a) salt, immediately put in your mouth; b) after salting, immediately season with mayonnaise, oil or vinegar (vegetable salad).
2. Salt does not change their nature (their condition), such as eggs, meat, fish. You can salt these products for the next meal, or even earlier, if there is an actual reason for this (for example, the food has not cooled down yet, and therefore there is a preference to salt it right now - this is possible).
Salt that sticks together in lumps can be rubbed with your hands or with a spoon (but not with special grinding devices).
Washing dirty dishes
After the meal, dirty dishes remained, which spoils the Shabbat atmosphere for the household. Can it be washed even if it is no longer used this Shabbat?
When washing dishes on Shabbat, the ban on preparing for weekdays on Saturday may be violated. If there is a need for washing dishes for the Sabbath itself: flies will fly on it, which will spoil Shabbat, or it spoils the atmosphere with its appearance - and at the same time there is no way to remove it - it can be washed. The second option is to wash the dishes that are likely to be used this Shabbat. Even if you only need one fork, you can wash any number of forks. It is written about glasses in the Shulchan Aruch that since a person drinks something all the time, one glass will certainly be needed, and therefore it is possible to wash the glasses even after the second meal, even if there are clean glasses.
Can you soak dirty dishes on Shabbat?
As you know, it is forbidden to do something on Shabbat for the sake of weekdays if we want to save ourselves time on weekdays. Another thing is when, without doing something on Shabbat, we will not be able to do it later (we will miss the opportunity). For example, if we don't soak the dishes on Shabbat, after Shabbat, it will be much more difficult to wash them. On this issue, a number of rabbis believe that if the food has not yet stuck, on Shabbat it is possible to fill such dishes with water. If the dirt has already stuck and dried up, then there is no reason to soak the dishes on Shabbat, except to save time, which is a prohibition.
I heard that some families pre-dilute dishwashing liquid with water? Does it need to be done?
There is no need to do this .. Although there were authorities who recommended pre-dilute even liquid soap in water. Small bubbles that form when washing with soap and immediately burst are not problematic if they are not obtained on purpose. But you shouldn't blow bubbles on Shabbat.
Wet sponge got into the sink
A wet sponge (or rag) got into the sink on Shabbat, what should I do?
1. Firstly, while she is lying there, you can’t turn on the water in the tap, because. so you wash it, it falls under the prohibition of washing.
2. Secondly, a wet sponge (the kind that a person usually squeezes out on weekdays) is muktse.
3. Thirdly: by taking it in your hands, you can violate the prohibition of sohet (squeezing). Therefore, it should be taken (because of the sokhet) with some object, for example, a fork, and beshinuy should be done in a non-standard way, for example, holding it (fork) unusually between the fingers (because of muktse).
Kitchen appliances
Can the oven be opened on Shabbat?
Can. The whole controversy on this point is related to the keep-warm oven in which the thermostat operates. It should be opened precisely when the heating is on (or at least if it can be turned on at that moment, and this cannot be checked). And with the opening of the switched off oven there are no questions.
Also, you cannot close a working oven if it turns out that the food in it is not ready (you need to remove the food to close it). Just like you can not close the lid of a pot of undercooked food standing on the fire. By doing this, you will violate the prohibition of mewashel (boiling).
Can you move a food processor on Shabbat?
The Harvester is an item that you won't use for anything other than its primary purpose. Those. it is not just a kli shemlahto leisur (an object with a purpose forbidden on Saturday), but a muktse mekhamat hisaron kis (a more severe form of muktse associated with material damage). Therefore, the food processor can only be moved in unusual ways, such as with your elbow.
cut off measure off
Can foil or cling film be torn off on Shabbat?
In this situation, there are two divergent opinions - the Alter Rebbe and the Mishnah Bruh.
According to the Alter Rebbe, film, paper, etc., since they are not full-fledged vessels, are in principle allowed to tear on Shabbat. Full-fledged vessels cannot be broken on Shabbat. For example, you can not break a bottle, break a chair. It is forbidden to tear film, paper, cotton wool, only if it facilitates their use, because of the prohibition of metaken kli (for example, it is more convenient for us to use just a piece, and not the whole roll). If we tear for any other purpose, for example, to save money (for example, after tearing a bookmark for a book, we will turn it into two bookmarks), then we can tear as much as we like. It all depends on the kavana (intention) of the person.
Is it possible to tear along the line of separation, perforation?
Perforation doesn't change anything. Now, if you only needed paper torn exactly along it, and otherwise torn paper did not fit, as happens, for example, when cutting, this would be prohibited under the mekhatekh article. However, with perforated cardboard bags, this is not the case. Perforation, applied to packaging and toilet paper, for easier tearing, and no more. There is another problem with toilet paper - it is torn (whether perforated or not) making it more convenient to use. This is called metaken kli and it is forbidden. But if tearing is not aimed at improving what is being torn, then this problem does not exist.
Can you open juice, milk and tissue packs?
However, the main (most reasonable and authoritative) opinion (R.Sh.Z.Oerbach) on this matter is as follows: when opening these objects along prepared lines and perforations, we do this not because it will be more convenient to use them (and then it would be metaken kli), but because it is easier to open them. And just as it makes no difference how to tear a plastic bag or paper packaging in order to quickly extract something, this can be done in the most convenient way. This is also allowed in our examples. As evidence that you are opening the pack for the sake of accessing the contents, without the goal of making it easier to use, you can get comfortable and tear it open when you open it. However, even this is not necessary.
The problem arises with those vessels that people usually save for later use. Then, opening for the first time you create them, which is problematic. If you and most people in your city throw away such boxes and cans after emptying, then this problem does not arise. In this case, you must ensure that the letters are not torn.
Can you open trash bags on Shabbat?
Garbage bags must not be opened. While the packages are on a roll, it is inconvenient to use them, which means that the separation is made for ease of use.
Is it necessary to make a hole in a tin can before opening it on Shabbat?
There is no difference between a can and a package. Everything that we immediately throw away (no matter a metal vessel, plastic, glass or paper) does not require special damage to the container. Chazon Ish speaks of the need for preliminary damage to the opened vessel, but his opinion was not accepted. Such a khumra will be necessary if you live in the Russian outback and use empty cans after emptying (for growing seedlings ).
Is it possible to tear the drawing?
You can not tear the picture that carries information. A drawing applied just for beauty is not scary to tear on Shabbat. This line is often difficult to identify. Therefore, it is better to avoid tearing pictures.
How to open plastic Coca-Cola bottles with plastic caps and rings?
There are different technologies and different opinions.
In modern bottles of drinking water and other beverages with plastic caps, the ring was soldered to the cap after the cap was produced. This is similar to the example given in the Shulchan Aruch of a garment sewn up for washing, which can be torn on the Sabbath. In metal lids, the ring was never separated from the lid itself. Hence it follows, says R. Shlomo Zalman, that logically, when we open a bottle, we complete this cap. Previously, it was not functional, it could not be unscrewed and twisted, because. ring interfered. Now, tearing off the ring, we make the lid more functional. Therefore, in his opinion, it is forbidden to open bottles with metal caps. It is said that the Rebbe opened bottles on Shabbat, which were also closed with metal caps. Those who saw it - of course, can rely on it, even without having an explanation why this is possible.
What you can definitely do with any bottles is ask a non-Jew to open them. It can also be asked for directly.
What to do if you forgot to tear off the excise stamp from a bottle of wine before Shabbat?
Gluing and unsticking are derivative prohibitions from the prohibition to sew and tear sewn. What is glued (or sewn on) without the expectation that it will sometime be peeled off (or torn off) cannot be peeled off on Saturday. The Shulchan Aruch says that what has been sewn on can be torn off for the purpose of being torn off in the future. Only it should not be done in front of illiterate people who tend to draw wrong and far-reaching conclusions.
Can you use scissors on Shabbat?
A kitchen knife is not considered a muktse because it is used to cut food. Kitchen scissors that cut food are also not muktse. Stationery scissors are muktse by default, but they are called muktse shemlahto leisur (muktse, which is forbidden by its purpose). This is a light type of muktse, for which there is a rule: it can be used in permitted actions, or in order to free up the space it occupies. For example, a cheap cell phone can be picked up if we want to see what time it is or free up space where it lies. For the same reason, scissors, like a knife, can cut a bag of food, since it can be torn open on Shabbat.
The exception is muktse, which are expensive or easily perishable items (expensive nail scissors or a shechita knife, which is never done with anything other than shechita). This is a strict muktse. They cannot be used on Shabbat.
By the way, a burning Hanukkah or a candlestick is a strict muktse, and an ordinary table lamp, according to most opinions, is a light muktse, and according to some opinions, not a muktse at all. According to many authorities (R. Moishe Feinstein, for example), a table lamp can be rearranged or directed so that it does not shine in an undesirable direction, or, conversely, direct its light in the desired direction.
What should I do if a price tag or tag is left on a new suit?
Can be torn off or cut off with scissors. The tag was attached to the suit after the sewing was completed, so tearing it off is not the end of the sewing. It doesn't add anything, it only makes it worse. If before the start of Shabbat or Yom Tov they forgot to cut off the tag, then this should definitely be done before going outside in such clothes. You can’t go out like this even on Yom-tov, since this transfer does not apply to the needs of the holiday.
Shabbat and non-Jews
Can a non-Jewish nanny violate the laws of bishul (cooking) by preparing food for a child? For example, she adds boiling water from the boiler directly to the infant formula.
As a rule, infant formulas and porridges are already boiled, and therefore, we are talking about the law of bishul ahar bishul (re-boiling). According to the psak Alter Rebbe in Shulchan Aruch HaRav, dry boiled products can be immersed and dissolved even in a Kli Rishon (a container heated over a fire) if it is removed from the fire, all the more so it is allowed to pour boiling water over them (iruy mikli Rishon). This opinion is shared by the majority of other poiskys. However, later, in the Siddur, the Alter Rebbe revised this position and categorically forbade the dissolving of dry foods in Kli Rishon or through iruy mikli Rishon.
Thus, instructing a non-Jew to perform this action without explaining exactly how he should do it, according to A.R. in Siddur, it is impossible, and it is absolutely necessary to specify the order: pour this porridge into the clisheni. (The consideration “a Jew has a permitted way to perform the same task”, allowing a non-Jew to be entrusted with a wide range of tasks in the field of cooking does not apply. But more on that later)
It should also be said how to do this without violating the prohibition of lash.
However, in a badiavad situation, when the porridge is already brewed in the wrong way, it can be eaten, since according to most opinions even lehathila is allowed.
The nanny still continues to cook food for the child on Shabbat in a forbidden way, what should I do?
You must tell her that you do not want her to do this. If such exhortations do not help, you must fire her.
How can you hint to a non-Jew on Shabbat about the need to turn on the light?
First, a few introductory concepts. If a non-Jew does something for a Jew that is forbidden by the Torah, the results of this cannot be used on Shabbat by all Jews. If he violated the prohibition of the sages for the Jews, the results of his action are forbidden to be used during Shabbat only by those people for whom he did this. Namely, the owner of the house, all his household members and guests of the family.
However, there is a huge difference whether a non-Jew has turned on the light for you or put it out:
If a non-Jew turned off the light, he did not create anything new, he simply removed the existing obstacle. In the language of the Talmud, this is called "chasing the lion away." In this case, it is allowed to use the indirect results of the action of a non-Jew, which led to the absence of interference.
Is it possible to somehow hint about turning off the light? The halakha in general is as follows: if this non-Jew is not your worker, then you cannot ask him or order him directly to do something forbidden. And it doesn't matter if you do it with your voice or call him to action with gestures. It is also impossible to express an order or request in a veiled way, for example, saying: “It would be nice if someone turned off the light.” But if you state the problem without any call to action (“it seems to be raining”; “it is very difficult to sleep with the light”, etc.), then the initiative to act in this case belongs entirely to the non-Jew - “he figured it out himself”. A non-Jew does what we need on his own initiative, although he was clearly led to understand the need for this action.
If we are talking about a non-Jew who works for you for a time wage, then any hint, even very subtle (“it’s a pity that last Saturday you didn’t turn off the light in the nursery”), is prohibited. For our employee, any hint is considered a call to action, and there is no way to tell him about the inconvenience. It is impossible to tell him about this in advance, before Saturday.
The exception is the case if the included light gives the child, and not the parent, severe discomfort and suffering. The objective, serious needs of a child are equated with the needs of a sick adult, and in order to alleviate this suffering, one can ask a non-Jew to directly turn off the light. Initially, however, we should not plan for such situations. You can't leave a light on and then ask a non-Jew to turn it off.
Unlike everything that has been said, if a non-Jew has lit, and not extinguished, a light for you, regardless of your words, actions or other initiative, it is forbidden to use this light throughout the entire Sabbath.
The exception is the case if a non-Jew on Shabbat accidentally turned off the light and immediately turned it on. For what reason, for whom did he do it? Basically - for you, for your use. But he corrects his mistake, and this is enough, as the Mishnah Brura writes, to consider that he is doing this for his own benefit, so you can allow the use of this light.
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In what cases can you negotiate with a non-Jew before the start of the Sabbath?
It is possible to agree if this is done for the fulfillment of a commandment (tzorech mitzvah). For example, if we enter the entrance or leave it in order to take part in a meal or be in time for prayer. In this case, you can even say directly to a non-Jew: “Please open the door for me”, i.e. you can ask to violate the prohibition of the sages. The Alter Rebbe believes that asking a non-Jew to bring beer to a meal on Shabbat is also a tzorech mitzvah (giving money, of course, is not allowed here). But not fruit, for example. Zorech mitzvah is equivalent to tzorech choleh (buy medicine for the sick).
The nanny worked with the children in the light, and before leaving she asks if she should turn it off. What can be answered if the light is not needed?
Any answer like “we are bad with the light” or “we can’t turn it off ourselves” in relation to the nanny is a hint. Therefore, you must completely avoid answering or say “do as you want”.
Can a non-Jewish babysitter take out the trash on Shabbat?
As already mentioned, if this is a nanny that you pay by the time (by the hour, days or weeks), then she can take out the trash only on her own initiative. No hint, even by stating the facts, is allowed in this case. It does not matter where the garbage is left - on the landing or inside the apartment. If it cannot be endured by you, you cannot ask or hint about it to her.
Can a non-Jewish nanny braid a child's hair on Shabbat?
Certainly not, because she is doing it for the sake of the Jew. Even if she does this solely on her own initiative, the Jewish child will somehow benefit from the result of her labor. Therefore, it is necessary to explain to the nanny that this cannot be done.
They say that before Shabbat, you can say to a non-Jew: "On Saturday, I may be hinting at something, and you should understand these hints."
This only makes the situation worse. Then this is not a hint, but a conventional sign. And signs cannot be given in the same way as instructions for action.
Hygiene on Shabbat
Can wet wipes be used on Shabbat?
On this issue one can find the dispute of modern rabbis, but I will express the point of view, which seems to me unequivocal, despite other opinions.
It is well known that it is forbidden to bathe on Tisha Beav and Yom Kippur. But in Tisha Beav it is allowed to put a damp cloth against a person, which was wetted in advance and dried a little; on Yom Kippur, however, the Shulchan Aruch haRav decides, even a dried cloth should not be applied to the body, because of the fear that the cloth may still be so wet that the prohibition of squeezing will be violated. Why is Yom Kippur stricter, Tisha Beav? Only by the fact that on Yom Kippur all Shabbat restrictions also apply. Conclusion: if on Yom Kippur you can not put a barely damp cloth on yourself, the same is forbidden to do on Shabbat. Moreover, there we are talking only about applying, and in the case of napkins, they also wipe the body with them - i.e. they are also pressed when used. In the water released when wiping with a damp cloth, a person is certainly interested, because. It is she who allows you to facilitate and improve the wiping of dirt. Therefore, in this situation, it is the prohibition of the Torah that is violated.
The formal definition is as follows: if, after applying/wiping the hand with a damp cloth, the other hand feels wet, the prohibition of the Torah on squeezing is violated.
All the wet wipes I've seen so far have been very wet. But even if you still find very dry napkins, the Alter Rebbe’s instruction that you should refrain from using them will still apply to you, because. this you
maneuver on the verge of violating the prohibition of the Torah (and in most cases, cross this line).
Tip for moms: Buy special sprays for moisturizing the skin of babies, apply them (or plain water) and wipe with a regular paper towel. Then your goal is to collect water, not squeeze it out. Doing this (not with a soaked napkin) is allowed.
Does it matter if the material is woven or non-woven?
Doesn't matter. What has absorbed the liquid is squeezed out, and this is a problem.
Can you use an air freshener on Shabbat?
You can, if you direct the jet into the air, and not at objects. The law forbids giving objects a new smell on Shabbat. Moreover, according to the Mishnah Brura, it is possible to give a smell to the body, but according to the Alter Rebbe, there is no difference between the body, a wig or other objects. But, according to the Alter Rebbe, you can add a smell that is already inherent in the subject. Therefore, perfume can be used on Shabbat, if the smell of perfume applied before Shabbat has not yet disappeared from the body.
What kind of deodorant can you use on Shabbat?
It is best to use a ball or spray. The use of deodorant is allowed by many rabbis, because its purpose is not to add odor, but, above all, to combat unwanted odor. However, it is better to rely on the rule that is proposed for perfumes: use deodorant if the smell from the previous application has not yet disappeared. Or use an unscented deodorant on Saturday. Although, as I said, many rabbis allow it to be used without this condition.
Do not use helium deodorant paste on Shabbat for fear of violating the prohibition of memareyah (smoothing).
Can I comb my wig and brush my teeth on Shabbat?
Let's start from afar. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the assimilation and mass departure of Jews from traditions proceeded at a high pace. Therefore, any dubious innovation was perceived by the rabbis in those days with hostility. For example, in connection with this, the rabbis announced, with completely different arguments, prohibitions on several new things, although later, in the middle of the 20th century, with a retrospective, careful analysis, there was not a single convincing argument for these prohibitions. As a result, several prohibitions have entered into Jewish practice, which are very difficult to abolish, since the custom has the status of law. For example, the prohibition against brushing your teeth on Shabbat cannot be sufficiently justified either by squeezing the brush (especially if the bristles are synthetic), or by squeezing the paste out of the tube, or by bleeding from the gums (unless the person has so bad gums that when cleansing of them is guaranteed to bleed).
But still: this permitted action was accepted by all Jewish communities as forbidden.
Now about the status of custom. The custom is still not the law of the Torah, and not even the prohibition of the sages. The difference between them is in emergency situations. Custom, i.e. an action regularly performed by everyone can only apply to ordinary everyday situations. Situations that are not standard, by definition, do not happen regularly, therefore, in relation to them there is not and cannot be any established norm.
Therefore: if there is a non-standard good reason that prompts you to brush your teeth, this can be resolved even with a brush and paste. However, in a normal situation, this should be avoided and liquid mouthwashes should be used.
Another example of the prohibition of those years: combing the wig. A wig is not living hair, and pulling hair out of a wig does not violate Jewish law.
But there is an exception: if the wig looks very bad, then combing it is forbidden according to the law of the Torah. This is a Metaken Kli, an item improvement. If you are embarrassed to go out in such a wig, it means that it is not functional and, by combing it, you seem to re-create it. Conclusion: if the wig looks really bad, it cannot be combed on Shabbat according to the Law. If, in general, it is in decent condition, then the attitude towards it, by virtue of custom, is the same as towards hair, which can be combed on Shabbat with a soft brush, but not with a comb.
Washing on Shabbat
The sages forbade washing on Shabbat with water heated on Shabbat, even in a permitted way.
With water heated before Shabbat, or, according to R. Moishe Fainshtein, even on Sabbath itself, but a non-Jew for non-Jews, you can wash, but only certain parts (less than half of the body). Only by wiping these parts of the body can you move on to washing the next ones.
Moscow tap water* just has the status of water heated by a non-Jew for non-Jews, and therefore it can wash certain parts of the body.
In case of bad health of an adult or a great need for children, they can be allowed to wash with such water (heated until Shabbat, or on Shabbat itself by non-Jews for non-Jews) entirely.
It is customary to try to avoid washing/immersing all/most of the body on Shabbat, even in cold water. However, this custom does not apply to non-standard situations, such as poor health, great heat, dirty children ...
Wet hands should not even be brought near a fire or very hot appliances, in order to avoid violating the prohibition of washing with heated water on the Sabbath.
* When using the hot water tap of the Moscow heating plant, either only the hot water tap should be opened, or sequentially: from the beginning, the tap with cold water, and then gradually adding hot water and making sure that the mixed water is not warmer than 40 C.
When wiping your hair with a towel, you should try to ensure that the water squeezed out of the hair is immediately absorbed into the towel.
Of course, on Shabbat it is forbidden to use any kind of sponges.
Applying creams
Can you wash your hands with liquid soap on Shabbat?
Can oils or creams be used on the skin on Shabbat?
Everything fluid is allowed for use.
The use of all types of soaps, creams and ointments that have a non-liquid consistency is associated with two prohibitions:
1. Solid soap is prohibited for use, because when lathering it changes its state of aggregation: it turns from solid to liquid (like melting ice), which is forbidden to do with hands directly. But it is allowed indirectly. Therefore, you can put soap in the water on the Sabbath itself so that soapy water would form there for some time.
2. The use of paste-like creams or ointments on Shabbat is fraught with a violation of the prohibition of memarah (smoothing). Therefore, it is allowed to put the cream in “pieces”, “slaps”, without smearing and smoothing it. Applying the cream and at the same time rubbing it into the skin until completely absorbed is allowed by some major modern authorities. In case of urgent need, you can be allowed to rely on this opinion.
Bouquet of flowers on Shabbat
How to be on Shabbat with a bouquet of flowers?
On Shabbat, flowers should not be placed in water if some buds might open. If all the buds are opened as much as possible, and water is poured into a vase in advance, you can put flowers in it.
Flowers that close in the evening and open in the morning should not be placed in water on Shabbat.
If guests brought flowers on Shabbat, they can be placed in a vase. It is important to know whether they came with flowers (violating the prohibition of the sages) or arrived (violating the prohibition of the Torah). If a person did not know the laws of Shabbat and brought flowers, they can definitely be put in a vase. If the guests probably arrived and, accordingly, brought flowers, it is better to arrange things. But I think that if the refusal to accept the bouquet offends a person, then it is better to put the flowers in the water poured into the vase before Shabbat. Reason: Whether it is forbidden for use is debatable, but there is certainly an opportunity to offend a person.
It is not allowed to add water to a vase on Shabbat, but it is allowed on Yom Tov.
Snow and everything related to it
Can children play snowballs on Shabbat?
Snow, even if it falls on Shabbat, is not considered muktse. Therefore, if it is cold enough outside that the snow does not melt from the warmth of the hands (and/or you are wearing gloves and you do not make the snow melt), then taking snow in your hands is allowed.
Making snowballs is no different from making meatballs, which is permitted on Yom Tov, despite the ban on building. Common sense does not indicate any difference, because both are molded in order to be destroyed in the near future. Nevertheless, the opinions of modern rabbis are divided on this matter, and therefore, in my opinion, an adult should refrain from such a thing. But children (before the bar mitzvah) should not be banned from making snowballs. According to all opinions, already made snowballs can be thrown and broken even by adults. However, it is impossible to sculpt a snowman, since it is made for more than a day, and not in order to be immediately destroyed.
Is it possible to sled inside the fenced area?
You can talk about sleds (if a person pulls them) only where there is an area with an eruv, for example, in a camp. Gemora says that moving on a stretcher is considered uvdin de hol (everyday business), that it is forbidden to do this on Shabbat and Yom Tov not letzoreh mitzvah. Strollers, bicycles and sleds are also included in this category. However, the custom allows children to be transported in wheelchairs, bicycles and sleds designed specifically for them.
Mittens and gloves on Shabbat
The custom allows mittens and gloves to be worn on the Sabbath. However, it is more correct to sew or thoroughly tie them to the sleeves in order to make them part of the clothing, in case a person walking down the street accidentally removes and carries one of them. If this is not done in advance and it is very cold outside, they can be put on when going outside.
What and where to wear on Shabbat
Laws related to the transfer of objects inside a residential entrance and a properly fenced yard on Shabbat.
If more than one Jewish family lives in any fenced yard or stairwell, which also has the status of a yard by law, then no objects (except for clothes worn by a person) can be taken out of the apartment to the stairwell and from the stairwell to the yard and back. clothes and decorations) until an eruv is made in it (an eruv is a common food, stored in a certain way, which conditionally unites all Jewish families living in this yard into one) conditionally uniting all Jewish families into one). If non-Jews live in this house in addition to two or more Jewish families, then it is necessary to properly “rent” their right to use the territory, and only after that is it allowed to make an eruv.
In the aisles of a staircase or a properly fenced yard (without bringing objects into another room), you can wear it without an eruv.
Is it possible to take off the rubber band with the keys when opening the door to the apartment?
If the keyhole is through, then it is already considered part of the apartment, and by inserting the key into it, we thereby bring part of the key into the apartment, which is often problematic, as explained above. If a person does not remove the key belt from himself, leaving it dressed on the body, this problem does not arise.
Breastfeeding on Shabbat
Laws of breastfeeding on Shabbat. Use of a mechanical breast pump.
On Shabbat, it is forbidden to collect breast milk in any container. If a woman suffers from an excess of milk, then she can express it on the ground or into a sink, i.e. where it will no longer be used. If the process of manually expressing milk causes pain and inconvenience to a woman, then it is allowed to use a mechanical breast pump. The only rule is that no more than 15 ml of milk is collected in the bottle.
According to the Alter Rebbe, it is strictly forbidden to express even a drop of milk into a child's mouth (he must suck it out himself).
Medicines on Shabbat
To be treated on Saturday, including taking medicines, is a separate prohibition of the sages.
The exception is patients belonging to the category of chole sheein bo sakana - i.e. seriously ill: those whose whole body is weakened due to illness or those who need bed rest. For example, this category includes patients with influenza (due to weakness of all the muscles of the body), people who have severe migraine headaches (leading to general weakness), patients with a body temperature of 38 ° C and above. Also, those who are at risk of losing (even partial) the functionality of any organ of the body can be treated and take medicines.
In this context, even someone who does not yet have the above symptoms, but is likely to become so if he does not receive the necessary treatment, is considered sick in this context.
Medication cycles: If skipping one day of medications taken as part of a treatment course (when it is impossible or unsatisfactory to take them immediately before and immediately after Saturday) is fraught with negative consequences that lead a person to one of the “seriously ill” states described above, he is allowed to take them on Shabbat.
Vitamins: are considered medicine and are banned if in your city, as a rule, they are not drunk by healthy people for preventive purposes, but only by people in need of treatment.
If certain pills do not cure, but only relieve the symptoms of the disease for a short time, then there are reasons to allow them to be taken on Shabbat.
On Shabbat it is allowed to dilute soluble effervescent tablets and powders.
The Sabbath is a time when every Jew can draw closer to God and spend time with his family. The most important attributes on Shabbat are the lighting of candles, two challahs, and kosher wine.
18 minutes before sunset on Friday, a woman should light Shabbat candles, saying a blessing to the Creator. From this moment until the sun goes down on Saturday, 39 types of “labor” cannot be carried out, including lighting and extinguishing a fire. After the woman has lit the candles, the men go to the synagogue for the Mincha, Shabbat Meeting and Maariv prayers.
Before the start of the meal, in the preparation of which the owner of the house should participate, they say kiddush (consecration) over a glass of wine and wash their hands. After pronouncing the blessing, the head of the family cuts the challah where he made a “mark” and dips a piece in salt, eats and cuts the rest. Each member of the family should eat a slice of challah. Then you can proceed, in fact, to the meal, consisting of a variety of delicious dishes. Most often on the Shabbat table there are a large number of salads, cold appetizers, chicken broth, fish dishes and sweets. After sunset on Saturday, avdala is said over a glass of wine - a special prayer that separates Saturday from the coming weekdays.
Some Jews who grew up in non-religious families find it difficult to keep the Sabbath laws in modern times. The Almighty, having given us the tradition of celebrating Shabbat, made sure that all Sabbath affairs were decided without our participation. Try at least once not to break the Shabbat commandments, and you will understand how important this is. By observing the Sabbath, we not only spiritually and physically, but also keep in touch with the Almighty.
What should you do on Shabbat?
Saturday is given to us so that we think about something deep, important and special. On this day, it is important not to quarrel with family and friends, but to unite and rejoice together. The Sabbath meeting provides an opportunity to learn about all the good things that happened in the previous week. You can not only communicate and dream, but also sing. Forget about the anxieties that surround you in everyday life, Shabbat is a time of rest and tranquility.
Observing the Sabbath commandments, a person expresses his faith in the Creator and recognizes that, in addition to material values, there are high spiritual pursuits in the world. The Creator gave the ability to distinguish holy thoughts from secondary and everyday ones - the essence that every believer should understand.
This is the Sabbath greeting in Hebrew. The Friday night before and all Saturday is greeted with this phrase, "Shabbat shalom", שבת שלום which means "peaceful Sabbath.
Shabbat is the seventh day of the week, which is essentially a Jewish holiday. Already the day before Shabbat, Jews begin to wish each other "Shabbat Shalom" that is, "peaceful Sabbath" or "Hello Saturday." The main rule of Saturday (Shabbat) is that a person should not work.
Greeting from Friday evening and Saturday in Hebrew. Shabbat is Saturday, shalom is peace. This is a possessive construction, שבת של שלום, Shabbat shel shalom, the Sabbath of the world, that is, a peaceful Sabbath. Literally: "Sabbath rest".
Shabbat Shalom
In Hebrew, it literally means a wish for a peaceful Sabbath. This is a unique greeting that can be used at any time on Shabbat, although it is customary to say it at the end of the Kabbalat Shabbat ceremony on Saturday.
Gut Shabes
This similar expression in Yiddish literally means "good Shabbat." Like the expression "Shabbat shalom", it is used when greeting each person on Shabbat. I know from experience that the greeting "Gut Shabes" can be honored in a normal conversation or when meeting people, while "Shabbat shalom" is more used at the end of the Kabbalat Shabbat ritual.
Shavua tov
Translated from Hebrew - "good (good) week." The greeting is used after the Awdala ritual (the ceremony marking the end of Shabbat) to wish someone a good week ahead.
That's how lucky the Jews are - we have a holiday every week! Yes, Holy Saturday is not just a day off, but a real holiday. Of course, Shabbat is very different from other important Jewish dates.
Firstly, it happens not once a year, but much more often. Secondly, it is not associated with any specific historical event. Although ... it's how to look. After all, we celebrate Shabbat in memory of the main event in human history.
God created the world in six days. And only on the seventh I decided that I deserved a break. “I took a breath” or “stopped” - this is how the word “Shabbat” is translated. And since the Jews believe that the creation of the world began on Sunday, it turns out that the seventh day - the day of stopping, respite - is Saturday.
Among the commandments that the Almighty gave to Moshe on Mount Sinai was the commandment to keep the Sabbath. What does this mean?
Most importantly, you can't work on Saturday. It's easy to remember, but nice to stick to. Saturday is a day off by all laws, and doing nothing on this day is as easy as shelling pears.
But keeping this commandment only seems easy. On Saturday, God completed the creation of the world, so people are prohibited from any constructive or creative work. That is, labor, with the help of which we create or change something.
There are several types of work that should be avoided during Shabbat. The first is food preparation. But the Sabbath festive table is an important part of the tradition! So Jewish housewives have to work in advance, on Thursday and Friday. On Saturday, food cannot even be heated. Unless, of course, you leave the stove on from Friday.
Another prohibited type of work is everything related to the manufacture of clothing. Not only sewing and knitting, but even cutting threads or cutting animals! In addition, you can not write and build anything.
Well, okay, you already understood - you can’t work on Saturday. And what can and should be done on Saturday?
You need to turn to God. And in general, to think about everything important, beautiful, deep - about what we usually have no time to think about on weekdays.
By the way, Shabbat begins on Friday evening - as soon as the sun sets. The holiday comes to the family, to every home. Mom lights Shabbat candles and reads a prayer. Then, when everyone sits down at the table, dad or grandfather says kiddush - a blessing - over a glass of grape wine or juice. But no one starts eating yet: you still need to say a blessing over the bread. Bread on this day on the table is not ordinary, but festive - wicker golden challah. When the wine and bread are blessed, you can dine.
During the Sabbath meal, they usually talk not about who got what grades at school, and not about what is happening with dad at work, and not about who grandmother quarreled with in the yard. If this is a religious family, dad can tell something interesting about the holy book - the Torah. But even if you and your family do not follow Jewish customs very strictly, nothing prevents you from singing. Yes, right at the table! There are special Shabbat drinking songs, very simple and cheerful. With them peace and joy come to the house and soul.
On Friday night and Saturday morning and afternoon, men come to the synagogue. The prayers that sound there during Shabbat are special. Not the same as weekdays.
Shabbat ends on Saturday evening. A ceremony called Avdala is held. This translates as "separation" and means that we share the Shabbat holiday and the work week that lies ahead of us. Everyone says goodbye to the holy Saturday and returns to everyday worries.
For some, Shabbat is a truly sacred holiday. But even those Jews who do not follow all the traditions are happy to buy or bake challah, light candles, pour grape juice into glasses, remember the good things that happened during the week, sing songs. And then comes Saturday!
Shabbat is the main holiday of Israel, they are preparing for it, they are waiting for it. "Peaceful Saturday" - this is also called Shabbat, on this sacred Jewish day, women are the most active - "the light of the house." Jews honor traditions and every year for Shabbat they bake challah, this is such a festive bread. When the hostess is preparing challah, she simultaneously performs a ritual - a mitzvah. It all starts on Friday morning, when there is still a day before the holiday. When a woman sets a festive table, she first tastes each dish, by the way, this is not so easy, everything happens with certain rules. For example, you can’t spit out food, be sure to swallow everything, and at this moment you still need to pronounce Brahi. It is also important that the festive table be decorated with a white tablecloth; it cannot be removed from the table until the end of Saturday.
Another important point is that all believers must take a shower or bath before Shabbat. And if a person did not have time, he just needs to wash his face and wash his hands. It is also important to light candles, this rite also belongs to the duties of Jewish women. It is believed that lighting candles is a symbol of peace and harmony in the house. As a rule, housewives light two candles on the festive table, sometimes this is done not far from the table. Sometimes, instead of the usual candles, they resort to oil lamps. But even the moment the fire is lit in the house is not a sign of the beginning of Shabbat. Everyone in the house continues to go about their business, but the woman from the moment she lit the candles can no longer eat or do something around the house, this will last until sunset. And you need to light candles no later than 18 minutes before sunset, by the way, they cannot then be moved to another place. Usually, long candles are bought to celebrate Shabbat so that they do not burn out until the holiday is over.
We have come to the main moment of Shabbat - the Sabbath meal. This is the time when everyone sits down at the Friday table, where candles are already burning. All residents of the house and their guests should now be in a good mood, which is very important. Before the start of the meal, the Jews sing a song, it is called "Shalom Aleichem", then they make Kiddush and wash their hands without fail. This is where Shabbat comes, it turns out that its beginning falls on Friday sunset. Now everyone can calmly start eating, and on the table the hostess has collected fish dishes, meat dishes, various delicacies and, of course, two challahs. Why two servings? In general, challah is bread, it is a symbol of manna from heaven, which the Almighty sent to the Jews during their return from Egypt through the desert. That is, manna is the bread of heaven, and on Shabbat this role is played by challah. Interestingly, during their sacred meal, Jews sing Shabbat songs. In the house they try to maintain an atmosphere of warmth, tranquility and comfort. At the table, all the conversations are the most ordinary - about how the week went, what interesting things happened to someone.
You probably know that Jews greet each other with the word "shalom", translated into Russian it means "perfection". In general, if we talk about the meaning, then "shalom" is the best human quality and inner state. When Jews pronounce an owl greeting, they wish the interlocutor the best, and this applies specifically to the soul, its state. Based on this, one can easily understand why Saturday is called Shabbat Shalom, because it is a great day that teaches people to be bright from the inside, not paying attention to everything material. "More than the Jews kept the Sabbath, the Sabbath kept the Jews," religion teaches these people to honor the holy Sabbath, the "peaceful" day. Once you see Shabbat, this is a very joyful day for the entire Jewish people.
Stepan Grigoriev
Popular
Israel is a secular state, religious freedom reigns here. Every Jew in the country observes Shabbat as they wish. Some strictly follow all the rules, some do not follow them at all.
It is not necessary for tourists to observe any Jewish Sabbath norms, but they will have to be taken into account.
In hotels in Israel
In some hotels, you can observe an interesting picture - elevators whose buttons do not work. Such elevators travel automatically between floors. This is an attempt to comply with the norms of Shabbat, because you can not press the buttons.
Usually, only a few lifts in the hotel operate on this Saturday schedule, and the rest of the lifts operate as usual.
Sometimes in the corridors and lobbies of hotels, electric lights are turned off and candles are lit. Candle lighting is one of the most important Sabbath traditions in Israel.
Menus in hotel restaurants on Saturday may differ from regular days, and breakfast may not include fresh boiled eggs or toast.
Of course, each hotel chooses whether to introduce some features in honor of Shabbat or not. In any case, all hotel services are working normally, you can get any service.
On the streets of Israel
The main thing for tourists is that public transport does not work. Rail traffic is completely stopped. Bus lines are closed, with some exceptions. Ask at the reception of your hotel about which lines operate in the city of your stay on Saturday.
Some streets are completely traffic-free on Saturday. Fortunately, there are few such streets, follow the road signs.
Some cities in Israel even have special roadside electronic signs counting down the time until the start of Shabbat.
Taxis work, which somewhat softens the situation. But don't forget about the +25% surcharge on taxi services at this time.
Many attractions are closed, and there are no rules. For example, on Shabbat it is open and the area around it is overcrowded. Be interested in advance about the mode of operation of the object of interest.
All emergency services and medical facilities on Saturday work as usual.
