May
one hang a wet raincoat on a washing line?
It is known that Chazal instituted certain decrees
in order to prevent people from doing mistakes. 1 They envisioned that if
people would see someone hanging wet clothes on a washing line on Shabbos, they might
think that the clothes were also laundered on Shabbos, and may come themselves to wash
clothing. They therefore forbade hanging wet clothes on washing lines. Another common rule
is, that when the decree was to prevent a Torah violation, the decree applies itself even
to the darkest of rooms, where no outside individual could possibly see.
Therefore, wet clothing may not be hung to dry on outside
washing lines or inside lines, like the ones over a bath. Even a raincoat, wet from the
rain, may not be hung up over the bath. However, one is permitted to put it in its normal
place, for example, drape it over a chair, or place it on a hanger and hang it on a door. 2
Does it make a difference whether it
got wet from the rain or if it fell into a puddle?
It is irrelevant whether it got wet from the rain or
because it fell into a puddle. So much so, the halacha is that even clothes moist
from sweat may not be hung up on the line, for the same reason. 3 It does not
mean that wet clothing must be bunched up and thrown in the corner. As mentioned before,
it may be draped over a chair etc, something one would normally do even if the clothes
were not wet.
If a sock landed inside a washing bowl,
what is its status?
The Rama 4 teaches us that wet clothing
is muktze, lest one will wring out the water. So if one’s sock or shirt lands
into a bowl of water, the sock is muktze. The Rama continues that this is
only with clothes one is particular about it being wet, but clothes that are normally wet,
or clothes one is not bothered by the fact that they are wet, are not muktze, since
there is no reason to suspect that one will squeeze out the water.
Therefore, a floor rag is not muktze when wet,
because one does not mind it being wet. It would seem that the same would apply to a wet
towel. 5
How is one supposed to put wet clothing
on a chair etc, if the clothing is muktze?
The Chofetz Chayim 6 says that as one is
removing his wet clothing, he may put them in the permitted places, but once he has let go
of them, they are muktze. So when coming in from the rain, make sure to put your drenched
socks, trousers over a chair from the onset, and not on the floor, because if you did,
there is not much you can do.
How is one supposed to wipe up a mess
on the floor on Shabbos?
We have two problems here, one, not to use something that
makes it muktze, because of mevatel k’li meheichano as mentioned in
sheet # 10. The second is that one may not use cloth one would squeeze. Therefore one
should use either paper napkins or rags which one does not usually squeeze out, and
thereby avoid the two problems mentioned.
[1] Simon 301:45
[2] Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach Ztz”l says that a wet raincoat that is never
washed with water (only dry cleaned) may be hung up, because no one will suspect that it
was laundered.
[3] Simon 301:47
[4] Simon 301:46.
[5] See Sha’ar Ha’tsiun 301:114 who brings the G’ra who says
that a towel is something one does not mind being wet.
[6] Sha’ar Ha’tsiun 301:112
Food For Thought
If someone carelessly scraped his shoe
on my Shabbos trousers, may I dust it off?
Is there a difference whether they are
Shabbos trousers or regular trousers?
Is one permitted to shake out a wet
raincoat or a wet sweater?
Shaking off dandruff, feathers?
Answers coming next week.
Vort On The Parsha
The beautiful gems and precious stones were
mentioned last in the long list of items used for the construction of the Mishkan. (25-7).
This requires an explanation, being that they were more valuable than any other
contribution.
The Ohr Hachayim says, that according to the Midrash
the stones were delivered by the clouds (nesi’im = clouds), and as such it
generated no costs for anyone and did not involve any self-sacrifice. We learn from his
precious words, that the harder it is for one to perform a mitzvah the more worthy and
praiseworthy it is in the eyes of Hashem.
The Ohr Hachayim presents another answer: The nesi’im
= leaders offered to bring to the Mishkan whatever was lacking from the general
public’s contributions. This in itself is a very grand offer, but Chazal tell us that
this type of an offer is deficient in itself, and was slightly tinged with laziness. Rav
Chayim Shmuelevitz says that a person must jump to perform a mitzvah and not sit back
waiting for it to come his way, even if there are valid reasons behind his reserves. |
