Power Up!

A story of trickery and deception and how we discover our most powerful and often overlooked tool to build faith, in ourself, others & G-d)!

Question 1) Is it OK to scrub your leather shoes to get mud off them?

Question 2) What about to clean your couch with some water?

Question 3) Are you allowed to wash a metal pot on Shabbos?

Question 4) Is it OK to remove a stain a baby has made on your shirt by rubbing it, even without water?

Question 5) What about shaking out a wet coat after coming in from the rain?

Cleansing absorbent materials that have absorbed soil grime or other impurities is the melacha of Scouring.

Any type of washing, soaking, squeezing or even scrubbing a material that is dry is included in this melacha.

It applies to any soft or pliant materials including natural or synthetic fabrics, leathers or canvas materials.

It applies to non garments too, so it's also a problem to wash or the like to carpets, leather and fabric upholstery, or string.

The melacha applies even if the stains are not removed but only improved, eg its not ok to dab water onto a wine stain on a blouse to dilute the stain because causing a stain to fade is a significant improvement to the garment.

It is only a problem with pliable or porous materials so hard completely non absorbent materials like glass, ceramic, wood etc are not included, as they don't absorb any tangible dirt or grime. 

This explains why it's ok to wash dishes, pots and pans on shabbos (assuming they are needed for shabbos use, you don't pour boiling hot water onto the grease, and it's done with a type of sponge that's acceptable, ie don't use a wet sponge or rag!).

There are 3 methods through which 1 can violate this melacha:

1) Soaking

When liquid saturates a cloth it has the effect of loosening soil and stains.

So, soaking a fabric in any clear liquid is a problem even if no scrubbing or squeezing is done, and even if the stain doesn't disappear, eg, you can't sprinkle water onto a clean shirt.

Paper napkins and paper towels (that has been pre cut before shabbos) may be wetted for wiping a counter top, but don't squeeze them while wiping.

2) Scrubbing

Rubbing or scrubbing a garment even when dry to remove a stain is the melacha because the friction of the scrubbing forces out dirt. This can be whether you scrub with a brush, another part of the garment or even with your hands, eg one can't remove a stain by folding over part of the garment and rubbing it against your skin. 

Even to rub a leather belt clean is a problem!

3) Squeezing

Squeezing or exerting strong pressure on a wet fabric effectively flushes out the saturated moisture, eg squeezing, wringing etc.

Any form of forcing out liquid is a problem even by vigorous shaking, so one mustn't shake out their wet raincoat.

Note, a plastic raincoat could be, as it's non absorbent.

Even to walk or step on carpet that's wet to press out the moisture isn't ok!

The way to deal with a spill is to gently place paper towels over the area to absorb the surface liquid.

It's not ok to use a mop as it's designed to be wrung out regularly.

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Question 1) Pulling out a grey hair on Shabbos, ok?

Question 2) What about tweezing eyebrows?

Question 3) How about pulling a hair from a fur coat?

Question 4) Removing feathers from a cooked chicken??

Question 5) Is it always OK to comb hair on Shabbos?

Question 6) How can you remove nits on Shabbos?

Gum?!

This "melacha" is the first in a group of 13 that comprises the essential steps in the processing of wool fabrics and garments.

Shearing the wool of a sheep is the 1st stage in the manufacture of woolen garments.

It can be *defined as the severing or uprooting of any growing part of the body of any creature*, even one no longer alive.

Also included is *cutting or tweeting hair from one's head or body.*

Even cutting a single hair is this "melacha".

Biting or pulling out hair is also prohibited.

*Tweezing eyebrows or other excess hair or using a hair remover isn't ok.*

As a dead animal is included in this "melacha" you can't pull a hair from a natural fur.

But, it's *ok to remove feathers from a cooked chicken* for various reasons, including that the cooking causes the feathers and hair to loosen their grip and come off easily, therefore they are considered "flicked" through the cooking.

*Cutting or brushing hair is this "melacha", as it will inevitably pull out hair.*

In order to *brush hair in a permissable* way;

1) use a *soft bristle brush* as the bristles usually bend.

2) use in a *gentle way*.

3) designate a *special shabbos brush* (due to a different issue).

However if someone knows their hair will come out no matter what, this wouldn't help.

*Nits* would appear to be a similar issue. The way to deal with this is to remove them *without any comb in a gentle way so it's not being tugged from its roots.*

This can be done by gently grasping the long strand of hair with one's thumb and forefinger, between the root and the knit while sliding the nit upwards and out of the hair with the thumbnail and forefinger of another hand.

Additionally, shampoos should not be used.

What would you say about *removing gum* from hair?!

It can't be forcibly pulled out as it will definitely cause hair to be pulled out.

Possible solution is to apply *ice to the spot where the gum is embedded which usually causes the gum to harden and lose some of its stickiness and after a couple of minutes should slide off without pulling hair!* A few drops of oil could accomplish the same result.

And.. what about removing a bandaid/plaster from male skin?!

Try using oil or nail polish remover to devolve the adhesive. Otherwise leave plaster on till after Shabbos.

*Cutting or removing fingernails or toenails is a problem*, or even a part of a nail.

Similarly, one shouldn't remove a wart, a pimple or even loose bits of dried skin.

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