Work Category 12, Shearing The prohibition of shearing includes all activity by which the outer covering of a human or animal is severed from its source (body). Some examples of this prohibition are: 1. Shearing or plucking wool, hair, or feathers from animals or fowl, whether they are dead or alive. 2. Shearing or plucking wool, hair, or feathers from detached skins of animals or fowl. (Therefore, one should be careful not to pluck out hair from a coat made from skins of animals). 3. Cutting off layers of skin or cuticles or scabs from one's body. 4. Paring nails. (if most of the nail is separated and the individual is in pain because of it, he is permitted to tear off the remaining part of the nail by hand but not with an implement). Combing hair with a comb or hard brush is prohibited because hair will always be pulled out. It is, however, permitted to arrange hair lightly with a soft brush that will not necessarily tear out hair, being careful not to tear hair. In addition, the soft brush is permitted on Shabbos only if it is specifically set aside for use on Shabbos. It is Biblically prohibited to pluck out two hairs or one hair if it is a white or grey hair from among dark ones in order to appear younger. The Sages prohibited to pluck out even only one hair.
Work Category 13, Cleaning The prohibition of cleaning includes all activity by which fabric are cleaned or whitened. Some examples of this prohibition are: 1. Washing or soaking garments in water, bleach, ammonia, detergent or any other cleanser. It is also prohibited to soak clean garments in water or cleanser (because they become cleaner). 2. Wringing garments to clean them. (This would also be a violation of work category 5 - Threshing- Squeezing). 3. Rubbing garments to clean them. One may use a rag or towel to wipe oneself, dishes or spilled water. However, one still has to be careful not to violate "squeezing" (see work category 5 - Threshing). 4. Shaking or brushing off dew, snow flakes, dust or earth from a garment if you would not want to wear the garment with that substance on it. Moist mud or excrement may be scraped off with a finger nail or knife but not by rubbing it. (Dry mud or excrement may not be scraped because of a violation of work category 8 - Grinding). Garments that became wet from water or perspiration may not be spread out to dry on Shabbos (because people would wrongly suspect that the garments were washed on Shabbos). One may not even spread out the garments in one's own house.
Work Category 14, Combing Raw Materials The prohibition of combing raw materials includes all activity of combing and beating wool, flax, and other materials into separate strands or fibers.
The prohibition of dyeing includes all activity which changes the color of an object or substance. Two examples of this prohibition are dyeing material and painting walls or canvases. The Sages prohibited applying nail polish, lipstick and rouge. (Applying lipstick is also a Biblical violation of work category 30 - Smoothing-Smearing). It is best not to wipe blood-stained or berry-stained hands on a cloth because it appears like dyeing. One should first try to wash it off. If he is unable to, then he is permitted to wipe his (blood-stained or berry-stained) hands on a cloth. The law of dyeing does not apply to food being prepared for eating. For example, it is permitted to add raspberry syrup to seltzer, or paprika to chicken. It is, however, prohibited to dye food to improve its appearance. (For example, as store owners do to make food look fresh).
Work Category 16, Spinning The prohibition of spinning includes all activity of processing thread from wool, flax, hair, veins etc. by drawing out, twisting, or turning. Rope-making is included in this prohibition.
Work Categories 17, 18 and 19 These three prohibited categories of work include all activity of preparing the loom and weaving. It is prohibited to weave any material, such as, wool, straw, cane, rope, etc. Also included in these prohibitions are: 1. Knitting 2. Crocheting 3. Darning 4. Embroidering 5. Basket weaving 6. Making a sieve, sifter or strainer.
Work Category 20, Separating into Threads This prohibition includes all activity of separating material into threads. Therefore, it is prohibited to unravel a knitted garment or to pull off the end thread from the border of a garment.
Work Category 21 and 22 All Sages are in agreement that tying or untying a professional knot such as a camel riders knot, or a sailors knot, is a Biblical prohibition.
Some Sages say that to tie or untie a knot which is a lasting knot (that is, it is not untied everyday) is a Biblical prohibition and others state it is a Rabbinical prohibition. It is permitted to tie or untie a non-professional knot which is made to be untied everyday. However, there are differences of opinion concerning the definition of professional and non-professional knots. We should therefore not tie or untie any knot on Shabbos. A necktie may be knotted on Shabbos (because the knot is a temporary knot and it is definitely not a professional knot). A bow may be tied or untied. Therefore, shoe laces should not be tied with a knot but with a bow. If the bow accidentally became knotted, it may be untied. Packages of food which are tied may be untied or cut if the food is needed for Shabbos.
תופר The prohibition of sewing includes all activity by which two substances are joined together as one substance in a permanent fashion by a third substance. Some examples of this prohibition are: 1. Sewing 2. Pulling a thread on a garment to tighten a seam or cuff that loosened. (One should therefore not pull any loose thread on a garment on Shabbos). 3. Pasting or gluing together materials 4. Stapling together materials 5. Welding by electric powered welders or by laser welders. (There is an added prohibition of melting, work category 11). It is, however, permitted to fasten together materials with zippers (because they do not join them permanently). Fastening with pins is also permitted.
Work Category 24, Tearing Tearing is a Biblical prohibition if the tearing is for a useful purpose. Some examples of this prohibition are: 1. Tearing apart the binding of a book in order to rebind it more securely. 2. Tearing off bathroom tissue If the tearing is done only for destructive purposes, it is a Rabbinical prohibition. It is permitted to separate pages of a book if the pages are connected by glue that accidentally fell on them during binding (since gluing was never intended). However, if by separating the pages, the words on the pages will be torn, then one must separate the pages by using the opposite hand that he would normally use. For example, a "righty" should use his left hand. The same laws apply if wax or food falls on several pages causing them to stick together. (See work category 33 - Erasing).
Work Category 25, Capturing The prohibition of capturing includes all activity by which a human restricts the movement of animals, birds, or fish. To violate the Biblical prohibition of capturing, one must satisfy these two conditions: 1. Capture animals which are usually captured, such as deer, fox, bear, etc.Also included in the definition of "animals which are usually captured" are domesticated animals or birds that rebelled and no longer return "home." Some examples of this are birds that no longer return to their cages, dogs that no longer return to their yard or dog house, and horses that no longer return to their coral. Also included in this definition are newly acquired domesticated animals or birds that have not yet been trained to return "home." 2. Trap the animal or bird into a restrictive area. The definition of "restrictive area" is one where a person would be able to reach out and grab the animal or bird or take one jump to grab them. Some examples of this are to lasso a horse, cage a bear or close a cage on a parakeet. It is a Rabbinical prohibition to capture animals or birds which are usually captured, in a place where a person cannot reach out and grab them or take one jump and grab them. Some examples of this Rabbinical prohibition are to close a coral door on a horse, shut a fence yard door on a dog that rebelled or on a neighbor's dog that entered your yard, or shut the window of a room into which a bird flew. The Rabbis, however, permit one to shut a window and thereby trap a bird in the room if it is too cold to leave the window open. It is permitted to shut the door of a room, yard or cage etc. on a domesticated animal or bird that is trained to return "home." It is a Biblical prohibition to capture fish even in a fish tank. (Also see work category 26 - Slaughtering). Setting up mice and rat traps, or fish nets on Shabbos, is prohibited. Capturing insects, such as flies, gnats, bees etc. is prohibited. But it is permitted to shut a window or door and thereby trap an insect in a room (but not in a small enclosure). It is permitted to capture an insect to prevent it from biting or stinging. A sick wild animal which cannot move may not be picked up on Shabbos. Some Sages state that this is a Biblical violation of capturing, while others state that it is a Rabbinical violation. It is also a violation of Muktzah (things forbidden to be handled on Shabbos). It is a violation of Muktzah to move an animal or bird.
Work Category 26, Slaughtering The prohibition of slaughtering includes all activity which either terminates or shortens the life of living things or causes the loss of blood even if it does not shorten life. (blood is considered a life force). Any method of killing is prohibited. This prohibition applies to all forms of life -- human, animal, bird, fish, and insect. Some examples of this prohibition are: 1. Taking fish out of water. 2. Inflicting a wound that causes bleeding or clotting. 3. Sucking out blood from any wound or cut in the gums). 4. Pressing on a wound to draw blood. 5. Placing a salve on a wound to draw blood. 6. Draining (cupping) blood. 7. Attaching a leech to the skin. Animals that present danger to life may be killed on Shabbos, even if they are running away from a human. Therefore, a rabid dog may be killed. Non-poisonous animals that injure but do not kill may be killed on Shabbos only if they are attacking a human. However, they may be captured even if they are not attacking. next | previous | table of contents
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