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Brushing Teeth on Shabbat

Mimareach

The Mishnah is Shabbat (73a) lists Memachaik as one of the avot melacha-scraping, removing a surface to leave a smooth remainder (sandpaper, scraping hairs off a piece of leather to make it smooth) Mimareach-smoothing not by eliminating surface, but by spreading something over the surface. [1]

  • Rav Moshe Feinstein [2] says that it’s definitely forbidden to use toothpaste because of mimachek, but without toothpaste it is allowed just like washing the rest of your body. Seemingly, Rav Moshe meant mimareach the toladah of mimachek. It is also possible that he meant mimachek in that you’re smoothing out your teeth by removing the plaque. Rav Soloveitchik [3] said removing dirt or plaque is certainly not mimachek just like washing dishes is permissible. Mimachek is only when you’re removing something that is part of the essence of the object itself and plaque isn’t that. So they asked him maybe you remove enamel by brushing and he said that if that were true eventually you would have no tooth left from brushing.
  • Rav Ovadia Yosef says even paste is allowed. [4] This is based on the magen avraham (316:24) that says your allowed to smear spit on the ground, since if what your smearing gets totally absorbed, therefore its not a problem of mimareach. Similarly, toothpaste doesn’t stay there for a long time. His second proof is that the Rama (Orach Chaim 326:10) doesn’t say that the problem with using a hard soap is mimareach but instead says molid, because the soap only remains there temporarily.
  • Rav Soloveitchik agreed to this [5] He says that even though the ads claim to coat your tooth for 24 hours he wasn’t convinced this was true. And even if it is true, an invisible coating isn’t enough to assur it. [6]
  • The Tzitz Eliezer rules like Rav Moshe. [7] He says that its not same as magen avraham because the spit the whole purpose is to get it into the ground, but with the toothpaste there is a purpose in the smearing even if just for a minute. (Says there’s no shiur for how long it has to be there.)

Molid

The toothpaste becoming a foamy, more fluid liquid maybe a problem of molid. This problem is raised based on Rashi(Shabbat 51a)which says its asur to squeeze or crush ice on Shabbat because of molid. [8] Shulchan Aruch however holds like the Rambam saying squeezing ice is asur because it looks like squeezing fruit which falls under the category of sechita.[9]

  • Rav Moshe Feinstein in Iggeros Moshe and Rav Yitzchak Yaakov Weiss in Minchat Yitzchak prohibit brushing teeth with toothpaste based on this also. [10]
  • Rav Ovadia in Yabia Omer 4:29 paskins like the Shulchan Aruch that Sephardim don't have to worry about molid, and says Ashkenazim should hold like the Rama and therefore brushing teeth would be asur for them. [11]
  • Rabbi Herschel Schachter says that even for Ashkenazim it should not be a problem because molid is solid to liquid not paste to liquid. [12]

Refuah

Rav Moshe Yonah Halevi Zweig raises the issue that it may be refuah on Shabbat. This is based on the Rambam who says that if you put a certain liquid in your mouth, it is prohibited to put it in if you have intention to heal, but if your intention is just for your breath then its ok. He says, that maybe since there's flouride and the brushing strengthens your teeth it may be asur. Rav Ovadia rejects this and says even if the toothpaste has flouride because even healthy people brush their teeth daily, and the gezeira of refuah doesn't apply to preventative refuah. [13]

Sechita

Gemara (Shabbat 128b) says there’s no sechita in hair since it doesn’t absorb. Rambam (Shabbat 9:11) paskins like this. However, the Maggid mishnah there says he still holds its asur derabbanan. [14]

  • Rav Moshe and Rav Yitzchak Yaakov Weiss say same with a toothbrush because the bristles are tightly packed and therefore you can’t use even liquid toothpaste and can’t wet it before. [15]
  • The Sridei Esh [16] brings a few reasons that we can be lenient with sechita with a toothbrush.
  1. Says sechita is not a problem because you're not intending to squeeze out the toothbrush so its pesik resha (a consequence that will automatically happen)dilo nicha leh (that he doesn't need) on a dirabanan. [17]
  2. He also says based that since its sechita because of dash (mifarek) and not libun, then the fact that the water or toothpaste goes to waste when you're done would be enough to allow it. [18]
  3. You can use a towel (Shabbat 147b) because if people go in they need to dry off and if you don’t let them dry off they cant wash and people cant live without washing, so too people suffer without clean teeth.
  • Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach says that the first leniency is not true because the people are happy with the squeezing of the toothpaste because that's what cleans their teeth. He also rejects the second because the liquid doesn't go to waste until after it fulfills its purpose. However, he is still mekil with regard to sechita for brushing your teeth for the third reason. [19]

Uvdin Dichol

[20] Mishna berura (314:41) says that to use a vegetable grinder to grind eggs or cheese would be uvdin dichol. Also says in (303:87) that you can't use a comb even to lightly brush your hair to one side, but instead should get a special brush for Shabbat with soft bristles so its not uvdin dichol.

  • Minchat Yitzchak ibid and Rav Ovadia say that this would be a problem unless a special toothbrush is used. [21]
  • Rav Schachter said intuitively he feels there’s no problem of uvdin dichol with brushing teeth. [22]

Chavalah

Brushing your teeth can cause the gums to bleed which is asur under the melacha of shochet. [23]

  • Rav Yitzchak Yaakov Weiss says that this would be a problem with toothbrushes especially ones with hard bristles. [24]
  • Rav Ovadia says this isn’t really a problem because people usually don’t bleed, it only happens when you don’t brush often so its davar she’eno mitkaven if you do end up bleeding. And even if one does bleed often, then its pesik reshe its not nichah leh bidarabanan and there may be room to be lenient.

Hachanah

Gemara Shabbat (118a) says you can wash dinner and lunch dishes because you need it for the next meal, but you can’t wash dishes from seudat shlishit because that’s preparing for after Shabbat. [25]

  • Therefore, some say washing the toothbrush for the next day may be this same problem. [26]
  • Rav Ovadia, Rav Moshe, Chacham Benzion Abba Shaul all agree that washing the brush after would be asur. [27]
  • Rav Shlomo Zalman (28:81) says if you normally do something, and its no tircha you can do it on Shabbat, even if theres a benefit for the next day as long as you don’t specifically say its for the next day. [28]
  • Rav Schachter also allows this because people don’t clean it to have it clean for after Shabbat but because people don’t want dirty toothbrushes lying around. [29]


Sources

  1. ↑ (Rambam Hilchot Shabbat 11:5,6)
  2. ↑ (Shu"t Iggerot Moshe Orach Chaim, 1:112)
  3. ↑ (Nefesh harav 168)
  4. ↑ Sh"t Yabia Omer 4:30.
  5. ↑ Nefesh Harav 168.
  6. ↑ (Aruch HaShulchan Yoreh Deah 83:15)
  7. ↑ Sh"t Tzitz Eliezer(7:30:8). 39 Melachos (vol 2, pg 373) also writes that using toothpaste is an issue of memarayach.
  8. ↑ (a dirabanan issur of changing form because it’s so creative it’s like a quasi-melacha.(Shu”t Maharal Diskin 66)
  9. ↑ Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 320:9 based on Rambam Mishneh Torah Hilchot Shabbat 21:13. This same machloket applies to the permissibility of using a bar of soap. Shulchan Aruch (326:10) permits it, but the Rama there forbids it because of molid.
  10. ↑ Iggeros Moshe ibid, Minchat Yitzchak (3:50)
  11. ↑ Yabia Omer Orach Chaim 4:28
  12. ↑ Rav Schachter is quoted by Rabbi Aryeh Leibowitz between 2:30 and 3:30 http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/752802/Rabbi_Aryeh_Lebowitz/Ten_Minute_Halacha_-_Brushing_Teeth_on_Shabbos
  13. ↑ Rabbi Zweig in Ohel Moshe (2:98) is quoted by yabia omer (Yabia Omer Orach Chaim 4:29) as comparing it to the Rambam in Hilchot Shabbat 21:24 which discusses the issue of refuah.
  14. ↑ Hilchot Shabbat 9:11 and Maggid Mishnah there, (Kesef Mishnah on Rambam 2:11, and Mishnah Berura 330)
  15. ↑ Iggeros Moshe (ibid.) and Minchat Yitzchak 3:48. 39 Melachos (vol 2, pg 373) agrees.
  16. ↑ Sridei Esh 1:30
  17. ↑ The source to be mekil in that case is based on Magen avraham orach chaim (253:41) and Shu”t terumat hadeshen 64. However, Rama 316:3 disagrees with this assumption
  18. ↑ It is a problem of dash and not libun because the Magen Avraham Seif Katan 19 on shulchan aruch 320:15 says that if the garments main function is to absorb the liquid, (which a toothbrush is) then there is no concern that he will come to launder it). In that case, if the liquid goes to waste after violating dash, then it is permitted. (Shulchan Aruch Orach chaim 320)
  19. ↑ Rav Shlomo Zalman's opinion is written in a letter in response to the sridei esh that's quoted in Siman 34 of the Sridei Esh.
  20. ↑ There is no clear definition of what uvdin dichol is. However, Rav Shlomo Zalman defines it as if you do something during the week that would be assur on Shabbat and then on Shabbat do the same actions with the same objects just a little differently. (Rav Shlomo Zalman Meor Hasshabbat Letter 2:2) Rav Moshe (Iggerot Moshe 4:74) defines it as something that is an easily recognizable weekday activity even if it requires no melachot to be done.
  21. ↑ Seemingly then Rav Ovadia would be using a definition of uvdin dichol other than the one's of Rav Shlomo Zalman and Rav Moshe, because for them there is no way to violate uvdin dichol on an action that's permissible during the week.
  22. ↑ Quoted by Rabbi Leibowitz ibid, using the rule that the Chazon Ish said that the parameters of uvdin dichol are defined by the poskim of each generation (39 melachos, Introduction to Shabbos endnote 522)
  23. ↑ Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 316:8, Mishnah Berurah 30 Mishnah Berurah 328:147; 39 Melochos, p. 893-94.
  24. ↑ Minchat Yitzchak 3:50
  25. ↑ Shulchan Aruch 323:6
  26. ↑ 39 Melachos (vol 2, pg 373)
  27. ↑ Iggerot Moshe ibid, Yabia Omer ibid, Or Litzion 2:253
  28. ↑ Shmirat Shabbat Kihilchitah 28:81(For example: you can bring your tallet home after shul, you can put a sefer back in its place, put a bottle of water back in the fridge) This can also be applied to a toothbrush (This point is raised by Yalkut Yosef 326: 27) although he disagrees.
  29. ↑ Quoted by Rabbi Aryeh Leibowitz http://www.bknw.org/pafiledb/uploads/Brushing%20Teeth%20on%20Shabbos.pdf This is based on a psak by Mishnah berura 302:19 which allows making beds for the same reason.
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