Brushing Teeth on Shabbat
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Brushing Teeth on Shabbat
The following is a discussion of the various potential halachic concerns regarding brushing one's teeth on shabbat.
Mimachaik / Mimareach
The Mishnah in Shabbat (73a) lists Memachaik (lit: scraping) as one of the avot melacha, scraping a surface to leave a smooth remainder (e.g. sandpaper, scraping hairs off a hide of leather). The Mishnah Shabbat (146a) also discusses a toldah or derivative of mamaechaik known as mimareach (lit: smoothing), which is accomplished not by scraping down a surface, but rather by spreading a malleable substance (e.g. wax) over a surface.[1]
There are two potential memacheik concerns regarding brushing teeth on shabbat:
- Removing the plaque and dirt from the teeth and thereby smoothing them out (av melacha of memachaik).
- Spreading out the toothpaste over the surface of your teeth (toldah of mimareach).
- Rav Moshe Feinstein prohibits using toothpaste due to "mimachaik", but permits brushing without toothpaste, as this is just like washing the rest of your body.[3]
- Rav Ovadia Yosef permits even brushing with toothpaste.[4]
- The Tzitz Eliezer rules stringently like Rav Moshe.[5]
- Rav Soloveitchik rules leniently like Rav Ovadia.[6]
Molid
The toothpaste becoming more foamy and fluid may be a problem of molid. Molid is the rabbinic prohibition of creating a new substance (or more precisely, changing the form of a substance), which is based on the gemara (Shabbat 51a) that prohibits crushing ice into water on shabbat.[7]
- Rav Yitzchak Yaakov Weiss[8] prohibits brushing teeth with toothpaste for this reason, among others.
- Rav Ovadia[9] paskens like the Shulchan Aruch that Sephardim don't have to worry about molid.
- He adds that Ashkenazim should hold like the Rema, so using toothpaste is forbidden for them.[10]
- Rabbi Herschel Schachter[11] holds that even for Ashkenazim it should not be a problem of molid.
- The whole concern of molid is only from solid to liquid, not from paste to liquid.
Refuah
Brushing one's teeth may be a problem of preventative medicine on shabbat, thereby violating the rabbinic decree against refuah on Shabbat.
- Rav Moshe Yonah Halevi Zweig raises this possibility.
- Perhaps since toothpaste contains flouride, which strengthens one's teeth and can be viewed as preventative medicine, it should be prohibited.
- Rav Ovadia rejects this.
Sechita
Brushing one's teeth may be a problem of sechita (lit: squeezing), since in the process of brushing, one squeezes absorbed water out of the bristles.[13]
- Rav Moshe thinks that one should not wet the brush with water before use.[14]
- Rav Yitzchak Yaakov Weiss agrees.[15]
- The Sridei Esh culls together a few reasons for why we need not be concerned with sechita here.[16]
- Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach rejects numerous of the Sridei Esh's leniencies.[17]
Uvdin Dichol
While there is no clear definition of what uvdin dichol (lit: weekday activity) actually is, the general idea is that on shabbat one should refrain from activities that are deemed to be "weekday" activities.[18]
- Rav Yitzchak Yaakov Weiss and Rav Ovadya say that this would be a problem unless a special toothbrush is used.[19]
- Rav Schachter thinks there’s no problem of uvdin dichol with using the same toothbrush as during the week.[20]
Chavalah
Brushing your teeth can cause the gums to bleed, thereby violating the tolda known as chavala (lit: bruising), which according to most rishonim is under the melacha of shochet.[21]
- Rav Yitzchak Yaakov Weiss thinks this is a concern with toothbrushes, especially ones with hard bristles.[22]
- Rav Ovadia says this isn’t really a problem because people usually don’t bleed.[23]
Hachanah
Hachana is the prohibition of preparing from one Shabbat or Yom Tov to a weekday, or to another Shabbat or Yom Tov. Based on this consideration, perhaps washing the toothbrush (after brushing) in order to clean it for the next day should be prohibited.
- Rav Ovadia, Rav Moshe, and Chacham Benzion Abba Shaul all agree that this would violate hachana.[24]
- Rav Shlomo Zalman thinks there is no hachana issue here.[25]
- Rav Schachter also allows cleaning the toothbrush after use.[26]
Halachic Summary
- Some poskim permit brushing one’s teeth on Shabbat, while some forbid doing so. Some poskim hold that if one does brush his teeth on Shabbat, he should use liquid toothpaste.[27]
- It is permitted to use mouthwash on Shabbat.[28]
Links
- Article on Brushing Teeth on Shabbos and Ten Minute Halacha: Brushing Teeth on Shabbos by Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz
- Article on Brushing Teeth from Zomet
Related Pages
Sources
- ↑ Rambam Hilchot Shabbat 11:5,6
- ↑ Nefesh Harav p. 168. In a funny anecdote, Rav Schachter recalls how one of the talmidim asked Rav Soloveitchik that perhaps brushing teeth on shabbat should be prohibited because enamel is removed via the brushing, and he responded that if that were true, then eventually you would have no tooth left from brushing, so obviously that is not the case (to any degree which the halacha would deem significant).
- ↑ Sh"t Iggerot Moshe Orach Chaim, 1:112. Seemingly, Rav Moshe meant mimareach, the toladah of mimachek, and this is why he only prohibited brushing with toothpaste but permitted brushing without toothpase.
- ↑ Sh"t Yabia Omer 4:30. This is based on the Magen Avraham (316:24), that one is allowed to smear spit on the ground since it gets totally absorbed in the ground and so is not considered to be smoothed out in any significant way. Similarly, toothpaste doesn’t stay on the teeth for a long time, but rather gets absorbed. His second proof is that the Rama (Orach Chaim 326:10) prohibits washing one's hands with hard soap due to molid, but does not mention anything about mimareach, presumably because the soap only remains on one's hands temporarily.
- ↑ Sh"t Tzitz Eliezer(7:30:8). Brushing teeth is not subject to the same leniency as the case of the Magen Avraham. There, the whole purpose of rubbing the spit on the ground is to get it absorbed into the ground, and so that's why the smoothing is deemed insignificant. But with toothpaste, there is a purpose in the smearing itself on the teeth, even if just for a minute, and so the smearing itself is significant. The 39 Melachos (vol 2, pg 373) also paskens this way.
- ↑ Nefesh Harav 168. Even though the toothpaste companies claim that the paste coats the tooth for 24 hours, Rav Soloveitchik wasn’t convinced that this was true. And even if it is true, an invisible coating isn’t halachically significant (see Aruch HaShulchan Yoreh Deah 83:15).
- ↑ This is based on Rashi's interpretation of the gemara there that turning the ice into water is "דמי למלאכה, שבורא המים האלו" - it is similar to creative labor since you are creating the water. Other rishonim understand this gemara as being a narrow decree limited to not squeezing ice into water, lest one come to squeeze fruit for their juice and thereby violate sechita. See Rambam Mishneh Torah Hilchot Shabbat 21:13. According to these rishonim, there would thus be no source for a rabbinic prohibition of molid. The Shulchan Aruch (OC 318:16) paskens leniently, that one is allowed to place fully cooked solid food close to a fire, even though the congealed fats will melt into liquid. However, the Rema ibid. rules stringently, that one should not place the solid food near the fire in a way that will cause it to liquify, except in cases of need. 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, since the solid bar of soap will liquify through use.
- ↑ Minchat Yitzchak (3:50)
- ↑ Yabia Omer OC 4:29
- ↑ Yabia Omer Orach Chaim 4:28
- ↑ 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
- ↑ 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. There the Rambam writes "אֵין לוֹעֲסִין אֶת הַמַּסְטְכִי וְאֵין שָׁפִין אֶת הַשִּׁנַּיִם בְּסַם בְּשַׁבָּת בִּזְמַן שֶׁנִּתְכַּוֵּן לִרְפוּאָה. וְאִם נִתְכַּוֵּן לְרֵיחַ הַפֶּה מֻתָּר" - one may not chew gum or brush his teeth with herbs on shabbat if his intention is for healing, but if his intention is to freshen his breath then it's muttar. This is based on the tosefta shabbat 13:7, which is cited by the Rif shabbat (41a in the dapei harif). One who brushes one's teeth doesn't simply have intention to freshen his breath, but also has intention to strengthen his teeth.
- ↑ The Gemara (Shabbat 128b) says that there's no problem of sechita in hair - אין סחיטה בשער, presumably since it doesn’t absorb. Rambam (Shabbat 9:11) paskens this gemara. However, the Maggid Mishnah ibid says that it is still asur derabbanan. It is unclear where exactly the Maggid Mishnah knew this from. Presumably, the rationale is that there is a rabbinic decree not to squeeze hair, even though it doesn't absorb, lest you come to squeeze something else which does absorb. Kesef Mishnah on Rambam 2:11 seems to concur with this ruling of the Maggid Mishnah. See also Mishna Brurah siman 330 s.k. 7. Since l'halacha we hold that one is prohibited from squeezing out hair, despite it's being relatively non-absorbant, there is thus reason to suspect that this gezeira drabanan would apply by a tooshbrush as well.
- ↑ Igros Moshe (OC 1:112). He is concerned that if the brush is wet, then during use you will squeeze out some of the water and thereby violate the isur drabanan of שחיטה בשיער. See above section on memareach, where we cite Rav Moshe's position that using toothpaste is also forbidden.
- ↑ Minchat Yitzchak 3:48. See 39 Melachos (V2, Pg 372), who explains that because the bristles are fine and tightly packed, they are thus similar to hair, and so the isur derabanan should apply to them as well.
- ↑ Sridei Esh 1:30 (in 1999 Jerusalem version, and 1:28 in the older version) gives a few reasons for leniency. (1) Your goal here is not to squeeze the water out of the brush, so this is a psik reisha (an automatic consequence that isn't one's intention) on an isur dirabanan. The source to be mekil for a psik reisha on an isur drabanan is the Shu”t terumat hadeshen siman 64, which the Magen Avraham (OC 253:41) relies upon regarding the prohibition of amira l'akum (telling a non-Jew to do melacha for you on shabbos). [However, this is a very weak basis for leniency, because the Magen Avraham elsewhere (OC 314:1) explicitly rejects the terumat hadeshen, and paskens that we are strict regarding psik reisha on a drabanan. Clearly then, the Magen Avraham was only willing to be lenient in a case of amira l'akum, but not for other isurei drabanan, as the Machatzis Hashekel to 253:41 explains.] (2) In general sechita (squeezing) can be a toldah of either dosh (threshing) or milabein (whitening). For example, one who squeezes juice out of a fruit violates dosh, whereas one who squeeses a garment from the liquid it was just laundered in violates milabein. One violates milabein even if they have no need for the liquid being squeezed out, since it is still cleaning the garment. However, to violate dosh, one has to need the liquid being squeezed out, just like when one threshes they are extracting the kernel from the husk. Here, the water being squeezed out of the bristles is הולך לאיבוד, meaning that it goes to waste, and you have no interest in it. Thus there is no concern of sechita as a toldah of dosh. In terms of sechita as a toldah of milabein, the Seridei Eish claims that since the toothbrush is meant to get wet, there is no problem of sechita as a toldah of milabein either. He bases this on the Magen Avraham Seif Katan 19 on shulchan aruch 320:15, who says that if a garment is meant to get wet then there is no concern that one will come to launder it. [This too is a bad proof, because all the Magen Avraham is saying there is that we aren't concerned lest you come to squeeze the garment, since it is meant to get wet so you don't care if it's wet. He is not saying that you are allowed to squeeze it. Squeezing it would certainly violate milabein, it's just that we are not concerned you will come to squeeze it, and so you are allowed to get it wet in the first place.] (3) The Rambam 22:15 paskens (codifying the Mishnah Shabbat 143a) that one is allowed to use a sponge if it has a handle, but if it doesn't have a handle then it's prohibited because of sechita, since one will inevitably squeeze water out of the sponge. The Ra'avad ibid is bothered with a question - if the sponge has a handle, you will still squeeze water out of the sponge, so why should having a handle permit it!? He answers that if the sponge has a handle, we view the sponge as if it's just a cup full of water and you are pouring out the water, which is certainly permitted. The handle allows us to view the sponge in this way, as opposed to viewing it as squeezing out absorbed water. Presumably, this answer of the Ra'avad can work here too, since the toothbrush has a handle. (4) You can use a towel to dry off (Shabbat 147b), even though we should have been concerned that you might come to squeeze it out (like we are concerned in other cases), because chazal were lenient that if we prohibit drying with a towel then people won't even wash (since they won't want to wash if they know they won't be able to towel-dry), and it's very difficult for people to not wash (אי אפשר לעמוד בלא רחיצה). In a similar vein, it is difficult for people to not brush their teeth and so perhaps we can apply similar reasoning to permit it. However, the Seridei Eish acknowledges that אין מדמין שבות לשבות (you can't really compare one isur drabanan to another), and so this last reason is not in-and-of-itself a solid basis for leniency.
- ↑ 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. He rejects the first leniency (פסיק רישא דלא ניחא ליה), since people are happy with the squeezing of the water out of the brush,as this helps facilitate cleaning their teeth. He rejects the second leniency (הולך לאיבוד) because the liquid doesn't go to waste until after it fulfills its purpose of helping to clean your teeth. However, he is still lenient due to the third reason (the toothbrush has a handle and so is similar to the case of ספוג שיש לו בית אחיזה).
- ↑ See Dirshu Mishna Brurah (siman 321 footnote 48), in which various opinions are cited:
Rav Shlomo Zalman (Meor Hasshabbat Letter 2:2) defines it as follows: if you do something during the week that would be assur on Shabbat, and then on Shabbat you do the same actions with the same objects but just a modify the action slightly in order to get around the melacha concerns, this would still be prohibited due to uvdin d'chol.
Rav Moshe (Iggerot Moshe 4:74, tochein 4) defines it as something that is an easily recognizable weekday activity, and it doesn't appear like you are doing it in a more haphazard way - שהמלאכה נעשית על ידי זה טובה כמלאכה קבועה דעושין בחול ולא ניכר עניין עשיית עראי שנעשית בלא קפידא כל כך על המלאכה שתעשה יפה.
Mishna Brurah (314:41) says that to chop up wood into big pieces would be uvdin d'chol. The Mishna Brurah in 321:36 he explains that the reason why the Shulchan Aruch (321:10) prohibits using a grinder to grind cheese is because of uvdin dichol. The Mishna Brurah in 321:45 says that using a vegetable grinder to grind up onions would violate uvdin d'chol (besides for tochein). He 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 as not to violate uvdin dichol.
- ↑ Minchat Yitzchak 3:50. Yalkut Yosef 326:15. Seemingly, they are using a different definition of uvdin d'chol than Rav Shlomo Zalman and Rav Moshe, because for RSZ and Rav Moshe there is no way to violate uvdin d'chol on an action that's permissible during the week.
- ↑ Quoted by Rabbi Lebowitz, 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).
- ↑ Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 316:8, Mishna Brurah ibid s.k. 30. Mishna Brurah 328:147; 39 Melochos, p. 893-94.
- ↑ Minchat Yitzchak 3:50
- ↑ Yabia Omer 4:29. Since it is not certain that bleeding will result from brushing your teeth, if you do end up bleeding this is considered a davar she’eno mitkaven, meaning it is an undesired consequence that was not a guarantee, and so is completely mutar.
- ↑ Iggerot Moshe 1:112, Yabia Omer 4:30, Or Litzion 2:253. See also 39 Melachos (vol 2, pg 373).
- ↑ Shmirat Shabbat Kihilchitah 28:81 cites from Rav Shlomo Zalmen that if you normally do something as part of normal usage of an object, and that thing involves no tircha (difficulty), then you can do it on Shabbat even if there's a benefit for the next day, as long as you don’t specifically say that you are doing it for the next day. For example: you can bring your tallit home after shul; you can put a sefer back in its place after learning from it; you can put a bottle of water back in the fridge if you are done drinking. This can also be applied to a toothbrush in order to be lenient (this point is raised by Yalkut Yosef 326: 27, although he disagrees).
- ↑ Quoted by Rabbi Aryeh Leibowitz in an article on yutorah.org. He reasons that people don’t rinse their toothbrush in order to have it clean for when they next use it after Shabbat, but rather because they don’t want dirty toothbrushes lying around. This is based on a psak by Mishna Brurah 302:19, which allows one to make one's bed on Shabbat for the same reason.
- ↑
- Memarei’ach: The Gemara (146a) states that if one smears wax in order to seal a barrel, he violates Memarei’ach, which the Rambam (Shabbat 11:6) explains is a Toldah of Memachaik (smoothing hides).
- Rav Soloveitchik (quoted in Nefesh HaRav p. 168-9) held that Memarei’ach applies only if one smears a substance onto something else and it forms a new layer; however, the toothpaste dissolves within minutes and thus does not pose an issue of Memarei’ach.
- Rav Ovadia Yosef (Yabia Omer 4:27) agrees. He supports this position from the Magen Avraham (316:24), who writes that Memarei’ach applies only if one wants to smooth one substance onto another, but not if one merely smears saliva on the ground in order for it to be absorbed. The Tzitz Eliezer 7:30:8 rejects this proof, because smoothing out the saliva doesn’t accomplish anything, but smoothing the toothpaste does serve to clean one’s teeth.
- Rav Ovadia adds that perhaps it is similar to the Rambam (Responsa 339), who permitted using soap on Shabbat and was not concerned with Memarei’ach. Yet Mishna Brurah 326:30 quotes the Tiferet Yisrael, who thinks that there also is a prohibition of Memarei’ach in using soap on Shabbat.
- Rav Moshe Feinstein (Igrot Moshe 1:112) writes that using toothpaste is a violation of Memachaik. Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz (“Brushing Teeth on Shabbos”) points out that most likely Rav Moshe meant Memarei’ach, as there is no scraping or sanding done to the teeth that would constitute Memachaik. Minchat Yitzchak 3:48 agrees.
- Ohr Letzion (v. 2, 35:6) writes that Memarei’ach can be avoided using liquid toothpaste. While this seems to be the opinion of Shemirat Shabbat KeHilchata (ch. 14 n. 49 and 102), it is disputed by Tzitz Eliezer (7:30) who argues that Memarei’ach can even apply to liquids.
- Molid: The Gemara (Shabbat 51b) states that one may not crush ice in order to produce water on Shabbat. Rashi (s.v. Kedei) explains that it is rabbinically forbidden because the “creating” water is similar to a melacha. The Rashba (s.v. VeLi) however, argues that the prohibition is because it is similar to squeezing fruits.
- The Rama 326:10 rules that it is forbidden to use soap on Shabbat because of Molid. Ginat Veradim 3:14 argues that not only according to the Rashba is it permitted, but even according to Rashi there’s no Molid, since the soap is nullified by the water and there isn’t any noticeable new formation. Yabia Omer 4:28 applies this logic to toothpaste. Menuchat Ahava (v. 2, p. 119) suggests that Molid may not apply in this case where the transformation isn’t visible since it happens in one’s mouth.
- Rabbi Hershel Schachter (quoted by Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz) says that there is an issue of Molid only when changing a solid into a liquid or visa versa, but not if one is changing a quasi-solid paste to a quasi-liquid foam. Ketzot HaShulchan (v. 7 p. 99) agrees.
- Refuah: Rav Ovadia Yosef (4:29:16) explains that there is no concern of Refuah, since brushing one’s teeth does not heal or remove pain but rather prevents cavities and illnesses. He maintains that this is permitted not only according to the Beit Yosef 328:37, who permits a healthy person to take medicine, but even according to the Magen Avraham 328:43, who rejects the Beit Yosef’s position, because brushing teeth is not clearly a medicinal activity. Ketzot HaShulchan (v. 7 p. 99) and Ohr Letzion (v. 2, 35:6) agree.
- Sechitah: Rav Moshe Feinstein (1:112) writes that it is preferable not to wet the brush to avoid the Melacha of Sechitah, wringing out a liquid from a solid. Rav Hershel Schachter (oral communication) holds that squeezing out hair is only d’rabanan since it appears like it absorbs liquid; bristles, however, are stiff and clearly don’t look like they absorb liquid. Seridei Eish 1:30, Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (quoted in Seridei Eish), and Rav Ovadia agree.
- Uvda DeChol: Ketzot HaShulchan (v. 7 p. 99) writes that using a toothbrush is considered Uvda DeChol. Rav Hershel Schachter (quoted by Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz), however, holds that there is no issue of Uvda DeChol. Rav Ovadia 4:30 says that it may be a tzorech Shabbat, in which case Uvda DeChol does not apply.
- Hachanah: Rav Moshe writes that one should not clean off the brush after using it because there’s no use for it until after Shabbat. Yabia Omer 4:30 agrees. Rav Hershel Schachter (cited by Rabbi Lebowitz), though, permits cleaning the brush since people generally do so after brushing because it is unappealing to leave a dirty toothbrush lying around.
- Chavalah: Minchat Yitzchak 3:48 writes that since it is hard to be careful not to make oneself bleed, one should not brush so as not to violate Chavalah. Rav Ovadia 4:29 writes that this is an issue only for someone who rarely brushes and almost certainly will bleed; otherwise, it is considered a davar she’eino mitkavein and is permitted.
- ↑ Be’eir Moshe 1:34:7 permits using mouthwash, as he maintains that Molid Rei’ach does not apply to a person’s body. Rivevot Efraim 2:115:23 agrees.
