Gozez

From Halachipedia
This article is lacking content. It should be expanded to include some more halacha's and broader sources.

Gozez is detaching a growing part of a living creature, such as hair, nails, or skin. Therefore, pulling off or biting one’s nails or dried lip is forbidden on Shabbat.[1]

Combing Hair on Shabbat

  1. It is forbidden to brush or comb one's hair on Shabbat.[2] If a comb has soft bristles that won’t pull out hair, it is permitted to use it to gently comb a specific spot to fix the hair there but not to comb the whole head. Also, one who plans on using this leniency should have a designated comb for Shabbat so that it isn’t considered a weekday activity, uvda dchol.[3]
  2. It is permitted to gently scratch one’s head in a small area if it isn’t certain that they will pull out any hairs.[4]
  3. Women should be especially careful since they have long hair and running their hands through their hair or scratching their head vigorously will almost definitely make hair fall out.[5]
  4. However, it is perfectly fine to part one’s hair.[6]
  5. One may not braid one's hair on Shabbat.[7]

Cutting Nails

  1. It is forbidden to cut one's nails on Shabbat.[8] If one has a hangnail that is causing him pain, he may remove it with his fingers or his teeth.[9]

Dandruff

  1. It is permitted to remove pieces of dandruff from one's hair on Shabbat, but one may not detach them from one's scalp.[10]

Practical Applications

  1. Regarding removing a band aid on Shabbat and how it relates to Gozez, see the Medicine on Shabbat page.

Links

Sources

  1. ↑ 39 Melachos v. 3 p. 673, 681
  2. ↑ Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 303:27 forbids combing one’s hair on Shabbat since it’s inevitable that one will remove hair.
  3. ↑ Mishna Brurah 303:87
  4. ↑ Rama 303:27, Shemirat Shabbat Kehilchata 14:42
  5. ↑ Avnei Yashfeh 5:71:1
  6. ↑ Rama 303:26
  7. ↑ Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 303:26
  8. ↑ The shulchan aruch (340:1) says one who cuts nails on shabbos is chayav. Many ask: how can it be that the shulchan aruch holds chayav if he holds milachah sheayna tzricha ligufa is patur? The magen avraham (340:1) says we must be talking about a case where the guy wants the nails and hair which makes it a milachah shetzricha ligufo and is why the shulchan aruch says chayav. The vilna goan disagrees and says that the shulchan aruch really just feels milachah sheayna tzricha ligufo is chayav. The biur halachah proves from other milachos that this pshat of the gra is not possible. He explains the pshat in the shulchan aruch is that he is holding like the rivash. The rivash (siman 394) explains that milachah sheayna tzricha ligufo is not relevant in this discussion here. Milachah sheayna tzricha ligufo is all determined by the mishkan and in the mishkan there was sometimes hair removal to beautify the oros tichashim so this is a milachah shetzricha ligufo. Only because it is a milachah shetzricha ligufo will it be chayav.
  9. ↑ Rabbi Eli Mansour
  10. ↑ Shemirat Shabbat Kehilchata 14:49 writes that it is permitted to remove dandruff from one's head and it isn't considered borer. One may not detach them from one's head because of gozez.
Retrieved from "http://localhost:80/index.php?title=Gozez&oldid=29674"