Bitel Kli Mehechano

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Prohibition

  1. It's forbidden to make a usable vessel into muktzah so that it forbidden to move on Shabbat because it's similar to breaking the vessel on Shabbat. [1]

Practical Cases

  1. It is forbidden to place a container underneath a dripping wax candle on Shabbat because the wax is muktzah and falling into the container will make the container muktzah. [2] One can circumvent this by placing something else important in the container as well [3] However, one can place it before Shabbat and leave it there during Shabbat. [4]
  2. One who doesn't want the sparks of the candles to fly around my place a container under the fire to catch the sparks, since they are insignificant. However, he should not put in water because then he is extinguishing the fire before it otherwise would have gone out. [5]
  3. It is permissible to remove a talit from the Tefillin bag because one is not actively ruining the use of the Tefillin bag and some are strict to put a siddur in the bag before removing the Talit. [6]

Sources

  1. Rambam Shabbat 25:23 writes that mivatel kli mehechano is a problem midirabanan because it is like destroying. Tosfot Shabbat 43a says it is like boneh. Shulchan Aruch 310:6 rules that it’s forbidden to put a vessel underneath a Muktzeh item which will fall into the vessel because one is effectively ruining the usability of the vessel on Shabbat (Mevatel Kli Mehechano). The Mishna Brurah 310:20 (quoting the Tur) writes that the prohibition involved is that it’s similar to breaking a vessel on Shabbat. Mishna Brurah 265:6 adds that it depends on whether the vessel remains Muktzeh afterwards or not.
  2. Mishnah Shabbat 3:4, opinion of Rav Chisda in Gemara Shabbat 42b-43a, Rambam Shabbat 25:23, S"A 265:3, Yalkut Yosef Shabbat vol. 1 265:1, Kitzur S"A 75:11
  3. Mishna Brura 265:6
  4. Aruch Hashulchan 265:8, Kitzur S"A 75:11
  5. Gemara Shabbat 47b, Shulchan Aruch 265:4
  6. Yalkut Yosef (Shabbat, vol 2 pg 357, 482, and 641) rules that even according to those who hold that Tefillin is Muktzeh it is permissible to remove a talit from the Tefillin bag because one is not actively ruining the use of the Tefillin bag and some are strict to put a siddur in the bag before removing the Talit. In the footnote there he writes that there are several reasons to be lenient; he writes that based on the מאירי there’s no prohibition of Mevatel Kli Mehechano when it’s only done passively. Additionally, it’s questionable whether Tefillin are mutkzah and even if they are it’s questionable whether the prohibition of Mevatel Kli Mehechano applies to Kli Sh’Melachto LeIssur (or only Muktzeh Machmat Gufo). He doesn’t explain the reason for those who are strict in the footnote.