Brushing Teeth on Shabbat: Difference between revisions

Rav Ovadia Yosef says even paste is allowed. <ref> Shu"t Yabia Omer 4:30. 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. </ref> Rav Soloveitchik agreed to this <ref> Nefesh Harav 168. 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. (Aruch Hashulchan Yoreh Deah 83:15) </ref>

The Tzitz Eliezer rules like Rav Moshe. <ref> Shu"t Tzitz Eliezer(7:30:8). 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) <ref/>  

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