Brushing Teeth on Shabbat: Difference between revisions

*Rav Moshe Feinstein <ref> (Shu"t Iggerot Moshe Orach Chaim, 1:112) </ref> 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 <ref> (Nefesh harav 168) </ref> 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. <ref> Sh"t Yabia Omer 4:30. </ref> 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 <ref> Nefesh Harav 168.</ref> 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. <ref> (Aruch HaShulchan Yoreh Deah 83:15) </ref>

*The Tzitz Eliezer rules like Rav Moshe. <ref> Sh"t Tzitz Eliezer(7:30:8). 39 Melachos (vol 2, pg 373) also writes that using toothpaste is an issue of memarayach.</ref> 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.)

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. <ref> Hilchot Shabbat 9:11 and Maggid Mishnah there, (Kesef Mishnah on Rambam 2:11, and Mishnah Berura 330) </ref>  

*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. <ref> Iggeros Moshe (ibid.) and Minchat Yitzchak 3:48. 39 Melachos (vol 2, pg 373) agrees. </ref>

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. <ref> Shulchan Aruch 323:6 </ref>

* Therefore, some say washing the toothbrush for the next day may be this same problem. <ref>39 Melachos (vol 2, pg 373)</ref>

* Rav Ovadia, Rav Moshe, Chacham Benzion Abba Shaul all agree that washing the brush after would be asur. <ref> Iggerot Moshe ibid, Yabia Omer ibid, Or Litzion 2:253 </ref>

* 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. <ref> 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. </ref>

* 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. <ref> 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. </ref>