General Laws of Muktzeh: Difference between revisions

# The Rabbis forbad moving certain items on Shabbat in order that one’s actions on Shabbat will be distinguished from the rest of the week. <Ref>Mishna Brurah (Intro to Siman 308) quoting the Rambam (Shabbat 24:12)</ref>

# There’s two general categories of Muktzeh 1)severe Muktzeh and 2)light Muktzeh. In general, items that never used on Shabbat are considered severe Muktzeh, while items that are sometimes used as considered light Muktzeh (see further). <Ref> The Weekly Halacha Discussion (vol 2 pg 335) breaks up Muktzeh into these two general categories. </ref>

# Certain items that Chazal excluded from the laws of Muktzeh altogether are non-Muktzeh. <Ref> see further; Tiltulei Shabbat (pg 19) </ref>

# It’s permissible to move or touch a non-Muktzeh item even for no purpose at all. <Ref>S”A 308:4 rules that holy books and food may be moved for no purpose at all as they weren’t included in the gezerah of Muktzeh at all. Tiltulei Shabbat (pg 18) </ref>

* Food Utensils including dishes, glasses, and silverware <ref> Mishna Brurah 308:23 rules that food utensils may be moved even for no purpose at all even though some authorities hold that food utensils are considered Kli Sh’Melachto LeHeter and not non-Muktzeh. [Since the language of Mishna Brurah is the utensils that are on the table and used often aren’t Muktzeh seemingly including serving utensils.] So rules Tiltulei Shabbat (pg 19) (with the language of many authorities versus some authorities). Menuchat Ahava 12:2 rules leniently but adds that it's preferable to be strict. </ref>

* Sefarim (holy books which are permissible to read) <ref> S”A 308:4 writes that Kitvei Kodesh, holy books, are non-Muktzeh. Mishna Brurah 308:22 adds that the Pri Megadim and Eliyah Rabba consider a megillah in this category even though the Pri Chadash 688:6 considers it Muktzeh (See Sharei Teshuva 308:2). The Tiltulei Shabbat (pg 32) also rules leniently. </ref>

* clothing that will be used on Shabbat <ref> Shalmei Yehuda 4:1 writes that clothing that will be used on Shabbat is considered non-Muktzeh according to all, while clothing that won’t be used on Shabbat, some consider it non-Muktzeh while others consider it Kli Sh’Melachto LeHeter. Shemirat Shabbat KeHilchata 20:83 rules like the Kesot HaShulchan (Badei HaShulchan 108:7) who holds that clothing are considered non-muktzah like food. Nachalat Yisrael 1:7 (pg 3), Mechaze Eliyahu 45, and Shevut Yitzchak (Muktzah pg 85) quoting Rav Elayshiv agree. Yalkut Yosef (vol 2, pg 463) is also lenient regarding clothing. See also Meiri 124b D"H Kli (quoted by Nachalat Yisrael by 140) who considers clothes as a Kli SheMelacha LeHeter.</ref>

* serving utensils <ref> Shalmei Yehuda 6:1 writes in the name of Rav Elyashiv and another Talmid Chacham that the exception from the laws of Muktzeh includes anything that’s always used on Shabbat such as a chair, a house key, tablecloth, empty bottle, talit bag. If so, certainly serving utensils are also included. </ref>

# Some say it’s permissible to move a Muktzeh item which has a permissible item on top of it from Ben HaShemashot, while others hold that one may only move a Muktzeh item if there’s the specifically designated item on or in that Muktzeh item, for example, one may move a cooking pot if there was food in it from before Shabbat. <Ref>S”A 308:5 writes that it’s permissible if there’s some permissible item on the Muktzeh from Ben HaShemashot. However, Mishna Brurah 308:26 writes that this is a dispute in the Rishonim and many achronim hold that the above leniency only applies to moving a corpse, yet all agree that one may only move Muktzeh if there was the designated permissible item on it from Ben HaShemashot such as food in a cooking pot. </ref>

# A purse which is made to hold money if there’s no money inside is considered a Kli Sh’Melachto LeIssur and so if there’s a key inside one may open it to take out the key. <Ref>Shemirat Shabbat KeHilchata 20:16 </ref>

# Generally the more valuable item is the one which is considered more important. However, many opinions hold that if an non-muktzah object is needed for that Shabbat it is considered more important. <ref>

Halachos of Muktzah (by Rabbi Bodner, pg 309, answers of Rav Moshe Feinstein #31, to see it inside [http://books.google.com/books?id=bAevcHQwPbsC&printsec=frontcover&dq=laws+of+muktzah&hl=en&ei=XMMATvnWDauu0AHRjonMDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false click here]) writes that if a siddur and money are on a vessel the siddur is considered more important, and so too if one has glasses which one needs immediately and a lot of money, the glasses are more important unless one has other glasses in which case the money is more important. Lastly if a loaf of challah and money are on a vessel the challah is more important since you’re going to need it on Shabbat. So rules the Shemirat Shabbat KeHilchata 20:61 in name of Rav Shlomo Zalman that anything which is needed for that Shabbat such as challah or something else of value. [See also Chaye Adam (Shabbat 66:4) and Magan Avraham 279:5 who seem to hold of this.] </ref>