Is
one permitted to peel a scab on Shabbos?
The
Shulchan Aruch says that one may peel scabs on
Shabbos. The ÷öåú äùìçï
explains that since scabs eventually fall off the skin,
they are in a better halachic position than skin
peelings (cuticles), and therefore they may be removed
even when they do not cause distress. One must not
remove or peel scabs when it will cause bleeding because
that is prohibited.
What
about removing or cutting a wart?
Warts are part of one’s skin and may therefore not be
removed or cut from one’s body on Shabbos.
Warts share the same rule as regular pieces of skin that
may not be pulled or yanked off one’s skin.
May
a girl braid her hair on Shabbos?
Aside from the issue of pulling out hair on Shabbos,
which is a problem of âåææ,
there is a problem of making plaits. Chazal tell
us that making plaits or braiding hair on Shabbos is
associated with Boneh. Chazal learnt this
from the fact that Hashem presented Chava
to Adam Harishon with her hair in plaits, because
it says åéáï
àú äöìò – He built the Tzela. A girl may
also not unravel plaits because that would be a problem
of dismantling – Soter. Nevertheless it is only
an issur d’rabanan as it only appears
like Boneh.
Where did erasing take place in the Mishkan?
Erasing was one of the 39 melachos used to
construct the Mishkan. The uniqueness of this
melacha is that, together with a selected few other
melachot, it is a destructive melacha in
that it is not productive on its own. Although erasing
is destructive, in the Mishkan it was utilized
for constructive purposes: Chazal tell us that
the beams of the Mishkan were numbered, and if a
wrong number was written on a beam, it would be
erased to write the correct number. This is
constructive erasing. Nowadays as well, in order for
erasing to be a melacha d’oraisso
it
must be constructive.
How
many letters must one erase in order to be liable to
bring a korban?
The
Melacha of writing –
ëåúá in the Mishkan was implemented to
write on the beams. Consecutive numbers were written on
the beams in order to remember the correct place for
each beam. Hence the minimum requirement is writing two
digits.
Since the melacha of erasing is the diametrical
opposite of writing, it too consists of erasing two
digits to replace the two errant digits.
Does
the melacha only take place when two digits (or
two letters) are erased?
The
Bi’ur Halacha
says that the object of the melacha is to enable
the writing of two letters and not the erasure per se
of two letters. Consequently, erasing an ink blot, a
smudge or basically anything large enough that occupies
the space of two letters is an issur d’oraisso.
The
Bach
holds that if an ink blot or wax falls onto letters
obscuring them from sight and one erases the ink blot
thus exposing the letters, one would be chayav on
account of the melacha of writing.
It is likewise ossur to erase dirt pasted over
even one letter or digit.
It
seems that this was a practical problem. A scribe would
sometimes write a sefer Torah by the light of a
candle and occasionally wax would drip onto the sefer
Torah. During the reading of the portion on Shabbos
they would discover that some letters are covered in wax
and are obscured from sight. Since it is a problem to
“read” the Torah by heart they were obligated to remove
the wax. The Bach holds, as mentioned, that it is
a severe issur to do so. The Mishna Berura
rules that in such an event they must “read” those words
by heart and not take out another sefer Torah.
Could this scenario be applicable in the home as well?
Yes,
very easily. The
Bi’ur Halacha
writes that if two pages are stuck to each other where
letters are located, either with wax, dirt or glue,
separating the pages would be a problem of erasing. As
many of us have experienced, the pages of a bentcher
stick together at the letters with dried food, wine or
such. Separating them generates this problem.
If
two letters in a sefer Torah are touching, may one erase
the point where they touch?
Two
letters touching in a sefer Torah, tefillin
or mezuza render it possul and the letters
must be corrected.
The halachos in such an event are many and the
manner of correction depends on where the letters are
touching. In certain cases it suffices to erase the
point of contact.
In
such a case, even though one is not erasing two letters
or even an ink blot the size of two letters,
nevertheless it is equivalent to the melacha of
writing because by erasing the point of contact one is
correcting the sefer Torah.