Is
it a problem to tear between letters? For example
tearing between letters of an ice cream wrapper?
No,
tearing between letters is not called erasing
even
though a word is “erased”. The reason is because placing
a piece of paper with a letter written on it next to a
similar piece of paper is not called writing even though
one has “joined” two letters, so too the separation of
such letters would not be called erasing.
May
one play with word games on Shabbos, such as Scrabble?
The object of Scrabble is to form words from
letters. Forming words is not a melacha at all
and therefore as far as forming words is concerned, it
is not a problem. (In the previous shiurim we learnt
that one may slice a cake between the letters and it is
not considered erasing – as only cutting an actual
letter is erasing - here too one may form a word and it
is not called writing).
However, the Chayei Adam
writes that one may not play a game where it is normal
to write down, as a g’zeira lest one will write
on Shabbos, and part of the game of scrabble is to write
down the score. Accordingly it seems that one may not
play scrabble on Shabbos and indeed the Sh’miras
Shabbos Kehilchasa
cites the Chayei Adam and does not quote opinions
that permit it.
Is
one permitted to etch a line in a book with one’s
fingernail in order to remember where one left off?
On the one hand a single line is meaningless
and does not stand for anything. On the other hand, one
etches it onto the page for a reason. The Mechaber
says that one may etch a line with one’s fingernail onto
the page in order to remember where there is a mistake
and correct it after Shabbos. However the Mishna
Berura explains that the
Shulchan Aruch
is referring to inscribing onto parchment, which has a
hard texture and the parchment will reform leaving no
mark, which is not the case with paper which is soft and
where the mark will remain. Therefore it is forbidden to
score or make a mark on paper.
Accordingly, one may not etch or score a mark in a book
in order to remember where one is at, or to mark a
mistake.
May one fold over a
page corner that makes a crease in the page in order to
remember one’s place?
It is permitted to fold a page even though
it creases the page because one has no need for the
crease itself nor does one fold the page with the
purpose of creasing the page.
Stitching and Sewing on
Shabbos
If I see that the
button on my sleeve is loose, am I permitted to pull the
thread without knotting it afterwards?
The
Shulchan Aruch
says
that
one may not pull the thread that binds two pieces of
cloth together to draw them closer on account of
úåôø
– sewing.
The
Mishna Berura
adds
the following:
If
two stitches are loose and one ties the thread after
pulling it, one is chayav (liable) to bring a
korban chatas, i.e. one has violated an issur
d’oraisso.
If one does not tie it, one has violated an issur
d’rabanan.
If
three stitches are loose and one pulls the thread, one
has violated an issur d’oraisso
even
without tying the thread.
Usually a button is sewed many times over and by pulling
the thread one is tightening quite a few stitches.
According to the above it would be considered violating
an issur d’oraisso
even
without tying the thread after pulling it, and all the
more so if one were to loop the thread around the
stitches to keep them in place.
May
I wear the shirt or jacket when the button is thus
loose?
The
problem with wearing such clothing in that state is the
problem of carrying without an eiruv. A button or hook
is usually regarded as part of the clothing and has no
intrinsic value of its own, but when a button thread has
become loose and one refrains from buttoning it lest it
falls off, it is possible that the button is not
considered part of the clothing and it is better to
refrain from wearing such clothing in a reshus
harabim where there is no eiruv.
One
may wear clothing in a reshus harabim which have
threads hanging from buttons that have totally fallen
off provided that one is not disturbed by their presence
and one does not intend to remove the threads.
It is
forbidden to remove a loose button or loose threads from
a garment on account of the issur of tearing,
being
that the threads are still part of the garment.
May
one use a safety pin on Shabbos?
You might ask yourself, what can be wrong
with using a safety pin on Shabbos. After all, I’m not
sewing or doing any other melacha. To answer, we
will present the basic concepts of sewing.
The
Rambam (10:9) writes the following: One who sews
two stitches is liable to bring a korban chatas,
provided that one subsequently tied the thread to
prevent the stitch from undoing itself. One who sews
more than two stitches is liable to bring a korban
even without tying the thread because the stitches are
permanent.
What does the above
have to do with inserting pins?
We will see next week be”H.