Washing with the Aid of Towels, Sponges or Brushes
- Given the prohibition of schita, squeezing <explored here ref>, it is forbidden to wash oneself with the aid of a towel, sponge or regular brush (even in the cases where washing is permitted, as we’ve discussed in the previous pages) as these will inevitably be squeezed in the process of washing; there can also be an issue of melaben, laundering.
- A brush whose hairs are made from a synthetic material so are non absorbent, and are somewhat spaced out so they don’t trap water in between them, no longer has any concern of squeezing. Therefore, such a brush may be used when washing oneself on Shabbos, with the additional caveat that it must be designated specifically for Shabbos use, to avoid the prohibition of ‘uvdin dechol’, doing a weekday-like activity (MB 326:6, SSK 14:15)
Using Soap
- It is forbidden to use a bar of soap when washing one’s hands or other areas of one’s body on Shabbos. There are two possible prohibitions relating to this:
- ‘memareiach’, smoothing the bar of soap when one rubs oneself with it.
- ‘nolad,’ a prohibition of changing an item’s state, as the soap ends up in a liquid state once added to water
- It is, however, permitted to use liquid soap, even though it forms bubbles (known as ‘suds’). (R 326:10, MB 30, SSK 14:18)
Cleaning Coloured Stains On One’s Body
- If one has eaten a food such as strawberries and one has some dirt left on one’s hands or face, one should try and wash it off with water rather than wipe it off with a towel, as the latter method will stain the towel, which is problematic due to the melacha of tzoveia, dying.
- It would be acceptable to use paper towels etc – as these are immediately disposed of, we are not concerned about them being dyed.
- However, when one has no other practical option one may use a towel (ideally of a different colour) to clean off the dirt, relying on the opinion that this is simply ‘dirtying’ the fabric so isn’t a problem of dying. As we have touched on previously, the towel would initially need to be dry, to avoid the prohibition of squeezing (MB 320:59, SSK 14:22 ).
Drying oneself after washing
There are a number of relevant halachic factors here that we previously considered in detail when looking at the prohibition of washing, laundering and hanging up wet clothes. Some of the key points are as follows:
Using a Towel
- One may dry oneself with a towel; given this is its purpose we are not concerned one will come to squeeze the water out of it once it is wet. This contrasts with drying with other fabrics like an item of clothing which one doesn’t normally want to be wet, which one may not use to dry in a significant way, lest one come to squeeze the water out.
Squeezing Hair
- There is a Rabbinic prohibition to squeeze water out of hair, which is one of the reasons given to refrain from bathing on Shabbos. SSK permits drying hair in a normal fashion as the water is immediately absorbed in the towel. Other poskim disagree with SSK’s leniency and one should consult a Rav for practical guidance (MB 320:55, 326:21, SSK 14:22, fn66, Dirshu 320:47).
Hanging the Towel to Dry
- One may not hang one’s towel up in a place where one normally hangs wet items to dry, even in private, lest an onlooker suspect one washed the towel on Shabbos (SA 301:45, MB 165, SSK 15:11).
Drying Oneself Near Heat
- Even if one has merely washed one’s hands, one must ensure not to dry oneself by standing near a heat source such as a radiator etc. This applies even if one is standing in a place where the water cannot reach yad soledes bo (which would have been a problem of bishul), as once the water is heated up, it is considered as if one is washing oneself in water that was actively heated up on Shabbos, which is forbidden, even if that water is less than Yad Soledes Bo (per our discussion about Bathing in Hot Water here) (SA 326:5, BH”L D”H Yesh Omrim, SSK 14:27).
- It goes without saying that one may not dry one’s hands by activating an electric hand dryer. Technically speaking, even if one of these was left ‘on’ all of Shabbos one may not use it as it will heat up the water on one’s hands, which is prohibited as above (SSK 14:27).
