Halacha Exam Notes

all the melachos involved in making fabric:
gozez – to shear – shearing the hair of the animal or trimming the hair or fur on skins used in the mishkan
av melacha: shearing or cutting the hair with the proper tool – applies both when the animal is alive or not alive
tulda –
1. plucking feathers from a chicken or bird
2. cutting nails, cutting hair
3. removing a pimple or wart
if you do it with a keili it’s a melacha min hatorah – a tulda
cutting nails includes doing it by hand or with your teeth
picking skin – around nails, chapped lips,
combing hair – cant use a comb that on a general basis pulls out hair
have to be careful not to pull out hair when you brush/comb hair
you generally shouldn’t pull off a bandaid on shabbos – but if it needs to be removed because you must change ointment a few times a day, etc but you should ask a rov, you might need a goy to do it, etc

melaben – to whiten – washing
av melacha: washing a natural material, either tzomayach or chai (wool or cotton)
tulda:
tulda: kibus - laundering
shria – soaking
shifshuf – rubbing
schita – squeezing/ringing
niur – shaking out

using water to clean, rubbing, rubbing 2 materials together to dislodge the dirt
soaking – but only if its tzomayach or chai
you can’t even soak fabric if it’s clean
if something falls on your clothes on shabbos you can for no reason put any liquid on it
soaking it is washing it doesn’t apply to leather – you can immerse it but you have to be careful because its usually stitched together and those materials cant be soaked – can never rub or scrape leather
synthetic fabrics – theyre not natural, but too similar to natural fabrics
you’re allowed to make leather wet but you can’t rub or scrub.
If it’s dried mud you cant rub it off even on leather because that’s toichen – but if it’s food – it’s already been ground so its not toichen
If its wet mud its not a problem of toichen – you can remove it with a knife not rub it against another piece of material
Wringing is not allowed
Niur – excessive shaking to clean a garment –
av: milaben was done to raw materials in preparation for turning it into something
tulda: kibus is a final product that we’re cleaning

Niur – even if the dirt is not so absorbed in the clothing, if you’re very particular about a little dirt on your clothes you cant shake it out to get it off. The act of shaking is the melacha – you CAN pull off lint, thread, etc.
The more you care about how clean you are the more dirty it seems, so the more you are cleaning.
You can remove feathers because feathers don’t stick to the garment the same way dirt does.
The chachamim put an issur as part of schita that it is assur to go in a place where he’s likely to slip and fall in water, because maybe his clothing will become wet, the person will forget, and then ring it out.
After the fact you don’t have to take off the wet clothes – even if socks are wet and you feel every step ringing the socks, once you’re wearing it you don’t have to take it off. You can’t intentionally walk by a sprinkler.
If you take off your wet clothes you can’t hang them up where you normally wash clothes - because of maaras ayin – even if this place where you hang laundry is in a room within a room, where there’s nobody there to see because maybe once someone will randomly come and think that he was over an issur of torah.
Make sure you don’t hang up wet clothes somewhere that they’ll get heated up to the point of yad soledes bo.
If you’re soaking in something that’s not a clear liquid (or it is clear, but has a bad smell) it’s muttar. If a clear liquid spills you have to clean it up with a rag that’s designated for that purpose (for sure a paper towel). Be careful not to throw a rag into your sink – because then when you open the faucet you’re washing it with clear water.

Tzovaya
Dying, coloring etc
Even putting a gloss or clear color is a form of tzovaya (shining shoes, etc)
There’s no problem of tovaya with food
min hatorah the melacha of tzovaya is only in something that will be permenant
if someones eating berries that leave a dye, you should not wipe your hands onto a cloth – you should first wash them and then wipe them. But we know it doesn’t apply if you’re ruining something – nevertheless it’s still assur so you should reduce the color as much as possible and then wipe it. But if you have red berry juice on your fingers you can’t wipe it on a red cloth because it’s not ruining it. The best option is to use paper towels because its not permanent because they’ll be thrown out. You can take your break and dip it into wine or food – because its food.
Only tzovaya if its normally colored – not if you rub it on your fingers
It’s a problem the blue thing you put in toilets – some say you even have to take it out before shabbos so every time you flush you’re not doing tzovaya.
What about a dye that isn’t permenant but will last for the rest of shabbos? It’s considered permenant. (if its not permenent its still assur drabanan)
What about wiping blood? Best not to use something red. Tissues or napkins are always ok – have no chashivus.
You can’t put on makeup on shabbos
you can’t color food ONLY for decorative purposes – it has to enhance the taste of the food in some way.
You ARE allowed to wear sunglasses that get darker when you go outside.

TOVEH – spinning
every fabric is woved with threads that are shesi and arev – vertical and horizontal –
weaving is always the same – weaving some threads over the other – warp & woof/weft
oseh shtei batei nirin – you make 2 eyes in the frame or feeding 2 threads
potzaya – breaking – either after weaving you cut it off the loom, or cutting when a string is too loose
anything youre doing with lanyard is orev
when a garment gets a pull – you cant unscrunch it and pull it back into place
pulling a thread that’s loose you also cant do

kosher / matir – tying/untying – in the mishkan there was techeiles – gotten from chilazon, they caught them with nets – have to tie nets
tying back together a loose string that you cut
tying a know in a way that the knot will hold

tofer / koraya – stitching/ripping

mayseh uman – a craftsmans knot
example: tying a ship to a post – it won’t come undone
knot attached to a camel’s nose ring
knots tied on sandals/shoes – very strong so it won’t become undone – attaching the bottom of the shoe to the top
kesher shel kayama – a knot that will last
kesher shel aino kayama – will slowly undo on its own
today any kesher shel kayama is treated as a mayseh uman and is not allowed.
Kesher shel kayama example: double-knot,
Keshel shaino shel kayama: regular half knot
Bows: if the bow was made with the intention of it lasting a certain amount of time, it becomes a kesher shel kayama – to last a week – machmir opinion: 24 hours – we are machmir
Double knot: you’re not allowed to start making it, even if you plan to make it loose – or if 2nd knot is loose not allowed to tighten it at all
Even if there is already a double knot, not allowed to add another knot to it
Only one knot tied into the string itself is considered a kesher shel kayama
A slip knot in general is considered a kesher shaino kayama
Can’t slip something through the slip not – except make another slip knot through it
Practical: double knot on on garbage bag
You could save room and tie a slip knot
You can draw the string then make a slip knot or a double slip not – but not a bow because its intended to last a long time
Get in the habit to undo bows on clothing when you’re done wearing it
Same with sneakers – make sure to untie laces
matir – any knot you’re not allowed to tie, you can’t untie. In the mishkan if there was a problem with the net they’d have to untie it then retie it. There are 2 exceptions:
1) a knot that happened, not a knot that was purposely made
2) a bow if it was made to last 24 hours, and now not being able to untie it will cause you tzaar – you can untie it
it doesn’t matter if you’re using one hand or two hands if you’re not allowed to untie it

TOFER / KORAYA – stitching/tearing (undoing tofer)
Tofer: 2 items being bonded together with a third thing (thread)
Ex: gluing 2 pieces together – koraya is pulling apart the things that are stuck together
Av melacha: making 2 stitches (3 pierces of the needle) – or 1 stitch and a knot
1 stitch without a knot is an issur drabanan
Tulda – something is stitched together but coming loose, and you pull it tighter so it holds tighter
Opening food packages pulling apart on the seam - opening cereal or crackers boxes on top where there’s glue –
You also have to be careful with opening packages that you’re not construction a container – boneh
It’s also an issue of unsticking and sticking diapers
There’s no issue of koraya with a soda can, but could be an issue of boneh

you can put a lining on a coat with a zipper – it’s made to be temporary and doesn’t bond together
stapling paper is the same as gluing paper – not allowed – same with removing staples – many times cleaners tags are stapled
if a button is loose and you pull on the thread to get it tighter- not allowed
diapers: best to use ones that fasten with Velcro
if using ones that fasten with a sticky – before shabbos you can open them so its not long term – then when you fasten them its not permanent – make sure not to slide diaper off because then it’s permanent – when you throw out the diaper make sure not to fasten it because then it’s permanent

if the tooth is almost out you can pull it out
if theres bugs in a toiled, you’re allowed to flush it
1) it’s not a melacha min hatorah – it has to be that you need the result of the action – so its an issur drabanan 2) it’s a situation of kavod habrios 3)you’re killing it indirectly
if a mosquito lands on you you can’t slap it, can’t move it (because muktzah) – you can blow it – but if it’s going to bite you and it will be tzaar you can move it – but when you move it you have to be careful not to kill it
you have to be careful not to scratch a mosquito bite to the point that it will bleed
if you do a blood test you DO want the blood – that is min hatorah
if its for pikuach nefesh or diabetes etc, then you can but if its unnecessary you cant
you can take out a splinter on shabbos but you have to make sure that it won’t bleed

SKINNING – no practical application
Ma’abed – tanning leather
From the shoresh of eved
First the leather is soaked in various minerals.
Av melacha: soak skins tulda: walking on the hide as part of the process
Smearing oil on leather to make softer

you cant put something in a leather shoe to stretch it out
in the winter salt can get on leather shoes to try them out, you can’t put something on them to make the leather soft
chachamim also applied this to food: any vegetable that is generally pickled – you’re not allowed to soak in brine
you shouldn’t marinate, don’t put salt on your vegetables, first put the oil or mayo, and then add salt later
cant just put plain salt on vegetables that are generally pickled, without oil – unless you want to dip the vegetables in salt
pesach: when pesach falls on shabbos you have to prepare the salt water before shabbos, if you forgot theres a limit to how you can do it

memachek: after the leather has been soaked they sand the hide do smooth it – also pulling out feathers from chicken skin
tulda: mimarayach - smoothing anything that has a dense texture – soap, chapstick, lotion, stick deodorant,
when lighting shabbos candles (yomtov) can’t melt the bottom of a candle for it to stick to the candle holder
rinsing hands with a bar of soap
applying cream to a wound, avoid it unless absolutely necessary, if necessary you can put it there but don’t smear it
mimarayach does not apply to food

putting on shoe polish is also a tulda of mimachek – mimarayach

michatech: cutting somewhere intentionally – to a specific size or designated area – in the mishkan the animal skins were cut to a specific size and then put together
tulda: cutting other types of materials
ex: a down coat or blanket, they trip the tips of all the pokey feathers – even though theyre not particular that they want the feathers to be a certain size, they want a specific part of the tip cut off
sawing wood, cutting fabric,
breaking off a piece of wood to get something out of your teeth
to cut glass they make a line with a razor and then snap it off
practical examples: tearing toilet paper on the perforation, opening tissues on the dotted line, opening food packages with a dotted line
soda cans and sardine cans are not a problem because youre not really cutting anything, it’s precut
mechatech does not apply to food
misartet – scratching –
sirtut – lines made in a torah

MOCHEK
It’s only min hatorah if its constructive – in order to write
Writing in the mishkan: each beam had a number so they could line them up in order – the minimum shiur is 2 letters
Even writing 1 letter is assur – its patur but assur min hatorah – you wont be chayav a korban chatas etc but you will have done an issur torah
To be chayav min hatorah you have to write with something lasting on a surface that holds the ink
Even if it’s not a durable ink, or its on a non durable surface, its still be assur midrabanan
Even if you’re not erasing in order to write, it’s assur midrabanan
You can even write and erase at the same time – if you erase the middle of a ches it creates a vov and a zayin – it creates 2 new letters
If a person does mochek with their left hand theyre still chayav min hatorah
If someone erases on shabbos with the intention of writing after shabbos its still assur min hatorah
Kosev
Tuldos: engraving – it’s not ink on a surface, just being engraved in the surface.
Causing letters to form by erasing something.
If there are 2 letters/numbers that are far apart from each other, but can be read in sequence, it’s still a melacha min hatorah, it’s just an tulda not an
av.
If you’re drawing a sketch of something you will draw (not your intended result) it’s a tulda of kosev
Practical application:
If you have a spill on your plate and you start moving the liquid with your finger, that’s an issur drabanan – also if you move away (sugar, poppy seeds etc) to make a symbol
You ARE allowed to write in the air or write
You’re not allowed to etch something into wood – same with Styrofoam
You’re not allowed to do fingerprinting on shabbos
Using a camera, even non digital, is assur min hatorah
Using a typewriter is assur
Computers, even besides the issue of electricity, you cant type
If on the bottom of your shoe there’s a design that you will imprint when you step on something its ok: 1) you’re not doing it consciously 2)

“psik raisha lo nicha lay” it’s a psik raysha but it’s not something that you’re interested in – that you’re happy with