Ask the Rabbi

  • Shabbat and Holidays
  • Actions and Appliances on Shabbat

Toothbrush

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Rabbi David Sperling

Adar 11, 5781
Question
Dear Rav, Thank you so much for your response, I’m afraid I don’t fully understand it....are you saying that no other tooth instrument would be kosher on Shabbat? This is a marketed product, which in my country I haven’t found a way to get....so I was trying to find from a Halacha point of view if the brush I was able to find would be fine...sadly I don’t have a Rav to show it to, but I can send you a link to the picture and product if thats ok, it is this following one: https://www. amazon.ca/gp/product/B07JDK1QD5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 It also comes in two colours, one of this two brush set was purple, and the other was green. I can designate the green one for Shabbat only, if that would solve the last caution mentioned in the link you’ve sent on the weekday usage. Thank you so much again, I look forward to hearing from you and wishing you Shavuah Tov,
Answer
Shalom, Thank you for your question. The link I sent was in order for you to see the halachic discussion there. The toothbrush you have ordered seems fine. Of course there are always strict opinions, and there are those who refrain from using any toothbrush on shabbat (they allow only rinsing the mouth with mouthwash). However, the mainstream halacha allows using even a regular toothbrush. Certainly the one you have purchased is fine. The major issue is with the toothpaste. There are opinions that allow it. But many Rabbis believe one should not use regular toothpaste on Shabbat. As to setting aside a brush just for Shabbat – that would be a extra stringency, but not required from the letter of the law. Blessings.
את המידע הדפסתי באמצעות אתר yeshiva.org.il