- Shabbat and Holidays
- Cooking and Heating
Warm water on shabbat followup
Question
Why is it permitted to use warm water on Shabbat “to wash dishes etc., but not to wash himself, even his face, hands and feet” ?
As long at the temperature is below Yad Soledet Bo, why does it matter what the warm water is used for?
Answer
The rabbis' prohibition of washing on Shabbat with hot water, is even when not "Yad Soledet Bo" and only on washing one's body not on anything else such as dishes.
The reason is because of “Gezeirat Habalanim” [Shabbat, 40] lest this will lead to people heating up water on Shabbat in a forbidden manner.
(שו"ע סימן שכו סעיף א ובמ"ב ס"ק א, וסעיף ד ובמ"ב ס"ק יז, שש"כ פרק יד סעיף ב, ופרק יד הערה ג בשם התהלה לדוד).
Perhaps the reason our rabbis differentiated between washing one's body and other objects is because when one washes himself, if the water is too cold, he is suffering and will be very desperate to heat up the water, and may come to do so in a forbidden manner on Shabbat. This reason obviously does not apply when washing an object such as dishes.
Making tea on Shabbos
Rabbi Daniel Kirsch | Shevat 5, 5782

Cooking raw food on a covered flame
Rabbi Yoel Lieberman | Shevat 16, 5781

Hot water on Shabbat
Rabbi David Sperling | Shevat 19, 5773

Gas Oven warming on SHabbat
Rabbi Ari Shvat | Kislev 11, 5774
Rabbi Moshe Leib Halberstadt
Founder & dean of YORU a unique program designed to cultivate the next generation of Rabbis and Jewish leaders
Learning Gemara
Elul 24, 5769
Traveling from Israel to US Motzai Chag
Elul 24, 5769
Pilegesh Bagivah
Elul 27, 5769
Multiple Kaddishes at End of Tefillah
Elul 22, 5769

Purchases during Chol Hamoed
Rabbi Elchanan Lewis | 24 Nisan 5767

Keeping 1 or 2 days Yom Tov in Israel
Rabbi Jonathan Blass | 23 Nisan 5766

No sukkah at home
Rabbi David Sperling | Tishrei 7, 5775

Mezzuzah for Non Jew
Rabbi David Sperling | Iyyar 18, 5773

Original Passover Meal
Rabbi Yoel Lieberman | Tishrei 3, 5784

fast on yom kipper
Rabbi Ari Shvat | Tishrei 9, 5784
Is a ger with a Levi father a Levi?
Rabbi Gideon Weitzman | Elul 26, 5783
