Daily Chidush: What’s the Big Deal About Small Shabbat Sins?

0:11Okay, take two. So the first recording got deleted. So let me try to answer the question again. I was asked why a person is not allowed to wash dishes with a traditional sponge or wash the floor with a traditional mop that has a sponge or some type of towel that retains water on Shabbat. During the week, of course, you can do whatever you want, but it's during Shabbat that it's not allowed. The reason why is because there are three different types of prohibitions: there's Libun (whitening) and there's bleaching. Where do we get these things? Where do we see that these are prohibitions? It's because there are 39 restrictions, 39 specific activities in Hebrew called Melachot, that are forbidden to do on Shabbat, simply because these are the very same 39 things that were involved in the building of the Mishkan (Tabernacle). The Sages derived these from the activities that were needed to construct it, and they apply to our observance of Shabbat. On Shabbat, during the week, of course, you can do whatever you want, but on Shabbat, it's not allowed. And the reason why is there's three different types of activities that are considered prohibited: there's Libun, which means whitening, and there's bleaching. So where do we get these prohibitions? We see that these are considered sins in the sense that there are 39 restrictions, 39 specific activities in Hebrew called Melachot, that are forbidden to do on Shabbat, simply because these are the very same 39 activities. that we actually did, 39 activities we did in order to build the Beit HaMikdash, in order to build the Mishkan in the desert. So, in essence, this is supposed to symbolize that even to build Hashem's house, we're not allowed to do on Shabbat. That's how significant Hashem's view is of the Shabbat. It's even more important than His own house on earth. Now, as far as the mop and the sponge to wash the dishes, what's the issue here? What's the English version here?

1:29The first thing is that when you're using a sponge or a towel and there's water involved, the first thing the sponge or the towel does is it soaks up the water. So soaking is the actual problem. It soaks up the water. So soaking in the water is something that creates both libun and whitening. And you have a serious issue here as far as Shabbat melacha is concerned. And that's not something that you can avoid because any one of these sponges, any one of these towels you wash the floor with, even those mop-it towels that people like to use, for example, that you buy from the store, they all retain some type of water. So the soaking is an issue. Now, if that's not an issue, let's say someone found some type of magic trick to not soak in the water somehow. The next thing is the shifshuf. Shifshuf is the agitation of the particles. Now that there's water in there, there are particles in there. There's something called shifshuf, which is agitating those particles within it. This is also very similar to some of the activities that were actually done for the Beit HaMikdash when it comes to wheat and farming, and so on and so forth. Last but not least is the most important, the most obvious, and the most logical one that anyone can understand, which is called shchita. Shchita means wringing out the water.

2:50Sh'chita is when you have water retained in some type of sponge or towel, whether that towel or sponge is already pre-made by the factory, or it’s just a regular, traditional towel that you have in the house that comes dry, but now you put water in there and it becomes wet. Regardless of what you do, once you press on that towel, even a little bit, water starts to come out. And that sh'chita is 100% forbidden, it's 100%. meaning a biblical sin from the Torah, that's not allowed because that completes the actual action of whitening, of libbun, of bleaching. That's the final step where when you're cleaning something, the final step, the final move is when the water leaves. And this is exactly what happens once you press on the mop, for example, that pushes the towel on the floor, the water comes out, that's the final activity. that actually makes the cleaning actually happen. So now, what do you do? How do you keep a clean house on Shabbat when somebody wants to ensure that there's a tidy environment? For example, my mother is a cleanliness enthusiast. She insists on having a house that's consistently spotless. She starts cleaning for Shabbat already on Monday. I mean, it's remarkable how much effort she puts into it, God bless her. But of course, she understands that it's not permissible to violate Shabbat to maintain cleanliness. Therefore, you can't perform a mitzvah while committing a sin.

4:17What do you do? So now, in regards to the floor, the simple solution is to sweep. The simple solution is to simply sweep and then leave the mopping for after Shabbat. Leave the mopping for after Shabbat. You sweep whatever you need to sweep. You put it to the side. You put it in the garbage. But you just simply sweep and don't sponge. You can leave the actual spit-shine sponge for after Shabbat when it's time to do it, when it's actually an appropriate activity to do after Shabbat, not during Shabbat. What about washing dishes? What if you don't have an endless amount of dishes to use for Shabbat, and you want to wash dishes? Now, of course, we all know we can't use the dishwasher because that's electricity. So that, we can't do. And now we're saying that you can't wash the dishes with a traditional sponge. So, what do you do? Baruch Hashem, Hashem has made it easy for us by giving us two different things that you can actually use to wash dishes. And that is either a net type of sponge, which is a sponge that's not really a sponge. It's a net. It has all holes, meaning that it does not retain any water. All the water goes right through it; it doesn't retain any water. It's a net, just in the shape of a sponge. That's one thing. The other thing is that there are also brushes you can use, which are specifically catered for dishes and do not retain any water. So, these are two things that you can actually use. On a personal note, my wife likes the brushes so much she uses them the whole week.

5:43So this allows you to actually keep the dishes clean, keep the house clean, without violating Shabbat. Now, why is it such a big deal? It's a big deal, tacheles, bottom line, because G-d said so. In the Gemara, Masechet Shabbat, they ask, why is it that Hashem made all these rules? I mean, there are a lot of different rules in the Torah. Is there like one particular reason? And Rashi actually explains, yes, there is. There is actually a reason. Why? Because He said so. That's the real reason for all of the mitzvot. Of course, there are different ta'amim, different tastes or different benefits, that we can understand or rationalize with each and every single mitzvah. Kosher is healthier. Taharat mishpacha is better for marriage. It's, you know, watching your eyes is better for not wasting seed and also for purge and in general for modesty, and so on and so forth. So, there are logical, rational reasons. To do everything. And Shabbat, of course, is one day a week where you have a break from the mundane. That by itself should be very logical and rational to everyone. But that's not the reason why we keep Shabbat, or Taharat Mishpacha, or Kosher, or anything else. The real, real reason is because God said so. And when the King commands, we do. We know that if a government of flesh and blood tells people, "Don't drive a certain speed," people are not going to drive a certain speed.

7:11And even if they do, and they want to cheat the system, they're only going to do it when no one's watching. Because if there's a couple watching them, they're not going to speed in front of them. They're going to slow down. Everyone slows down when they see the police. Everyone knows there are certain things that are not allowed. And we comply with those rules, which are established by flesh and blood. And these are rules from the King of Kings, the One who gives us air in our lungs, vision in our eyes, and health for our children. Miracles that we need at the time we need them, and all the different things that we ask Hashem for 24 hours a day, seven days a week, He's the one that gives them to us. He's the only one that can provide for us. So at the very least, we can comply with what He's asking us for. What happens if someone is just too much of a fanatic? and wants to keep all of Shabbat. They're not going to use electricity. They're not going to drive a car. They're not going to smoke a cigarette. They're not going to play with their phone. They're not going to do all the things that they're not allowed to do, except they want to wash dishes with a regular sponge because they can't take it. They have to use a regular sponge, or they have to clean the carpet with a sponge and whatever. They have to do something that's not allowed. What happens? What's the situation here? So what is it like?

8:24This is like if someone had—I told this story last night and it's a very good analogy. I heard it originally from Rav Nissim Yagen, and he said, what if a woman buys a very expensive dress for a bar mitzvah for her son or a wedding dress? And this is like a one-of-a-kind dress. It's a $25,000 dress, something immaculate, something that's unbelievable. And now the husband wasn't exactly excited to spend so much money on a dress, but he wanted to make his wife happy. Fine, no problem. We have the money. Buy the dress. Why can't you wear last year's dress? She doesn't want to wear last year's dress simply because she feels like everyone knows she has it. So therefore, she wants to wear a new dress. No problem. Fine. Buy a new dress. Now, what happens is that an hour before the event, a husband who is a smoker accidentally makes a hole in a dress with a cigarette. Accident! He makes a hole in a $25,000 dress. Now, is she going to wear it? Is she going to wear this $25,000 dress? It has a hole. It's noticeable. She can't hide it. It's there. Is she going to wear this dress? The answer that every single woman in the world would give is absolutely not. She's not going to wear that dress. But it's a $25,000 dress. No problem. She's not wearing it. The only other option is a dress that everyone assumes she owns, even though they may not actually know. Is she going to wear that dress instead? She's going to wear the other dress, or she's not going to go at all. But she's definitely not wearing a dress with a cigarette hole in it. Why is she not going to wear the dress? The issue with the dress is its noticeable flaw, which makes it unsuitable for the occasion.

9:39And the answer that every single woman in the world will answer is absolutely not. She's not going to wear that dress. But it's a $25,000 dress. No problem. She's not wearing it. But the only other option is a dress that everyone knows she has, even though they really don't. But everyone knows she has it. Is she going to wear the dress? She's going to wear the other dress that everyone thinks she has, or she's not going to go at all. But she's definitely not wearing a dress with a cigarette hole in it. Why is she not going to wear the dress? Why not? What's the problem with the dress? The problem with the dress is that despite the fact that it cost $25,000, by the time everyone sees it, by the time she sees it, everyone knows within moments that it's incomplete. And once that dress is incomplete, once that dress exposes the cigarette hole, the entire value disappears. So it's not that it's $25,000 minus the cost of the hole, let's say $5. No. It's not $25,000 minus 50%, so it's only $12,000 value. No, it's now gone from being a $25,000 address to absolutely worthless. And that's exactly what happens when people know that they're not allowed to commit a certain sin on Shabbat, like, for example, driving. But someone might say, "Listen, I want to go to Beit Knesset. Can I drive on Shabbat to Beit Knesset? Because I'm going to make mitzvot and I'm going to do Kiddush, I'm going to learn Torah, and I'm going to do all these things."

11:05Because if I can't drive to minyan, I'm not going. I can't go. It's better you don't go. Why? Because once you turn on that car, once you wash those dishes, once you turn on that phone, once you do one of those things that are forbidden on Shabbat intentionally, the entire Shabbat is now worthless. The entire Shabbat is worth it. You've made an intentional sin. An intentional sin on Shabbat is the worst possible thing you can imagine. Why ruin the whole thing? You're already keeping 25 hours. Why ruin the whole thing for five minutes of pleasure that someone gets from driving a car or from convenience, like washing a dish or doing whatever? Why ruin the whole thing? Why spit in the King of Kings' face when He's giving you everything the rest of the week, including Shabbat? It doesn't make sense, right? Same thing. Same thing. So, Be'ezrat Hashem, this gives you a little strength to understand, number one, why we're not allowed to do certain things. Number two, what is the beautiful, amazing pitaron, the beautiful, amazing solution that Hashem did provide us in order to still do what we need to do. And last but not least, why it's not just this specific sin that we have to avoid, but every sin we have to avoid. Because even though...

12:21On the grand scheme of things, it seems like it's not really such a big deal. Hashem has such a big world, such a big universe, such a huge amount of population, such a huge amount of things to do. He still cares about the small stuff. Why? Because that small stuff is no different than a cigarette hole in a $25,000 dress that makes it worthless. So Be'ezrat Hashem, we're only going to show up to Hashem with full mitzvot, with complete mitzvot that are beautiful, that are complete, that are full of love. Baruch Hashem. Ein Oleh Lavo l'Hatzlacha, b'ezrat Hashem, Shabbat Shalom, Shabbat Mevorach, Kol Tov.