Kashrus Kurrents Spring 2018<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Q: May one pet an animal on Shabbos<\/em>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n A: Chazal<\/em> enacted a takanah<\/em> designating certain types of objects as muktzah<\/em>, thereby limiting a person\u2019s freedom to move those items on Shabbos<\/em>. There are various categories of muktzah<\/em> with differing degrees of limitation of movement. For example, a utensil which is generally used for an activity prohibited on Shabbos<\/em> is muktzah<\/em>. A naturally occurring object such a stone is also muktzah<\/em> unless it has been designated before Shabbos<\/em> for a specific purpose. Similarly, the Talmud states that an animal is muktzah<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In former times, it was common for children to play with young birds and listen to them sing. Tosefos<\/em> suggests that a bird should not be considered to be muktzah<\/em> as it can be used as a distraction for a crying child. However, Tosefos<\/em> rejects this and concludes that birds are muktzah<\/em>. Similarly, the Shulchan Aruch paskens<\/em> that animals are muktzah<\/em> and does not differentiate between birds and other creatures. Rav<\/em> Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, zt\u201dl,<\/em> suggests the possibility that this stringent ruling should be limited to a bird which is sometimes used as a distraction but has not been designated for that purpose. However, an animal which the owner has specifically designated as a pet with which to play may not be muktzah<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the Rishonim<\/em>, the Maharach Ohr Zaruah<\/em>, also suggested that birds which produce pleasant sounding songs are not muktzah<\/em>. However, the Rosh<\/em> responded that these birds are muktzah<\/em> and concludes that Chazal<\/em> did not differentiate between different types of animals. Rav<\/em> Shlomo Zalman Auerbach quotes this ruling and points out that it implies that all animals without exception are muktzah<\/em>, including pets. However, he concludes that fish tanks, which are often moved from place to place, are not muktzah<\/em> even though they contain fish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is unclear as to how Rav<\/em> Moshe Feinstein, zt\u201dl,<\/em> ruled on this issue. There is a teshuva<\/em> published in the Igros Moshe<\/em> stating that all animals are muktzah<\/em>, including those which children play with. Rav<\/em> Mordechai Tendler, shlit\u201da<\/em>, and Rav<\/em> Shabtai Avrohom Rappaport, shlit\u201da<\/em>, who edited this volume of the Igros Moshe<\/em>, added that this is true unless the animals have been designated as pets. Their understanding is that Rav<\/em> Moshe held that pets are not muktzah<\/em>. However, Rav<\/em> Pinchos Bodner, shlit\u201da<\/em>, writes that Rav<\/em> Moshe told him that pets are muktzah<\/em>. Rav<\/em> Moshe Feinstein elsewhere states that fish tanks are muktzah<\/em> because of the fish that they contain and does not suggest that the fish are pets and are not muktzah<\/em>. Clearly, Rav<\/em> Moshe held that pets with which one does not interact, such as fish, are muktzah<\/em>. Rav<\/em> Elyashiv, zt\u201dl,<\/em> paskens<\/em> that fish and other pets are muktzah<\/em>. Rav<\/em> Ovadia Yosef, zt\u201dl<\/em>, also paskens<\/em> that fish tanks may not be moved on Shabbos<\/em>. However, he allows moving a fish tank in order to alleviate the fish from suffering. For example, he allows moving fish if they are suffering due to excessive sunlight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If an animal is muktzah<\/em>, then it would be forbidden to lift up the animal or directly move any limb of the animal. This would be analogous to the prohibition against moving any limb of a dead body which is muktzah<\/em>. However, the Shulchan Aruch<\/em> states that a person who has muddy hands may wipe them on the tail of a horse on Shabbos<\/em>. The Tosefos Shabbos<\/em> explains that the Shulchan Aruch<\/em> is referring to a tail which is no longer attached to the horse, and has been designated for this purpose. However, a tail which is attached to a horse is muktzah<\/em> and may not be moved. The Biur Halacha<\/em> takes issue with this and suggests that the tail of a horse is never muktzah<\/em>, as only the limbs of an animal are muktzah<\/em> and not its hair or tail. The Biur Halacha<\/em> concludes \u201ctzarich iyun<\/em>\u201d \u2013 the matter needs further investigation. It would seem that petting an animal, thereby moving its fur, would be subject to this dispute. Rav<\/em> Moshe Heinemann, shlit\u201da<\/em>, says that one should be stringent and avoid petting a furry animal on Shabbos<\/em>. One may pet an animal which does not have fur, even though the animal will naturally move in response to the touch.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Kashrus Kurrents Spring 2018<\/p>\n Q: May one pet an animal on Shabbos?<\/p>\n A: Chazal enacted a takanah designating certain types of objects as muktzah, thereby limiting a person\u2019s freedom to move those items on Shabbos. There are various categories of muktzah with differing degrees of limitation of movement. For example, a utensil which is generally used for an activity prohibited on Shabbos is muktzah. A naturally occurring object such a stone is also muktzah unless it has been designated before Shabbos for a specific purpose. Similarly, the Talmud states that an animal is muktzah.<\/p>\n In former times, it was common for children to play with young birds and listen to them sing. Tosefos suggests that a bird should not be considered to be muktzah as it can be used as a distraction for a crying child. However, Tosefos rejects this and concludes that birds are muktzah. Similarly, the Shulchan Aruch paskens that animals […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":5545,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[140,27,318,132,142],"tags":[369,370],"class_list":["post-5544","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kashrus-kurrents-2018","category-kashrus-kurrents","category-kashrus-kurrents-in-app","category-shabbos","category-spring-kashrus-kurrents-2018","tag-insights-from-the-institute","tag-pets"],"yoast_head":"\n