General Laws of Muktzeh

From Halachipedia
  1. The Rabbis forbad moving certain items on Shabbat in order that one’s actions on Shabbat will be distinguished from the rest of the week. [1]

Categories of Muktzeh

  1. There’s two general categories of Muktzeh 1)severe Muktzeh and 2)light Muktzeh. In general, items that never used on Shabbat are considered severe Muktzeh, while items that are sometimes used as considered light Muktzeh (see further). [2]

Items that are excluded from Muktzeh

Definition

  1. Certain items that Chazal excluded from the laws of Muktzeh altogether are non-Muktzeh. [3]

Rules

  1. It’s permissible to move or touch a non-Muktzeh item even for no purpose at all. [4]

Examples

  • Food and drinks [5]
  • Food Utensils including dishes, glasses, and silverware [6]
  • Sefarim (holy books which are permissible to read) [7]

Further examples

  1. Some consider the following to be exceptions to muktzeh just like the above examples.
  • chairs that will be used for sitting [8]
  • clothing that will be used on Shabbat [9]
  • empty bottles for drinks [10]
  • keys to the house [11]
  • serving utensils [12]
  • tablecloth [13]
  • talit bag [14]

Ways of moving Muktzeh

  1. Moving a Muktzeh item with one’s body isn’t considered moving Muktzeh and is permissible. [15]
  2. It’s permissible to blow on Muktzeh to make it move if it’s for a permissible purpose. [16]
  3. It’s permissible to touch Muktzeh unless it’ll cause the object to shake. [17]
  4. Additionally, it’s permissible to cover a Muktzeh item with a vessel even if the vessel will touch the Muktzeh as long as placing the cover on the Muktzeh will not move it. [18]
  5. It’s permissible to sit on Muktzeh unless there’s no need in which case one shouldn’t. [19]

Permissible objects on Muktzeh

  1. It’s permissible to remove a permissible item that’s sitting on top of a Muktzeh item. [20]
  2. Some say it’s permissible to move a Muktzeh item which has a permissible item on top of it from Ben HaShemashot, while others hold that one may only move a Muktzeh item if there’s the specifically designated item on or in that Muktzeh item, for example, one may move a cooking pot if there was food in it from before Shabbat. [21]

Indirect moving

  1. It’s permissible to move Muktzeh in an indirect way if it’s for permissible purpose. [22]

Muktzeh that’s in one’s hands

  1. If one has picked up a Kli Sh’Melachto LeIssur in one’s hands in a permissible fashion then it’s permissible to place it anywhere one likes. However, if one picked it up in a forbidden way or one has a severe Muktzeh item in one’s hand, then one should drop it. [23]
  2. It’s permissible to ask a non-Jew to move a Kli Sh’Melachto LeIssur for any need even if it’s just to prevent the object from breaking or being stolen. [24]


References

  1. ↑ Mishna Brurah (Intro to Siman 308) quoting the Rambam (Shabbat 24:12)
  2. ↑ The Weekly Halacha Discussion (vol 2 pg 335) breaks up Muktzeh into these two general categories.
  3. ↑ see further; Tiltulei Shabbat (pg 19)
  4. ↑ S”A 308:4 rules that holy books and food may be moved for no purpose at all as they weren’t included in the gezerah of Muktzeh at all. Tiltulei Shabbat (pg 18)
  5. ↑ S”A 308:4
  6. ↑ Mishna Brurah 308:23 rules that food utensils may be moved even for no purpose at all even though some authorities hold that food utensils are considered Kli Sh’Melachto LeHeter and not non-Muktzeh. [Since the language of Mishna Brurah is the utensils that are on the table and used often aren’t Muktzeh seemingly including serving utensils.] So rules Tiltulei Shabbat (pg 19) (with the language of many authorities versus some authorities). Menuchat Ahava 12:2 rules leniently but adds that it's preferable to be strict.
  7. ↑ S”A 308:4 writes that Kitvei Kodesh, holy books, are non-Muktzeh. Mishna Brurah 308:22 adds that the Pri Megadim and Eliyah Rabba consider a megillah in this category even though the Pri Chadash 688:6 considers it Muktzeh (See Sharei Teshuva 308:2). The Tiltulei Shabbat (pg 32) also rules leniently.
  8. ↑ Shalmei Yehuda 6:1
  9. ↑ Shalmei Yehuda 4:1 writes that clothing that will be used on Shabbat is considered non-Muktzeh according to all, while clothing that won’t be used on Shabbat, some consider it non-Muktzeh while others consider it Kli Sh’Melachto LeHeter.
  10. ↑ Shalmei Yehuda 6:1
  11. ↑ Shalmei Yehuda 6:1
  12. ↑ Shalmei Yehuda 6:1 writes in the name of Rav Elyashiv and another Talmid Chacham that the exception from the laws of Muktzeh includes anything that’s always used on Shabbat such as a chair, a house key, tablecloth, empty bottle, talit bag. If so, certainly serving utensils are also included.
  13. ↑ Shalmei Yehuda 6:1
  14. ↑ Shalmei Yehuda 6:1
  15. ↑ S”A 311:8, Mishna Brurah 308:13, 30 write explicitly that moving foot is permissible.
  16. ↑ S”A 308:43 and Rama 308:3 consider blowing on Muktzeh as indirect movement which can be moved for a permissible purpose.
  17. ↑ S”A 308:42 and Rama 308:3
  18. ↑ Mishna Brurah 308:22 rules like the Gra unlike the Magan Avraham (which was brought as a dispute in Mishna Brurah 308:17).
  19. ↑ Mishna Brurah 308:82
  20. ↑ Rama 308:3
  21. ↑ S”A 308:5 writes that it’s permissible if there’s some permissible item on the Muktzeh from Ben HaShemashot. However, Mishna Brurah 308:26 writes that this is a dispute in the Rishonim and many achronim hold that the above leniency only applies to moving a corpse, yet all agree that one may only move Muktzeh if there was the designated permissible item on it from Ben HaShemashot such as food in a cooking pot.
  22. ↑ S”A 311:8, Mishna Brurah 308:19 and 115
  23. ↑ Mishna Brurah 308:13
  24. ↑ Mishna Brurah 308:15
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