Common Shabbat Questions Answered: Laundry, Candle Lighting, Mincha, and More

Question: Is it permitted to do laundry on Friday?

Answer:

According to the enactment of Ezra the Scribe, laundry should be done on Thursday so that a person will have freshly washed clothing in honor of Shabbat. One should not do laundry on Friday itself, in order to remain available to prepare for the needs of Shabbat.

Additional Notes

Some authorities write that this prohibition begins already Thursday night, while others maintain that it only applies from Friday morning onward.

There is also discussion regarding whether laundry specifically must be done on Thursday, or whether it may be done earlier in the week.

Some sources add that even if one already washed clothing earlier in the week, it is still proper to do at least a small amount of laundry on Thursday in honor of Shabbat, especially according to Kabbalistic teachings.

The same principle may also apply before Yom Tov.

Modern Washing Machines

Even nowadays, when laundry is done using washing machines, many authorities still maintain that one should avoid doing laundry on Friday. However, some authorities are lenient.

Question: May one give meat to a non-Jew before Shabbat and ask him to cook it on Shabbat for his own personal use?

Answer:

No. Even though the Jew receives no benefit from the work, it is still forbidden to ask a non-Jew to perform melacha on Shabbat when the action itself would be forbidden for a Jew. This falls under the prohibition of instructing a non-Jew to perform prohibited labor on Shabbat.

Important Distinction

This applies only if the meat belongs to the Jew. However, one may say to the non-Jew: “Take your own meat and cook it for yourself,” because the food never belonged to the Jew and the work is being done solely for the non-Jew’s benefit.

Question: If someone wore Shabbat clothing during the week — for example at a wedding, or if someone wears the same coat on weekdays and Shabbat — must they check the pockets before Shabbat?

Answer:

Close to the onset of Shabbat, it is a mitzvah — and according to some opinions an obligation — to check one’s pockets to ensure there is nothing inside that could accidentally be carried into the public domain or moved on Shabbat as muktzeh.

Additional Notes

The same applies before Yom Tov regarding muktzeh items.

A well-known story is told about someone who accidentally carried an item into the public domain on Shabbat because he forgot it was in his pocket. When he asked Chaim Soloveitchik what repentance was required, Rav Chaim answered that he did not need repentance for the actual carrying, since it was unintentional, but he did need repentance for failing to fulfill the rabbinic enactment of checking his pockets before Shabbat.

Question: When lighting Shabbat candles, is it enough to light only a small part of the wick?

Answer:

One must light the majority of the exposed part of the wick so that the flame burns steadily immediately after removing one’s hand.

The same rule applies to Chanukah candles as well.

Question: If someone did not pray Mincha on Friday until after the congregation already accepted Shabbat, may he still pray Mincha?

Answer:

He should not pray Mincha inside the synagogue, because once the congregation has accepted Shabbat, he should not perform a weekday prayer publicly among them. Instead, he should leave the synagogue and pray outside.

However, if the congregation has not yet accepted Shabbat, he may begin Mincha even if he knows they will accept Shabbat during his prayer. Still, it is preferable in such a case to pray outside the synagogue.