עברית
Halachot and Customs
Flushing the Toilet on Shabbat
Question
Is it permissible to press the flush button on the toilet during Shabbat, considering the large amount of water released? Thank you in advance.
With blessings of Torah,
a young woman.
Answer
Greetings, It is permitted to flush the toilet on Shabbat and on Yom Tov. However, if the toilet contains soap that colors the water, the poskim differ on whether to prohibit or allow this (see the discussion in Piskei Teshuvot, siman 342, paragraph 25). The opinion of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, of blessed memory, is to permit it, and there is no concern of prohibition either due to coloring, generating a scent in the water, or as erasing (see Chazon Ovadia Shabbat, part 5, pages 28-31). Blessings, Hillel Meirs
