עברית
Halachot and Customs
Applying Ointment on Shabbat and Halacha
Question
Good week,
In my questions, I am referring to ointment/cream — whatever a doctor or cosmetician would recommend. (There are many kinds; I will detail them at the end.)
1. Am I allowed to apply ointment/cream on my face on Shabbat for medical purposes?
2. Am I allowed to apply facial cream, moisturizer, or sunscreen on Shabbat? (I will note that I do this every day as a regular habit.)
3. If a woman had surgery or a cosmetic treatment and was told to apply ointment as part of the recovery, is a woman allowed to apply ointment to her face/body on Shabbat?
4. If a woman suffers from pigmentation and has a special ointment/cream that helps her treat this problem, may she apply it on Shabbat? (She applies it every day as a regular habit; she undergoes a special treatment once a month, and every day she must apply creams and ointments as part of the recovery process.)
5. May a person who suffers from hemorrhoids/fissure apply ointment/cream to the anal area on Shabbat? I note that if he does not apply the ointment, he will be in pain and it will cause him distress.
6. Is it permitted to put body cream on Shabbat? (There are all kinds: body oil, serum, cream, ointment, body butter, and more...)
Thank you in advance!
In my questions, I am referring to ointment/cream — whatever a doctor or cosmetician would recommend. (There are many kinds; I will detail them at the end.)
1. Am I allowed to apply ointment/cream on my face on Shabbat for medical purposes?
2. Am I allowed to apply facial cream, moisturizer, or sunscreen on Shabbat? (I will note that I do this every day as a regular habit.)
3. If a woman had surgery or a cosmetic treatment and was told to apply ointment as part of the recovery, is a woman allowed to apply ointment to her face/body on Shabbat?
4. If a woman suffers from pigmentation and has a special ointment/cream that helps her treat this problem, may she apply it on Shabbat? (She applies it every day as a regular habit; she undergoes a special treatment once a month, and every day she must apply creams and ointments as part of the recovery process.)
5. May a person who suffers from hemorrhoids/fissure apply ointment/cream to the anal area on Shabbat? I note that if he does not apply the ointment, he will be in pain and it will cause him distress.
6. Is it permitted to put body cream on Shabbat? (There are all kinds: body oil, serum, cream, ointment, body butter, and more...)
Thank you in advance!
Answer
Hello and blessings,
1. Medical treatment on Shabbat is forbidden. There are special cases in which it is possible to permit, and the circumstances should be written, and according to that we can decide the halacha.
2. When necessary, one may be lenient, and one should massage the ointment/cream well until no substance remains on the body, but rather everything will be massaged well into the human body.
3. Put it on the surgical site without rubbing.
4. As in section 2 above
5. He should place it on the area with dabbing, without rubbing, or rub it until it enters into the body, but that is more difficult.
6. Only in cases of great need, and as in section 2 above.
With blessings,
Binyamin Shmuali
