Is it permitted to place dishes in the dishwasher on Shabbat?

Hello,

If you place the dishes in the dishwasher because it bothers you to see dirty dishes in the kitchen, it is permitted to do so on Shabbat. Likewise, if during the week you are accustomed to transferring the dishes directly from the table to the dishwasher and leaving them there until washing time, it is permitted to do so on Shabbat as well. However, one must be careful not to sort the different dishes inside the dishwasher, because of the prohibition of preparation and sometimes also because of selecting.

Sources: See Responsa Igrot Moshe, Orach Chaim, part 4 (end of siman 74) and the book Levush Chen (letter 71), which permitted placing dirty dishes in the dishwasher on Shabbat if it bothers one to see them in the house or kitchen. End of quote. The basis for the leniency is according to the words of the Mishnah Berurah (siman 315, seif katan 19), that although it is forbidden to make the beds from Shabbat for after Shabbat, nevertheless if the bed stands in his house and it is a disgrace and humiliation to Shabbat for it to remain that way, it is permitted to make the bed, because this is called a Shabbat need.

And the leniency to place dishes in the dishwasher if that is also how one acts during the weekdays was written in Responsa Mishneh Halachot, part 4 (siman 43), and in the book Shemirat Shabbat Kehilchatah, part 1 (chapter 12, section 38). See also Kovetz Mibeit Levi, part 6 (page 44, section 8).

And with regard to the prohibition of muktzeh, there is no concern, as explained in Responsa Machazeh Eliyahu, part 1 (siman 60), that since the dishwasher has the use of a cabinet for holding dirty dishes before they are washed, and also for holding clean dishes after they have been washed, and as is well known, that is the constant practice, with these two kinds of dishes standing in it for many hours. It is the most suitable place for holding dirty dishes, and clean dishes are preserved in their cleanliness inside the dishwasher. According to this, the dishwasher is a utensil whose primary use is for a prohibited purpose and also for a permitted purpose, namely holding dishes, and he cited the words of the Beiur Halachah (siman 308, seif 3, s.v. kardom), who infers from the wording of the Rashba that any utensil that has regular use for a permitted purpose, even if most of its use is for a prohibited purpose, is considered a utensil whose primary use is for a permitted purpose. Only a utensil that is used only incidentally to do a permitted act, such as a hammer for cracking nuts, is considered a utensil whose primary use is for a prohibited purpose. End of quote. See also Responsa Mishneh Halachot (there).

And as for what was written, that one must be careful not to sort, etc., see the above-mentioned Responsa Igrot Moshe and Mishneh Halachot, Responsa Be'er Moshe, part 3 (siman 48), Levush Chen and Shemirat Shabbat Kehilchatah mentioned above, and see also Chazon Ovadiah, Shabbat, part 6 (page 104).

With blessing,

Hillel Meirs