Daf HaYomi B'Halacha Daily Email

Broken utensils on Yom Tov

Utensils which break on Shabbos and Yom Tov but still retain a degree of their original functionality are not muktzeh (e.g. pieces of a broken bowl that are large enough to contain a liquid). If the pieces of the broken utensil are only large enough to perform a different function (e.g. pieces of a broken plate that can serve as bottle covers), the following halachos would apply: On Shabbos they are not muktzeh. On Yom Tov, however, some opinions maintain that nolad is forbidden. These pieces may be classified as nolad, since they fell into a new category once they broke. Others hold that the broken pieces are not considered nolad.

[שו"ע תקא, ו, משנ"ב כב ו־כט, ושעה"צ כט; ביאורים ומוספים דרשו, 18 ;וראה שו"ע שח, ו]

Ba’al tashchis

The Torah prohibits ba’al tashchis in reference to chopping down a fruit-bearing tree. The prohibition also includes destroying anything of value. It is likewise forbidden to waste an item of value when there is a cheaper alternative. For example, if there is firewood available, it is forbidden to use a wooden utensil as fuel for a fire. If the value of the utensil is less than the wood, using it for fuel is permissible.

[משנ"ב תקא, כח; ביאורים ומוספים דרשו, 16 ;וראה מנ"ח תקכט, א]

Benefiting from muktzeh

The prohibition of muktzeh encompasses both using and moving the muktzeh object. It is permissible to benefit from a muktzeh item without actually using or moving it. Examples include warming oneself by a fire that is fueled with muktzeh fuel or sitting on muktzeh wood without actually moving it. The poskim disagree about whether it is permissible to sit or lie on a muktzeh object if the weight of one’s body would cause the object to move.

[משנ"ב תקא, כג, ושעה"צ לא; ביאורים ומוספים דרשו, 14 ;שח, פב; ובו"מ דרשו שם, 103

Wood that is designated for building may not be used for firewood, since it is designated for another purpose. Because people generally would not use their building materials for anything else, such wood is classified as muktzeh machmas chisoron kis, which is forbidden to use and move on Shabbos and Yom Tov according to all opinions. The same halacha would apply to the beam of a structure that caves in on Yom Tov.

If a chisoron kis item breaks on Shabbos (and is no longer expensive and delicate), the poskim disagree about whether it remains muktzeh for the rest of Shabbos. Some hold that since the item was muktzeh at the onset of Shabbos, it remains so throughout Shabbos (even though circumstances have changed).

The Gemara states that on Yom Tov it is forbidden to gather wood and bring it in from the field to use as firewood.

Animal food on Yom Tov

Playing with fruit pits on Yom Tov

Reusing a wick on the second night of Yom Tov

PLEASE NOTE: The information in this email is for learning purposes only. Please review the Mishna Berura and Biurim U'Musafim before making a halachic decision. Hebrew words are occasionally transliterated to enable a smoother reading of the text. Common Ashkenazi pronunciation is generally used in these cases.