DailyHalacha.com for Mobile Devices Now Available

Click Here to Sponsor Daily Halacha
"Delivered to Over 6000 Registered Recipients Each Day"

      
(File size: 872 KB)
Mukse- Is It Permissible to Pet an Animal on Shabbat?

Animals are Mukse. Therefore, it is prohibited to pick up a pet, such as a dog or a cat on Shabbat. The Poskim discuss whether it is permitted to pet the hair of an animal, without moving its body. The Be’ur Halacha (Rav Yisrael Meir Kagan of Radin, 1839-1933, 312:11) does not reach a firm conclusion, but he leans towards the position that the hair is different from the body of the animal, even though it is attached. Accordingly, it should be permitted to wipe one's hands on the tail of a horse. Apparently, this distinction between the hair and the body is based on the fact that the whole reason the animal is Mukse is because it is prohibited from use on Shabbat. The prohibition of using an animal only applies to its body, and therefore the Mukse does as well. Just as there was no Gezerah-enactment prohibiting use of the hair, there was also no classification as Mukse. Nevertheless, practically it is difficult to separate between petting the hair and contact with the animal's body.

Hacham Yishak Beracha in his book on Mukse (p.86) brings both sides of the argument, but concludes that it is preferable to be strict and not pet animals.

SUMMARY
Animals are Mukse, and it is best to refrain from petting them.

 


Recent Daily Halachot...
Yom Kippur-Kohanim &Levi’im Washing Their Hands
Yom Kippur: The Prohibitions of Melacha, Eating and Drinking
Yom Kippur-Halachot of Eating and Smelling
Reciting the Beracha Over a Candle on Mosa'e Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur – May Somebody Receive an Aliya or Serve as Hazzan if He Needs to Eat or Drink
When Does Yom Kippur Begin?
If One Must Eat on Yom Kippur
The Yom Kippur Fast – Guidelines For a Woman Who Has Just Given Birth
Kapparot For a Pregnant Woman
Yom Kippur- What if a Person Faints on Yom Kippur?
Yom Kippur- How Much should a Sick Person Drink on Yom Kippur?
How is a Brit Milah Performed on Yom Kippur?
Yom Kippur- When Can Those With Heart and Kidney Conditions, Diabetics and Those Recovering from Surgery Eat?
Yom Kippur: Kiddush for One who Eats if Yom Kippur Falls Out on Shabbat?
The Yom Kippur Eve Prayer Service When it Falls on Friday Night
Page of 239
3585 Halachot found