Can you use toilet paper during Shabbat?

Author: Prof. Caesar Tremblay  |  Last update: Saturday, November 22, 2025

We are allowed to use toilet paper on shabbos, we just are not allowed to tear on Shabbos.

Can you use toilet paper on Shabbat?

Most authorities classify tearing toilet paper (or attached tissues) under the melachot of koraya (tearing), mechatech (measured cutting), and/or makeh b'patish (finishing touches). [2] As such, one must be sure to cut toilet paper before Shabbat or use tissues that are dispensed one-by-one.

Can you use the toilet on the Sabbath?

It goes without saying that flushing a toilet is permitted on Shabbat.

What are 5 things Jews can't do during Shabbat?

The 39 Categories of Sabbath Work Prohibited By Law
  • Carrying.
  • Burning.
  • Extinguishing.
  • Finishing.
  • Writing.
  • Erasing.
  • Cooking.
  • Washing.

Can you wipe on Shabbat?

39 If the wipe can be used without Squeezing then it may be used on Shabbos. A baby wipe that is slightly moist and is gently dabbed onto the diaper area would be an example of the permissible use of a baby wipe on Shabbos.

Can we use the toilet on #shabbat

Is it OK to shower on Shabbat?

37 But only bathing or showering whole or most of the body, even one limb at a time, is forbidden. Partial body washing, i.e., less than half of the body, is permitted with hot water that was heated before Shabbos38.

Can you be intimate on Shabbat?

Yes, sex is permitted and even encouraged on Shabbat. One should eat garlic on Shabbat eve. This is due to the fact that garlic enhances sexual potency, and Friday night is an appropriate time for conjugal relations.

Can you watch TV on Shabbat?

Television and radio

Most rabbinical authorities have prohibited watching television during Shabbat, even if the TV is turned on before the start of Shabbat, and its settings are not changed.

What is the punishment for not keeping Shabbat?

Having learned of the tremendous value of Shabbat, we can understand why its desecration is such a severe sin. The Torah prescribes its harshest punishment for it: if one intentionally desecrates Shabbat in front of witnesses who forewarned him, he is liable for death by stoning.

What are the three rules of Shabbat?

What are the laws of Shabbat?
  • The Torah mentions that one should refrain from doing any melachah (work) on the day of Shabbat. ...
  • The only two forbidden acts that the Torah specifies are kindling a fire (which means no electricity or cooking on Shabbat) and carrying in the public domain.

Can I brush my teeth on the Sabbath?

You may not use toothpaste on Shabbat. You may use water, tooth powder, and toothwashing liquid on Shabbat but, to avoid squeezing the toothbrush bristles, you must put the water or toothwashing liquid into your mouth and not on the brush.

Can Jews use cell phones on the Sabbath?

One frequently cited spiritual “cure” is Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest during which Orthodox Jews like myself refrain from using anything powered by electricity, including computers, phones, and TVs (we also don't travel, cook, or tear toilet paper).

Can you use a bidet on Shabbat?

Sabbath-friendly solutions. Namely, the bidet. And while not all bidets are ideal for Shabbat, some — such as the handheld bidet as well as non-electric seats and attachments— will work perfectly for the 7th day, or any day of the week, for that matter.

Can you wear deodorant on Shabbat?

Q15: Can a person use deodorant or antiperspirant spray on Shabbos? Deodorant merely masks smell and is not medicinal; therefore, it may be used on Shabbos. Stick deodorant should not be used due to the prohibition of smearing. Antiperspirant which has been formulated to prevent sweating should not be used on Shabbos.

Why is there no toothpaste on Shabbat?

Discussion: The consensus of contemporary poskim is that it is forbidden to use toothpaste on Shabbos. 66 Their main concern is that applying toothpaste to the teeth or the brush could result in a transgression of the prohibited Shabbos Labor of Memareiach, smoothing.

Why can't you use an umbrella on Shabbat?

80:82 One may not carry an umbrella – which is a covering designed to protect people from sun or rain - because opening it forms a canopy. (The possibility of carrying it outside an eiruv is a secondary problem – Bi'ur Halacha 315:8 s.v. tefach.) Rabbi Jack Abramowitz is Torah Content Editor at the Orthodox Union.

What is a sin on the Sabbath?

Sabbath desecration is the failure to observe the Biblical Sabbath and is usually considered a sin and a breach of a holy day in relation to either the Jewish Shabbat (Friday sunset to Saturday nightfall), the Sabbath in seventh-day churches, or to the Lord's Day (Sunday), which is recognized as the Christian Sabbath ...

Can you carry a child on Shabbat?

You may not carry children on Shabbat in a public domain without an eruv. SITUATION: An eruv breaks or is down on Shabbat. WHAT TO DO: Do not tell someone who is carrying a child, pushing a stroller, or in a similar situation that the eruv is down.

What is forbidden during Shabbat?

On Shabbat one can do anything except those labors that were performed in the construction of the Mishkan (the portable sanctuary in the wilderness). One may not carry, ride, tie, erect a structure, build a fire, turn on a light, etc.

Can we shower on Shabbat?

Summary: One may not wash one's entire body with hot water on Shabbat. One who experiences great discomfort as a result of not being able to shower on Shabbat may wash one's self with water heated by a solar water heater. It is likewise permissible to bathe an infant with water heated by a solar water heater.

Can I go for a walk on Shabbat?

However, even walking on Shabbat has its limits. Jewish law sets the maximum walking range from one's city to 2,000 cubits (3,049.5 feet, 0.596 miles (960 meters).

Can Christians do Shabbat?

So, should we celebrate the Christian Sabbath? Should we celebrate, commemorate, and keep the Lord's Day? Absolutely—and I would even say that because it is a creation ordinance, it's not really optional. Christians are called to have that day—the first day of the week—as the Christian Sabbath, as the Lord's Day.

Can you use lube on Shabbat?

May one use Astroglide water-based liquid (personal lubricant) on Shabbos – not only to pour it on but also to smear it around? It is not a gel, but a liquid whose consistency is basically like that of olive oil. Answer: Yes.

Can you knock on a door during Shabbat?

You may not use a knocker on a door on Shabbat. You may knock on a door using your fist or knuckles. Doing so will not inevitably (psik reisha) make a furrow. You may walk into the path of an electric eye if it only prevents a door from closing but not if it causes the door to open.

Can you marry on Shabbat?

Days of the Week. As a general rule weddings are not held on Shabbat, which comprises Friday evening and all day Saturday. Many couples also choose not to schedule weddings the day before Shabbat so that friends and family don't have to travel on that day.

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