Torah · Halacha YomitPlants, Shabbat & SunlightRabbi Uri Nahum · October 14, 2026 · 39 Melachot 2-15Play+30Position0:00—Save⌄ShareDedication · Refuah Shelema Chaya Bat AlizaTranscript0:00Okay, so today is Gimel Tishrei, I mean Gimel Cheshvan, which is also the yahrzeit of Chacham Ovadia Yosef.0:07I'm going to say something that we're talking about right now, connected to the melacha of zorea, also0:15Psik Reisha, and I saw this in Chazon Ovadia, Hilchot Shabbat, chelek dalet, when he talks about the following point.0:22Some people have plantations, they have pottery with plants inside of them,0:28and a lot of people have them, let's say, by the windows.0:30It's not so common here as it is in Israel.0:33In Israel, they have, you know how the storefronts have, what do you call it, the metal gates?0:41We call them shutters, shutters.0:42So in a lot of places in Israel, they have shutters.0:45Why? Why?0:45What do you mean, why?0:47You have Iran, Gaza, that's why,0:49okay? They have a lot of shutters in Israel.0:52I remember when I was there a few years ago also, when the apartments we rented, they have these shutters, these metal0:58things. So now, when you open them, so now sun comes in and air comes in. So by the window, a lot of people like to decorate them.1:06They put pottery, they put real flowers over there, and they put them, or plants, right by the1:11window. So it's very obvious that when you have sunlight and you have more air, it allows them to grow better.1:19Like we said by zorea, I think we're going to start doing this from now, from every1:23melacha, we're going to start with the definition of the1:25melacha. Zorea, the melacha of zorea is not just the plant, but also anything that causes an enhancement to the plant.1:31Like we said, watering the grass.1:33You're not planting grass; the grass was there from beforehand.1:35Or let's say you have wheat in the ground and you just added water. That water enhances the growth.1:40So anything that a person does to enhance the growth of the plants is also part of1:46zorea. The question now is, if a guy opens his windows and shutters on Shabbat, right, you're allowing the sunlight to come in,1:54you're also allowing air to come in, and those two things are very noticeable, helps in the growth of the plant.2:00So therefore, the question is, is this an issue on Shabbat?2:03Is this a problem of2:05zorea? And you tell me, what's the intention of the guy opening the window?2:07The intention of the guy opening the window is saying he should get air to himself,2:12and he's going to grow from his seudah Shabbat. He's not growing from the sun.2:15So it's not a problem of zorea for him.2:18Yeah, but over here, the issue is it's a psik2:23reisha. How is this a psik2:25reisha? Because remember what the rule of psik reisha is.2:27When you do something that's mutar, and when you do something that's2:31asur, the classic case is you opening the fridge door and the light goes on,2:35right?2:36So this is the same thing.2:37You're opening up the window for you, that's mutar, had you had no plants.2:42But now that you have plants, would this be an issue of psik2:45reisha? Do you have to come before Shabbat to make sure that the plants should not be there,2:48should be in a different place, so when you open the window, the sun doesn't come on it?2:52So let's start with the2:54following. If the sun is not there yet, that means, you know, happens to be the front of my house is by the east side,3:02so the back of my house is to the west.3:03So in the morning, when I open my shade, I open my window, the sun is there.3:08But in the back, when I open my window, the sun is not there yet.3:12The sun has to come towards the afternoon, has to come to the back.3:14So in that case, if the sun is not there, there's no question.3:18There's no question because the sun is not helping you.3:21But there's a question3:22that maybe the air is helping you grow.3:24So הרב עובדיה goes back and forth to different brings a lot of different combinations.3:27He says it's mutar if your intention is not for the plants.3:29If your intention is not for the plants, you tell me what I mean.3:32Even if your intention is not for the plants, it's3:34psik reisha. He says he brings from different sources, being that the plants already have air,3:39and the plants are already growing without it.3:42That little extra thing, according to many opinions, is only3:47mid'rabbanan. That little extra air that you're bringing from the outside is3:50derabbanan, so it becomes a psik reisha. In a3:55derabanan, now although it's a little bit nicha lei, you do enjoy it, but you don't, that's not what your intention is for.4:01And therefore, the opening itself is not for you; it's not for the plants at all.4:06If you have some sort of kavanah for the plants, it would be4:10asur. But if your kavanah is not for the plants, it's only for you, being4:14the psik reisha d'lo nicha lei. D'lo nicha lei means, in this case now, right now, I don't care that the plants should grow better.4:19Of course, I want in general the plants to grow. Nobody wants his plants to die.4:23But right now, I couldn't care less if the windows were closed or open for the plants; I care for me.4:27So therefore, based on that, he says it would be4:31mutar. However, if the person's intention is for the plants as well, that would be clear, that would be4:37asur. Another scenario would be people that have mini gardens,4:41and they have like a special room in their house where they put all different plants and things,4:46and that's done, you know, for the sake of, you know, it's a special room just for plants and things to grow better.4:52In that room, since when you open the windows, you're opening it for the things to grow,4:58that would be a problem, and mainly it's also for the plants.5:01So even if you have it, you can say, And now I'm going, I want to get some fresh air,5:04I'm going to open the windows, but, you know, it's mainly made for that room,5:08then it would be a problem. And you can't, like, think I'm not, because that's exactly what you're doing,5:14and therefore it would be a problem in such a...