Torah · Halacha YomitUsing Sponges on ShabbatRabbi Uri Nahum · October 28, 2026 · 39 Melachot-15Play+30Position0:00—Save⌄ShareTranscript0:00So, two quick announcements before we get to the halacha.0:04Number one is, today we delayed davening, it's because netz is at0:097:22. Ma'ariv will be 23, and the day after will be 24.0:12So this is a chance for you to pray in your regular minyan and still pray0:16netz. It's a big, big0:18ענין, and the Gemara says about one rabbi who prayed0:21netz, didn't stop to smile the whole day.0:23It's a very big... we think try to take advantage of this week.0:27Second thing is that, Baruch Hashem, we're working, you know, the website.0:33Thank you, ... was working on the website and the things,0:36and now there's an app and everything else.0:37We're working on making quizzes on these halachot.0:40So at the end of the week, or maybe at the end of the day, you hear the halachot,0:44and then you test yourself, see how much you know, right?0:47If you get like an 80 on your test, it means you machaleish about 20% of0:52... So therefore, make sure you get 100,0:56you don't want to. In any case, back to the0:59halacha. Okay, in any case, we're talking about the halachot of sochet, squeezing,1:04and yesterday we said a halacha, and we want to elaborate on it.1:08There's a lot of practicality to this1:10halacha. Let's start with the1:11Gemara. The Gemara says that a sponge, you're not allowed to use a sponge on1:16Shabbat because when you hold the sponge—take a classical1:18sponge—when you hold the sponge,1:20אי אפשר שלא יסחוט. It's impossible that you're not going to be1:22sochet. When you hold, just grabbing it, liquid is going to come out of it,1:25and you want that liquid, like we said, because you want to clean.1:28So therefore, it's assur to use a sponge.1:29However, the Gemara says, but if the sponge has a handle, then it's mutar.1:36Okay, if the sponge has a handle, it would be mutar.1:38Good.1:38Question is, what does the handle do?1:40That means if there's like a stick attached to the sponge1:43or some sort of handle on top of the sponge, the Gemara says it would be mutar.1:47What does that do?1:48So here we have what seems to be a machloket between the Rambam and the1:52Raavad. According to the Rambam, when you have a handle to the sponge,1:56so therefore you're not going to squeeze out because you could control it.2:00Once you hold the sponge without a handle, your fingers will be2:04squeezing out the water because you can't grab hold of it. Your fingers will be squeezing out the water.2:09If you hold it with a handle, you're not going to squeeze out the water.2:12The Raavad understands the Rambam that way as well,2:15and the Raavad disagrees with him.2:17He says, no, that's not the reason,2:19because even with the handle, for sure things will squeeze out as well.2:22He understands that when you have a handle to the sponge, it becomes like a pitcher.2:26Would anybody say that a pitcher with water that's closed2:29and you pour out the water, is that called2:31sechitah? No.2:32All there's liquid that's balua, that's absorbed.2:35That's not called sechitah. That's a pitcher.2:37So he says also that the reason why the Gemara allows a sponge with a2:41handle is like a pitcher,2:43and therefore even if you squeeze out the water, there's no problem.2:46The Shulchan Aruch, he does not tell us the reason.2:50He just says a sponge that has no handle is asur;2:54a sponge with a handle is mutar.2:56What's the reason?2:58Doesn't say the reason.2:59So is it like the Rambam,3:00that means I could use it but I shouldn't squeeze?3:03So it's not clear from the Shulchan Aruch, although later on3:08people, there's other halachot I don't want to get into now because of the timing.3:11So therefore, what comes out of it in3:14halacha is that technically anything that has a handle,3:16even though you're using it to wipe a sponge or even a mop, even a mop,3:21you could use.3:21Just be careful not to press hard.3:24So this way, even if something comes out, you have that3:27machloket. Just be careful not to press hard.3:28So therefore, if there's a spill on the floor,3:30if you want to take a regular sponge and wipe it, that will be a problem.3:33If it has a handle, it will be fine.3:35Even if you take the mop and you want to take it and mop it up,3:38that will be okay on3:41Shabbat. But to take the mop and to start, you know,3:44to squeeze out the liquid on the thing,3:46that lechatchilah should not be done.3:49Okay.3:50The more practical is if a person wants to do dishes on Shabbat.3:55Watch, watch, this is on Shabbat.3:56I'm not going to get into when you're allowed to,3:57not you're allowed to do3:58this. Talk about when you're allowed to.3:59Let's say you have an extra guest that you didn't expect,4:02and you want to wash now a plate or two for the guest.4:05So to use a regular sponge, now we have a4:09problem, because you want that sponge to take out the soap,4:12and that will be a problem on Shabbat.4:14So therefore, what you could do is that you have the sponge with a handle,4:20then you can do it.4:20Again, try not to press too hard, but you can use a sponge with a handle.4:25If you have a sponge like the leaf that we use for showering,4:30but it's not as, you know, the strings are not so attached to each4:35other. They call it sometimes a Shabbat sponge,4:38where you see that they're very loose from each other.4:41Even if it doesn't have a handle, you can be a little bit lenient.4:44You can be lenient with that.4:45Why is that so?4:47Because plastic or whatever, this nylon thing doesn't really absorb.4:51So if it doesn't really absorb, where's the4:54sechitah? And the answer is because when they're close to each other,4:56there's a little bit of water and you squeeze that.4:58So that's not4:59sechitah d'Oraita, that's5:01miderabanan, okay?5:01And if it's not for sure going to squeeze out the5:03water because they're far spread apart,5:06then you have poskim that are matir such a sponge,5:09like we said, because the regular sponges,5:11that there's a foam inside5:14that most people use those with the handle to clean the dishes,5:18that would be an issue for people to use.5:20Make sure you use one either with the handle, like the one that we said,5:23like the Shabbat sponge.