Purim - 5780

Purim - 5780 Rabbi Hal Miller (Reminder: It is traditional that on Purim we read "Purim Torah". These are fashioned in the same way as regular divrei Torah, but are humorous, nonsensical, and often just plain silly. Any "rulings" of law herein are expressly disclaimed as being jokes, not serious.... Oh, and bear in mind you're supposed to be a little schicker when you read it. --HM) Those of you who have been following my writings over the past fifteen-plus years are aware of the "Halachos of" series I put out for Purim each year. This year, our discussion topic is the halachos of vacuum cleaners.

I -- First, we must understand what a vacuum cleaner is, and what it is not. For purposes of this

halacha presentation, a vacuum cleaner is an electrically-powered instrument that creates a

suction, primarily used to pick up dirt. Although a sump pump operates on the same principle,

its purpose of moving liquid rather than collecting "dirt" differs sufficiently that separate rules apply

to it. That line is blurred in the case of what is known as a "shop vac", which, although it moves

liquid, does so for the purpose of cleaning a floor that was not supposed to have water at all, and

is thus included in our category.

A vacuum cleaner does not include the "carpet sweeper" of yesteryear, which although it has the

same purpose, operates its brush without suction, and solely on human power, not electric. A

vacuum cleaner does not include a dog, regardless of how effective the dog may be in

accomplishing the same purpose. See also the section below regarding vacuuming pets.

II -- Now that we understand what a vacuum cleaner is, we ask when are we allowed to use them?

Certainly, all would accept that such an instrument may not be used on Shabbos based on two

arguments: both because the starting and stopping of an electrical device is problematic, and

because its purpose does not comport with the spirit of Shabbos. The same arguments apply to

Yom Tov.

As to the first argument, what if we leave the motor running the entire period? Doesn't that make

it like a light that we leave on over Shabbos? Aside from the annoyance of leaving a loud machine

running all day, which itself does not seem Shabbosdic, could we use it then? What if we put it on

a timer? Is the vacuum cleaner muktzeh, in which case a whole new set of rules apply, including

needing to investigate whether it can be used on Yom Tov even if not Shabbos?

Does the second argument, that of the spirit of Shabbos, alone prevent usage, or are both arguments

required together? This would be akin to the kashrus of a fish requiring both fins and scales, where

neither alone is sufficient, as opposed to the commandment not to strike one's father or mother,

where either one is sufficient alone. We could argue that our case is more similar to the latter since

the kashrus of fish is a status whereas the mother-father situation is an action, like we have here.

But the halacha follows the fish since we are in fact looking at the status of the vacuum use, which

is based on whether it would ever be valid on Shabbos. For it to be valid, one would need the case

where use of electricity was allowed, but also that use must comport with the spirit of Shabbos.

Does this argument also apply to Yom Tov, where certain rabbinic rules are relaxed so we can cook?

Does it apply like the rules of muktzeh machmas mius, where we have some dispensation to clean up

something disgusting so it will not ruin our Shabbos? If we say that the vacuum, which does generate

heat, is being used to cook, and that the cleaning is only an unintended side benefit, we would need

to investigate whether use of this machine can properly be called cooking. We would need to question

whether p'sik reisha exists, in that a forbidden action will necessarily result from what would otherwise

be a permitted act. We would also need to investigate whether one would need two separate vacuums,

one for milk rubbish and one for meat rubbish.

The answer to all of these questions is that there are alternative ways of accomplishing what is

needed for Shabbos or Yom Tov, therefore there is no exception allowing a vacuum on those days.

Are there restrictions beyond Shabbos and Yom Tov? Does the type of flooring make a difference?

May we use them when someone is asleep or in an apartment with "thin walls"? Although the type

of flooring necessarily impacts the effectiveness of the vacuum, and may require specialized tools,

it does not change how the machine works nor its purpose, so this does not impact the halacha.

Certainly laws of proper living (derech eretz) dictate that we avoid doing things that upset others if

possible, so use of a vacuum in a way that might wake someone may be problematic, but that falls

under a different area of halacha and is not limited to vacuums.

III -- Next we investigate what we can use them on and what we cannot. This question applies both

to the surfaces and to the material to be cleaned. For example, many vacuums have attachment

tools that enable use on furniture or walls. Are these halachically acceptable? Given that the tools

come with the vacuum, it would seem to be part of the intended purpose, so if we accept that a

vacuum may ever be used for its purpose, one would assume that these surfaces are also allowed.

But there are still questions. In working on walls (or ceilings) there is increased risk for doing

damage or even, chas v'shalom, causing injury. Halacha usually forbids the acceptance of risk for

such things unless in each individual case a valid argument can be made weighing the risk against

the benefit. The possibility of dropping something on one's head should outweigh the benefit to be

gained from using this tool for this purpose where other, safer, methods of accomplishing it are

available. Perhaps, though, this can be likened to automobile or air travel, which our rabbis have

declared as sakanot (dangers), but have not forbidden because people use them anyway.

As to the material, we have to ask about items that may damage the vacuum, such as strings or

hair. In the context of pet fur, this leads us to a segue from the previous section. Are we allowed

to vacuum a pet?

Many dogs and cats run as fast as they can in the oppoosite direction when someone takes out a

vacuum. Most of the rest either run or bark at it when it gets turned on. But there are many animals

that enjoy having their bellies vacuumed. There are halachos prohibiting causing animals pain,

including emotional distress, so we here concentrate only on the last group. If Fido wants his belly

vacuumed, are we allowed to do it?

We could say that Fido lacks the capacity to agree or disagree. If so, it falls to us to decide for

him. Halachos elsewhere rule that we cannot obligate someone else without their consent. There is

an "exception" where halacha assumes that one is always pleased to do a mitzvah with their property.

Therefore, we ask, is this a mitzvah? It would be difficult to come to that conclusion. Thus we would

not be able to obligate Fido. But is that even necessary here? Since we are asking whether it is

permissible rather than obligated, probably not.

Instead we look at what is involved. If the purpose is to clean the dog, we have a more effective

alternative in giving him a bath. The average dog would probably choose the vacuum over a bath, but

the decision is not up to the dog, nor is this preference relevant to our question. We need to understand

whether the removal by vacuum of all that loosened fur is problematic even not on Shabbos.

If at all possible, we are to avoid causing pain to an animal, and where it is unavoidable for a valid reason

we must minimize it. If the removal of fur in this manner causes pain, it would be forbidden. But the actions

of the dog conclusively lead us to believe that there is no pain involved. In fact, it appears to benefit the

dog by making him feel good, by removing fur that otherwise gets matted, and by keeping him clean. If so,

no problem.

But how about damage to the vacuum cleaner? Hair, fur, loose strings, and such get wrapped around the

moving parts of the machine and can do significant damage. Are we allowed to do this in what would

ordinarily be called the typical manner of use? Certainly we are enjoined from doing unnecessary damage to

any of God's creations, but does a vacuum cleaner qualify? Presumably, since it is human-manufactured

and subject to ordinary wearing out, this is not likely to be a problem. Thus halacha allows us to use the

vacuum for the things that we usually use it for.

IV -- Having covered their use, we turn to issues or dangers involved. Certainly, there is a danger any time

one uses an electrical device. Fortunately, the safety features of modern electrical implements are close

to foolproof, so we can accept the decisions of our rabbis in the instance of air travel and say that this

danger is so small that people have accepted it. But then, any time someone builds something more

foolproof, someone else comes up with a bigger fool. The halacha, though, does not take this into account.

In various areas of law, we find prohibitions on mixing things. We cannot mix meat and dairy. We cannot

sow grain amongst grapevines. We cannot harness an ox and a donkey together. We cannot mix wool and

linen. There are rules about when, how, and in what quantities a prohibited item mixed into something can

be considered nullified. Is there such a problem here, where we are mixing everything together in the dirt

collection device? In general, the answer is no, since what we are doing is getting rid of garbage, which is

what we would do with an invalid mixture anyway. But what if we are going to compost? Since compost is

returned to the ground, it may not be an issue, but further research is needed here.

The halacha is clear that we must dump the dirt container after cleaning prior to Pesach, treating the

contents as chametz. How thoroughly we must clean it out is not clear, as the contents are considered

dirt already, so anything too small to see may not be problematic. See the halachos of Pesach.

Use of a vacuum cleaner often raises dust in the air throughout the house. Is that permitted? How

about the case where someone living there has a breathing issue already? Or, in the opposite scenario,

it is possible that the cleaning process will make things smell better. Does this then require a blessing?

The process of vacuuming often collects small objects that had been "lost". How do the rules about

returning lost objects apply here? Do we need to sift through the contents each time we go to empty

the collection device?

Do any of these laws apply differently in the land of Israel than they do in the Diaspora? Other than

the prohibition of plugging a 110 volt device into a 240 volt power supply with the resultant damage

and danger, would a person vacuuming in Israel have to do things that a person elsewhere would not

have to do, or vice versa? Since the issues discussed here do not differ, then we could draw the

conclusion that there would not be a difference in the halacha. Perhaps if one were to leave the dirt

in the vacuum cleaner long enough for seeds to sprout, there could be a terumah issue, or shemittah,

or some such, but the rulings for that would presumably follow other law, and not be different for

vacuums.

Purim Sameach!