WEEKDAY USE OF SABBATH CANDLESTICKS

QUESTION:

During the recent coal strike in England, the electricity was cut off and people lived by candlelight. The question arose whether it is against Jewish tradition to use on weekdays, candlesticks or candelabra which have always been set aside for the Sabbath. (From Rabbi John D. Rayner, London, England)

ANSWER:

SINCE ANCIENT TIMES it was the custom to set aside special things for Sabbath use. The Talmud speaks of the setting aside of garments, special foods, etc., and it is known, of course, that all through the ages people had special clothes for the Sabbath and, of course, candlesticks and candelabra, etc. (see T. Shabbas 114a and also Shulchan Aruch, Orah Hayyim 262, which speak of special tablecloths and garments, etc., specially set aside for the Sabbath). The question is, here, whether these Sabbath objects may be used for weekdays.

There is a clear law with regard to the opposite question, namely, that certain weekday objects may not be used or even handled on the Sabbath. Such objects such as utensils, tools, etc., that belong to weekday work may not even be touched on the Sabbath. This is, of course, the law of Muktza. Thus, for example, an empty purse may not be touched on the Sabbath because it is Muktza M’shum Basis; i.e., it is the container or the “basis” for money (see especially the laws of Muktza in Orah Hayyim 310). But there is no law as far as I know of the reverse nature, namely, that that which is set aside for the Sabbath is not to be handled on weekdays.

The question would not be asked at all if it had not arisen in the minds of some people; and whenever such a question arises, there is always some sort of reason for it. Perhaps it arose because the kindled Sabbath light itself may not be used for a weekday purpose; that is to say, you may not use a Sabbath light to study by (see the various limitations to this law in Orah Hayyim 275). But that prohibition of using the Sabbath light for a non-Sabbath purpose was based on the fear that the light might be trimmed or adjusted in some way if one needed more light. This would violate the Sabbath law against kindling the light. In other words, the actual law is that the burning Sabbath light may not be used for a non-Sabbath purpose on the Sabbath (lest the Sabbath be violated by trimming the light). But that does not mean that the Sabbath light or the Sabbath candelabra, etc., may not be used on weekdays, when there is no danger of violating the Sabbath by trimming or adjusting the light.

In addition to this negative proof that there is no law against the use of Sabbath appurtenances, there are also certain indications in Talmudic statements of an Aggadic nature which also may indicate that there is no objection to the use of Sabbath objects on the weekday. While Aggadic statements may not be used as proof for Halachic decisions, nevertheless they are sometimes used as an auxiliary argument.

We are told in the Talmud (Beza 16a) that Shammai used to set aside a very fine steer to be slaughtered for Sabbath. Then if he would find a still finer steer, he would substitute the finer one for the original one. Now, if there were any objection in the law to using on weekdays something that had been especially set aside for the Sabbath, the Talmud would almost certainly have raised the question: How could Shammai use that first steer on weekdays? There is a second Aggadic indication in this matter: The Palestinian Talmud (J. Peah 8:8) speaks of Naomi’s suggestion to Ruth (Ruth 3:3) to “put on thy raiment upon thee,” and the Talmud asks: Was that not strange advice? Was she, then, unclothed? The answer is that Naomi told her to put on her Sabbath garments to make a good impression on Boaz. Now, if on a harvest day which was certainly a weekday there had been any objection to wearing the Sabbath garments, the Talmud would certainly have mentioned it. So these two Aggadic statements of Shammai and of Naomi and Ruth indicate at least that when these narratives were told it did not strike any one of the rabbis that there could be any objection to using on weekdays something especially set aside for the Sabbath.

To sum up: There is definite objection to using on the Sabbath weekday utensils, especially those involving work (i.e., those involving the laws of Muktza) and there is also an objection to using the Sabbath light itself, on the Sabbath, for such non-Sabbath purpose as study, which would involve adjusting the light. But there is no objection mentioned in the law against using the appurtenances of the Sabbath on weekdays, and this negative is implied clearly in the two Aggadic narratives mentioned,