Is Snow Muktza?

Q. Is snow muktza?

A. Most poskim hold that rain water is not muktza. Even if rain fell on Shabbos, it is not in the category of muktza of nolad (a new entity) because the moisture was present even before Shabbos (Bais Yosef end of OC 310, in the name of Rav Tzemach Gaon). Poskim question whether snow that fell on Shabbos has the same status as rain. Rav Moshe Feinstein, zt”l (Igros Moshe, vol. 5, 22:37) and others maintain that snow that fell on Shabbos is muktza of nolad since it is completely different than water, and it is treated as a new entity. In addition, Rav Moshe considered that perhaps snow is muktza even if it fell before Shabbos. Snow in our day and age is a useless item, and like sticks and stones, snow is muktza machmas gufo (a category of muktza of non-usable items). (See Sefer Tiltulei Shabbos from Rav Pinchus Bodner page 165 and Misores Moshe page 67 with conflicting representations of Rav Moshe’s position.) On the other hand, Rav Zvi Pesach Frank, zt”l (Shu”t Har Tzvi, Kuntres Tal Harim – Meleches Sosair 1) and many others disagree and consider snow a variation of rain and therefore it is not muktza, even if it fell on Shabbos.

Thus, there is basis to be both lenient and stringent, and one should ask their Rav for direction.

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The Gerald & Karin Feldhamer OU Kosher Halacha Yomis is dedicated to the memory of Rav Yisroel Belsky, zt"l, who served as halachic consultant for OU Kosher for more than 28 years; many of the responses in Halacha Yomis are based on the rulings of Rabbi Belsky. Subscribe to the Halacha Yomis daily email here.