Hilchos Shabbos - Cut Flowers

QUESTION: A guest brought a bouquet of cut flowers to our house on Shabbos. May I put the flowers into water?

ANSWER: The Rema (OC 336:11) writes that one may place decorative branches (which are not muktza) into water on Shabbos so they do not dry out. However, one may not place into water flowers with closed buds that will open, since this is similar to Zorei’a (planting). The Rema refers to Hilchos Sukkos. Mishnah Berurah (336:54) explains that Rema is referring to the halacha that on Yom Tov one may put their lulav and aravos back into their original water, but one may not put them into fresh water. Even though a lulav and aravos do not have buds and will not blossom, one may still not put them into new water on Yom Tov. The same applies on Shabbos: Even if the flowers are already opened, one may only return them to the water that they were originally in but not put them into new water. The Mishnah Berurah brings an opinion that if the water was already designated for this purpose from before Shabbos (such as if one has other flowers in a vase of water), one may add additional flowers so long as the flowers are already open. He writes that if there is a need, one may rely on this opinion.

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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.