#219: Sweeping

1. We mentioned yesterday that according to the Shulchan Aruch and Rema, one may not sweep even a tiled floor indoors since one may come to sweep a dirt floor as well, which constitutes a biblical melachah. The practical halacha nowadays permits sweeping a tiled floor inside a house according to all opinions. Since there are no longer any earthen floors inside our homes, no concern exists of transgressing a melachah (Bi’ur Halachah 337:2).

2. Tiled floors outside (such a driveway, patio, or sidewalk) are forbidden to sweep according to some poskim due to the concern that one may come to sweep dirt surfaces outside (Shemirat Shabbat K'hilchatah 23:2; Chut Shani 1:11). Others hold that tiled surfaces outside that adjoin the house, such as a patio or a deck, are permitted to sweep since they are considered an extension of the house (R. Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, quoted in Shemirat Shabbat K'hilchata, ibid., n.10; R. Ovadia Yosef, Chazon Ovadiah, Shabbat vol. 5).

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Dedicated by Fran Broder as a zechus for the hostages to be released safely to their families and may everlasting peace come to Eretz Yisrael in the merit of learning Hilchos Shabbos.