Shabbat: M – Part 1 (Makeup, Mail, Medicine, Music)
MAKEUP
Applying Makeup
Women and girls may not apply any nail polish or makeup on Shabbat (and Jewish festivals), including mascara and lipstick. You may not even apply lip coatings such as ChapStick, even if just to prevent chapping.
NOTE: Beware of “Shabbat makeup” that stays on longer than normal makeup but may not be applied on Shabbat.
Removing Makeup
On Shabbat (or Jewish festivals), a girl or woman may remove makeup.
MAIL AND PERIODICALS
Bringing Mail inside House
Do not bring mail inside the house on Shabbat, unless it was delivered:
From within techum Shabbat, AND
Within an eruv, AND
By a non-Jew, AND
Already open.
REASON: Most mail is muktza since it cannot be opened or used without doing melacha.
Bringing Newspaper inside House
You may bring a newspaper, magazine, or other reading material inside the house on Shabbat and read it if there is an eruv, unless it was:
Brought from outside the techum Shabbat, OR
Printed on Shabbat, OR
Delivered by a Jew.
If any of these conditions apply, you may not use it in any way on Shabbat, even if all of the other conditions would have permitted its use. You may use it once Shabbat is over.
NOTE: As a policy, you may tell delivery services that you do not need to have the item delivered until after dark.
REASON: If the item is delivered on Shabbat, it is not being done at your request and, if it is reading material, you may read the material as long as the other conditions permit it--see above.
NOTE: If you do not know where the reading material came from, you may not use it Shabbat.
NOTE: Although taking possession of the newspaper, magazine, or other reading material is “acquisition” (kinyan), you may do so since you will use it on Shabbat.
MEDICINES
Health or Life-Threatening Condition
On Shabbat, you may not take medicine used to promote health. Whenever there is any question of a life-threatening disease or condition, you must take medicine.
Categories of Sick People
There are several categories of sick people:
Entire Body Is Affected
EXAMPLE: Fever.
STATUS: You may take medicines for this category; pills, such as aspirin, are OK to take.
EXCEPTION: You may not smear substances on skin UNLESS the fever is life-threatening, in which case even smearing is permitted.
Only Part of the Body Is Affected
STATUS: Some medicines may be used--consult a rabbi.
Discomfort
STATUS: Medicine generally may not be used.
Squeezing, Dabbing, and Smearing Medicinal Creams
You may squeeze a tube of cream on Shabbat, but you might not be able to use the cream on Shabbat for other reasons—consult a rabbi.
NOTE: Smearing creams or ointments is permitted only in life-threatening situations. Otherwise, you may not smear cream on skin on Shabbat (or a Jewish festival) even using a shinu'i such as using the back of your hand or a toe.
Dabbing is permitted, but only when you are permitted to use medicine for that purpose.
EXAMPLE: You may dab cream on Shabbat for a bee sting.
REASON: The pain from the sting will affect the entire body.
EXAMPLE: You may not use cream for a mosquito bite.
REASON: It is only a local irritation.
NOTE: You may not smear cream for either condition.
Massage Oils
You may rub olive oil, almond oil, and other massage oils onto your skin for the purpose of massage, but you may not use such oils for moisturizing rough or dry skin.
REASON: Moisturizing rough or dry skin is a type of healing/refu'a.
Medicine for Chronic Diseases
You may take medicine on Shabbat for chronic diseases such as high blood pressure.
Medicine for Non-Chronic Diseases
You may take medicine on Shabbat for non-chronic illnesses if skipping one day will prevent cure, but not if skipping a day will just delay your cure.
EXCEPTION: If the disease affects your entire body, you may take the medicine anyway.
When You May Take a Painkiller on Shabbat
You may take a painkiller on Shabbat if the pain affects the entire body or if the pain keeps you awake.
NOTE: This also becomes the criterion for whether to take the pain killer during the daytime: if the pain you feel during the day would keep you awake if you were trying to sleep.
MOPS
You may squeegee a floor on Shabbat (or Jewish festival)--as is commonly done in Israel, but you may not push the water onto earth or plants.
You may mop up a local spill but only without squeezing out the rag or mop.
MUSIC
Kazoos/Whistles
You may not use a kazoo or a whistle on Shabbat, but you may whistle with your mouth.
Listening to Non-Jewish Musicians
You may listen to non-Jewish musicians performing on Shabbat if you do not need a ticket and if they are not playing particularly for Jews.
Copyright 2015 Richard B. Aiken. Halacha L’Maaseh appears courtesy of www.practicalhalacha.com Visit their web site for more information.