Washing Dishes on Shabbos - part 1
As part of an overall strategy to minimize unnecessary work on Shabbos and to enhance the Shabbos day as a day of rest from all weekday chores and activities, the rabbis forbade washing dirty dishes on Shabbos unless they are needed for that very Shabbos.219 Moreover, all dishes that are to be used on Shabbos should be washed before Shabbos begins. One should not wait for Shabbos to begin to wash dirty dishes from Friday afternoon.220
Question: Which dishes may be washed on Shabbos and which may not?
Discussion: It is permitted to wash dishes after the Friday night meal if they will be used for the Shabbos morning or afternoon meal (seudah shelishis). But it is forbidden to wash the Friday night dishes if they will not be used for any of the Shabbos day meals.
It is permitted to wash dirty dishes that accumulated from the morning or midday meals if they will be needed for the third meal or for snacks that will be served later in the day. It is also permitted to wash all types of dishes which are commonly used throughout the day, such as glasses, teaspoons, fruit plates, etc., unless one is sure that they will not be needed again.221
It is permitted to wash all the dirty dishes that have accumulated even though only some of them will be needed later. Even if one plate or cup will be needed, it is permitted to wash all the plates or cups that are dirty.222
Several poskim debate whether it is permitted to wash dirty dishes for Shabbos use even if there are other clean dishes readily available. Some forbid it,223 others discourage it,224 while yet others permit it.225 While it is customary to be lenient,226 some poskim recommend that it is appropriate to be stringent when possible.227
In the case of a family simchah, for example, when used dishes may pile up and create a dirty, unsightly mess, it is permitted to wash the dishes [even if they not going to be used on Shabbos], since they are being washed for the sake of oneg Shabbos and not for a weekday need.228
Dishes that may not be washed on Shabbos may still be stacked in the dishwasher.229 One may not sort different types of dishes or cutlery before placing them in the dishwasher, even if his intention is to make room for all the dishes. It is permitted, however, to pick up a few similar dishes, e.g., a stack of fish plates or cups, and place each dish in its designated slot. If the dishes were improperly placed, they may not be rearranged per size and type so that they will be ready for washing in the evening.230
A dishwasher may not be operated on Shabbos, even if it was preset by a time clock.231 It is also strictly forbidden to instruct a non-Jew — on or before Shabbos — to operate a dishwasher on Shabbos.232
219. O.C. 323:6, based on Shabbos 118a. Rashi and Ra’avad (Hilchos Shabbos 23:7) explain that the basic concept behind this rabbinic decree is to avoid “unnecessary toil for weekday purposes.” This may be the Rambam’s opinion as well; see Magid Mishneh, ibid. [Based on this explanation, some poskim hold that if the dishes are washed to be used next Shabbos and they will not be used during the week, it is permitted to wash them (Salmas Chayim 1:75). But other poskim do not agree (Tehillah l’David 302:6), and it is customary to be stringent. See Tzitz Eliezer 14:34-2 for an elaboration.]
220. See Machatzis ha-Shekel 302:6.
221. Mishnah Berurah 326:28, 29; Ketzos ha-Shulchan 146:16.
222. Mishnah Berurah 323:26; Aruch ha-Shulchan 326:7; Ketzos ha-Shulchan 146:16.
223. See Be’er Moshe 6:82 quoting Ohel Moed, who permits washing dishes only when there are no other dishes available.
224. Tosafos Shabbos 323:8; Minchas Shabbos 80:254; Aruch ha-Shulchan 323:7.
225. Rav M. Feinstein (oral ruling, quoted in Kol ha-Torah, vol. 54, pg. 18); Rav Y. Kamenetsky (oral ruling, quoted in Emes l’Yaakov, O.C. 323:6); Bris Olam (Ofeh 90). See also Shemiras Shabbos kehilchasah 12, note 1.
226. Shevet ha-Levi 5:39.
227. B’tzeil ha-Chochmah 4:130; Shevet ha-Levi 6:42; Machazeh Eliyahu 1:62-3.
228. Tzitz Eliezer 14:37-1, quoting Teshuvos Maharshag, O.C. 1:61, based on Mishnah Berurah 302:19. See also Da’as Torah, O.C. 444:1 (s.v. v’im).
229. Igros Moshe, O.C. 4:74 (rechitzah 4). But this is permitted only for those who generally clear their dirty dishes straight from the table into the dishwasher; Shemiras Shabbos Kehilchasah 12:35.
230. But it would be permitted to rearrange the dishes per size or type if the intention is to make more room for all the dishes in the dishwasher.
231. Minchas Shlomo 2:20; Shemiras Shabbos Kehilchasah 12:35. See also Igros Moshe, O.C. 4:60, who prohibits operating any appliance on a time clock on Shabbos.
232. O.C. 307:2. A dishwasher may not be operated in one’s home even if the non-Jew offers to operate the dishwasher without being told to do so.