My 18-month-old baby has a virus, and the doctor says to bring the baby into a steamy shower when the coughing increases. Can the shower be turned on on Shabbat for the baby?
Chacham Ovadia permits it. Look in Chazon Ovadia on turning hot water on on Shabbat.
Rabbi Shay Tahan
Have a question of your own?
Ask Rabbi TahanWhat may and may not be moved on Shabbat? Which things are muktzeh?
Answer:
It depends on which kind of muktzeh the item is:
Kli shemelachto l’heter — may be moved for any need
Kli shemelachto l’issur — only for a permitted use or for its place
Muktzeh machmat chisaron kis — may not be moved at all
Muktzeh machmat gufo — stones, money, animals — may not be moved
Muktzeh machmat issur — a lamp lit at the start of Shabbat
Basis l’davar ha’assur — a permitted item under a muktzeh item
Nolad — something that came into being on Shabbat
Muktzeh machmat mitzvah — sukkah decorations
See the full muktzeh chart with pictures — 34 everyday items, by category, with Rabbi Tahan’s rulings →
May one cut one’s nails now, on Thursday (erev Yom Tov, with Yom Tov followed by Shabbat)?
Answer: Yes, you may cut your nails now on Thursday.
Read the full answer → Cutting Nails on Thursday When Yom Tov Falls on FridayWhen lighting candles for the holiday, is it the regular Shabbat blessing or does it end with Yom Tov?
Answer: It’s the blessing ending with Yom Tov.
Read the full answer → The Blessing for Yom Tov Candle LightingIs it a problem to open a sealed contact lens case on Shabbat, where opening it means peeling off a seal and no words are torn?
Answer: It is best to open it before Shabbat, but if you forgot, it is fine to open it on Shabbat.
Read the full answer → Opening a Sealed Contact Lens Case on ShabbatAm I allowed to use birthday candles on Shabbat as a cake decoration, without actually lighting them?
Answer: Find a different decoration instead of birthday candles on Shabbat.
Read the full answer → Unlit Birthday Candles as a Cake Decoration on ShabbatOn Shabbat, can a person lift the crockpot insert out of the base to take cholent, for example Friday night, and then put it back into the base if he had in mind to put it back? Someone said you need aluminum foil between the base and the pot. Is that correct?
Answer: To put the crockpot back into the base, the cholent must be fully cooked.
Read the full answer → Returning a Crockpot Insert to the Base on Shabbat
