Trash on Shabbat, prayer at the end of the time, water from an air conditioner, blanket on Shabbat
Question
Shalom Rav.
1. Regarding throwing out garbage on Shabbat: is it in practice permitted or not? (I would be glad for details, such as whether one may throw out the plastic bag from the table after the meal on Shabbat, etc.).
2. If a person ends up praying very close to the end of the time for the prayer, what should he do? Must he hurry in the Amidah in order to complete all the blessings before the end of the time, or is it sufficient that he only begins the Amidah before the time ends?
3. If there is dripping from an air conditioner, is it permitted to take a bucket, put it underneath, and each time it fills up to pour it out, etc., and is there no problem of muktzeh in moving it (since this water is nolad)?
4. Is it permitted to cover yourself with a blanket or something else on Shabbat, and is there no problem of making an ohel (tent)?
Answer
Shalom and blessings.
1. Garbage is muktzeh. When the garbage can is full or foul‑smelling and is located in a living area, it is permitted to remove it due to the rule of “graf shel re’i.” Likewise, any dirt or refuse that is in a place where it disturbs a person, such as on the table or on the floor, may be removed for this reason.
2. One must complete the entire prayer within the halachic time for that prayer.
3. It is forbidden to place the bucket, since the water is muktzeh as “nolad,” and thus one is causing the utensil to lose its regular use (“mevatel kli meheikhano”). However, there is a solution: place some permissible object inside the bucket before putting it under the dripping. Then the bucket becomes a base both for something permitted and something forbidden, and the permitted item is considered more significant [since this water has no value].
4. It is permitted. An ohel (tent‑like structure) that is held by a person is not considered an ohel.
