Shortly before the onset of Shabbat, a Jew put on completely clean pants, and the drawstrings…
Question
Shortly before the onset of Shabbat, a Jew put on completely clean pants, and the drawstrings of the pants were also completely clean. However, in a certain place on the drawstrings, some liquid cleaning agent remained that had not yet dried. This is a type of cleaning agent that one is not required to remove or rinse off. On Shabbat, the Jew must tie the drawstrings of these pants or change pants, of course using a knot that is permitted on Shabbat.
The drawstrings may have at least two different degrees of wetness, and therefore the questions are as follows:
A. If he ties the clean drawstrings while they are wet, they may drip cleaning agent, which is not needed at all.
Three questions:
1. On Shabbat, is it forbidden by Torah law or rabbinic law to tie drawstrings in such a state?
2. Is the prohibition due to melaben/laundering and due to sechitah/squeezing?
3. Does the matter depend on the amount of cleaning agent that will drip?
B. If he ties the drawstrings when they are a bit drier, but still not completely dry, they will not drip cleaning agent, but two things may happen:
1. For a few moments while tightening the knot, the color of the drawstrings at the point of the knot will turn white, and there is a concern that this is foam.
2. There is a concern that tightening the knot will cause the liquid cleaning agent absorbed in them to be pushed into other areas of the drawstrings that were dry before the knot was tightened.
Two questions:
1. On Shabbat, is it forbidden by Torah law or rabbinic law to tie drawstrings in such a state?
2. Is the prohibition due to melaben/laundering and due to sechitah/squeezing, and if foam is also formed—is there also a prohibition of molid here?
Thank you.
Answer
A.
1. It is permitted, since this has no significance at all.
2. The discussion is only due to melaben. There is no sechitah of dash here, since there is no use for the water that comes out.
3. There is no distinction.
B.
1-2. There is no problem with this. These actions have no significance for a person.
1. As above.
2. There is no problem from the standpoint of “nolad” in creating foam, because these bubbles have no significance at all.
