Washing Dishes on Shabbos

Hi, on Shabbos after the morning meal, I have a pile of dishes. Am I allowed to wash them on Shabbos, since they smell so bad that I can't even be in the Kitchen?

Thank you for your question.

The Answer:
Only if you are planning to reuse the dishes on Shabbos, or even if you don’t know for sure that you will, but you have a strong assumption that you will be using them, then you may wash the dishes.
If that’s not the case, then one may not wash them.

However, below I will bring a few solutions that are permitted according to halacha, and if they are not possible, then in a case like yours, you may wash the dishes.

The Answer Explained in Depth:
On Shabbos, one may not do any form of work in order to prepare for the weekdays. It is important to note that this is not the general issur of ‘Torach’ on Shabbos, where one may not do melachos that cause him to exert himself on Shabbos, as brought in Siman 338, Se’if Katan 7. In our case, the prohibition of preparing on Shabbos for a weekday applies even if one does ecen a very small amount of work.

And the Gemara specifically gives as one of the examples of preparing on Shabbos a case like yours about washing dishes:

תלמוד בבלי מסכת שבת דף קיח עמוד א
 תנו רבנן: קערות שאכל בהן ערבית מדיחן לאכול בהן שחרית, שחרית - מדיחן לאכול בהן בצהרים, בצהרים - מדיחן לאכול בהן במנחה. מן המנחה ואילך שוב אינו מדיח, אבל כוסות וקיתוניות וצלוחיות - מדיח והולך כל היום כולו, לפי שאין קבע לשתיה

Our Rabbis taught: Bowls that were used at night may be rinsed to eat with them in the morning. Bowls from the morning meal may be rinsed for the midday meal, and from the midday meal for the afternoon meal. From Mincha and onward, they may no longer be rinsed. But cups, jugs, and flasks may be rinsed the entire day, since there is no fixed time for drinking.

We see that one may not wash eating utensils if one is not planning on having another meal, since it would be considered preparing on Shabbos for the weekdays, which is forbidden. However, since drinking is something that we can assume a person will do during the rest of the day, one may wash the cups. The Mishnah Berurah adds that if one knows for sure that he will not be drinking on Shabbos, for example its already after shekiah, then it would be forbidden to wash the cups.

The Mishnah Berurah writes a chidush in the name of Tosafot, that in a case such as the cups, where washing is permitted, one may wash all the cups since they are all considered as potentially eligible to be used later on. This is the quote of the Mishnah Berurah:

משנה ברורה סימן שכג ס"ק כו
 (כו) מדיחים - אפילו עשר כוסות וא"צ אלא לאחת רשאי להדיח כולן דהואיל וראוי לו כ"א הותרו כולן

Rinsing - even ten cups may be rinsed, though he may only need one, since each one may be used later, all are permitted to be washed.

What One May Do in This Situation According to Halacha

However, one may wash one’s hands over the sink, and in this way, the plates will also get rinsed. One may even fill the sink with water so that the dishes will be immersed in water, which should help to keep the flies away.

If these options do not help and there is a bad smell in the house, then it would not be kavod Shabbos to leave it that way, one may wash the dishes,  of course, following the halachos of how to wash dishes on Shabbos. This means using cold water, runny soap, and a sponge that does not absorb liquid (like a plastic sponge). When drying the dishes, they should be left to air dry, and not dried with a towel, since that may involve sechitah.

Wishing you much success.

Talmud Bavli, Shabbos 118a
 Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 323:6
 Mishnah Berurah 323:26
 Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 338:7
 Mishnah Berurah 338:7