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DAAT · LEVEL 1 — INTRODUCTION
Siman של"ז · 4 Seifim
Sweeping the house + unintended act (davar she-eino miskaven) — to discover and understand
סימן של"ז
דִּין כִּבּוּד הַבַּיִת וְדָבָר שֶׁאֵינוֹ מִתְכַּוֵּן
🌱 Introduction Level · מתחילים
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First approach to Siman של"ז: full Hebrew text of the Mechaber, fluent translation, pedagogical explanations of the halachic concepts, modern practical cases, and a summary.
Topic: Sweeping the house + unintended act (davar she-eino miskaven)
Source: שולחן ערוך אורח חיים סימן של"ז (4 seifim)
Compiled by: רב יוסף חיים סממה
DAAT · daattorah.com
📑 Study plan
1. The text of the Shulchan Aruch — the 4 seifim of the Mechaber
2. The general context: why this siman, what is the question?
3. The key halachic concepts of this siman
4. Breakdown of the seifim — one by one
5. The Mishnah Berurah — first entries
6. The position of the Rema — Ashkenazi vs Sephardi differences
7. Modern practical cases
8. Practical summary and rules to remember
9. Comprehension questions
1. The text of the Shulchan Aruch
Siman של"ז contains 4 seifim of the Mechaber (Rabbi Yosef Karo) which codify the rules relating to sweeping the house + the unintended act (davar she-eino miskaven).
Seif א
דין כיבוד הבית ודבר שאינו מתכוין. ובו ד סעיפים:
דבר שאין מתכוין מותר והוא שלא יהא פסיק רישיה הילכך גורר אדם מטה כסא וספסל בין גדולים בין קטנים ובלבד שלא יתכוין לעשות חריץ מותר לרבץ הבית כיון שאינו מתכוין להשוות גומות אלא שלא יעלה האבק:
Translation: an unintended act (דבר שאינו מתכוון) is permitted — provided it is not a פסיק רישיה (an inevitable consequence). Therefore a person may drag a bed, a chair, a bench, whether large or small, provided he does not intend to make a groove [in the floor]. And it is permitted to sprinkle the house with water [to keep down dust], since one does not intend to level the depressions in the ground, but only to prevent the dust from rising.
Seif ב
אסור לכבד הבית אלא אם כן הקרקע מרוצף ויש מתירין אפי' אינו מרוצף: הגה ויש מחמירין אפי' במרוצף (טור בשם ר"י מרדכי ריש פרק כל הכלים ור' ירוחם חי"ג וסמ"ג וסה"ת) וכן נוהגין ואין לשנות מיהו ע"י עכו"ם מותר (רבינו ירוחם חי"ג) וכן ע"י בגד או מטלית או כנף אווז הקלים ואינו משווה גומות (אגור) ואסור לכבד הבגדים ע"י מכבדות העשויים מקסמים שלא ישתברו קסמיהם: (הגהות אלפסי פרק הזורק ועיין הג"מ דף קכ"ד):
Translation: it is forbidden to sweep the house, unless the floor is paved [tiled]; and some permit even if it is not paved. (Rema: some are strict even on a paved floor — and so is the custom, which should not be changed. However, by means of a non-Jew it is permitted; likewise with a cloth, a rag, or a goose wing, which are light and do not level the depressions. And it is forbidden to brush garments with brooms made of twigs, lest the twigs break.)
Seif ג
אין סכין את הקרקע ולא מדיחים אותו אפילו היא מרוצף:
Translation: one does not coat the floor [with oil, to polish it] and does not wash it [with abundant water] — even if it is paved (an act that has the appearance of a finishing operation, עובדין דחול, and risks leveling the ground).
Seif ד
אסור לצדד חבית על הארץ דכיון שהיא כבדה יבא להשוות גומות ודאי והוי פסיק רישיה:
Translation: it is forbidden to roll a barrel along the ground [earthen floor] — for, being heavy, it will certainly come to level the depressions, and so it is a פסיק רישיה (unlike seif א, where the light piece of furniture does not necessarily dig).
Full text: these 4 seifim constitute the entirety of the Mechaber's codification of this topic. Each one specifies a case, a condition, or an exception.
2. The general context
What is this siman about?
Siman של"ז, short but of immense theoretical scope, states at the outset one of the great principles of Shabbos: דבר שאין מתכוון מותר — "an unintended act is permitted." Housework (sweeping, sprinkling, dragging furniture) is merely the field of application: through it, the Mechaber illustrates when an unwanted consequence is tolerated and when it is not.
The fundamental question: a permitted act that could bring about a melachah — is it forbidden? The answer: no, as long as one does not intend it and it is not inevitable. The siman runs the line between the unintended act (permitted) and the פסיק רישיה (forbidden).
Place in Hilchos Shabbos
Siman של"ז follows siman של"ו (where the same tension between intention and consequence appears regarding grass) and states the principle that all of Hilchos Shabbos apply. The underlying melachah here is choresh (plowing) / boneh — through the leveling of the depressions in the ground.
3. The key halachic concepts
Three concepts — and that is the whole siman:
The key concepts of siman של"ז:
- דבר שאינו מתכוון — the unintended act: permitted, since one does not intend the melachah that could result from it (dragging a light piece of furniture, sprinkling water).
- פסיק רישיה — the inevitable consequence ("cut off its head [and it will not die?]"): forbidden, since the melachah will occur for certain (rolling a heavy barrel).
- השוואת גומות — leveling the depressions in the ground: the underlying melachah (a toladah of choresh outdoors, of boneh inside a house) that the siman seeks to avoid.
The golden rule of the siman: "an unintended act — permitted; provided it is not a פסיק רישיה." Two cumulative conditions to permit: (1) I do not intend the melachah; (2) it is not certain. If it is certain, the lack of intention no longer saves it.
4. Breakdown of the seifim — one by one
| Seif | Theme | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| א | The principle + dragging furniture, sprinkling | Unintended act permitted; no פסיק רישיה |
| ב | Sweeping the house | Forbidden on an unpaved floor; strict custom even on a paved floor |
| ג | Coating and washing the floor | Forbidden, even on a paved floor |
| ד | Rolling a heavy barrel | Forbidden — פסיק רישיה (it certainly levels) |
Method of reading: for each seif — (1) does the act intend the melachah; (2) is the melachah certain (פסיק רישיה) or merely possible; (3) conclusion: permitted / forbidden.
5. The Mishnah Berurah — first entries
The Mishnah Berurah of Rabbi Yisroel Meir Kagan (Chofetz Chaim) has 21 entries on this siman. Here are the first ones — to better understand the meaning of the seifim:
משנה ברורה (א) — אקדים לסימן זה הקדמה קצרה והיא. חורש הוא אחד מל"ט אבות מלאכות וכיון שכונת החורש לרפויי ארעא דאז טוב לזריעה וגם כוונתו להשוות הגומות וליפותו כדי שיהיה המקום שוה ולכן החופר בשדה או שעשה חריץ או שהיה שם תל קטן והשפילו או שהיה שם מקום נמוך והשוה אותו וכן כל המשוה גומות במקום הראוי לזריעה חייב משום חורש [ואם היה זה בבית חייב משום בונה שמתקן הבנין עי"ז] וכן כל מה שעושה ליפות הקרקע הוא תולדת חורש וחייב ב…
משנה ברורה (ב) — (א) דבר שאין מתכוין - זה לשון הרמב"ם דברים המותרין לעשותן בשבת ובשעת עשייתן אפשר שתעשה בגללן מלאכה אחרת ואפשר שלא תעשה אם לא נתכוין לאותה מלאכה מותר וכן כונת המחבר:
משנה ברורה (ג) — (ב) פסיק רישא - פי' שבודאי תעשה מלאכה האחרת:
The Mishnah Berurah opens this siman with a crucial introduction: choresh (plowing) is one of the 39 avos melachos; for the intention of the plowman is to loosen and level the ground to make it fit for sowing. Therefore anyone who levels the depressions of arable ground is chayav for choresh — and in a house, for boneh (building). The entire siman aims to avoid this unintended leveling. And it defines: davar she-eino miskaven = the melachah could occur; pesik reisha = it will occur for certain.
For the full text of the 21 entries: Mishnah Berurah 337.
6. The position of the Rema
The Rema adds an important gloss to seif ב:
The Rema's הגהה (seif ב): whereas the Mechaber permits sweeping a paved floor, the Rema reports that some are strict even on a paved floor — "and so is the custom, which should not be changed." This is the basis of the Ashkenazi custom not to sweep the floor on Shabbos (except by means of a non-Jew, or with a cloth / a light object that does not level).
7. Modern practical cases
| Situation | Analysis |
|---|---|
| Sweeping the tiled floor of the house | Mechaber: permitted (paved floor); Rema: strict custom to refrain. Many permit it nowadays on hard tiling — follow one's minhag and one's Rav. |
| Dragging a heavy table or chair | Permitted if one does not intend to dig and it is not inevitable; on a hard floor, no problem at all (seif א). |
| Mopping, washing the floor | Forbidden (seif ג), even on a paved floor — a finishing act. |
| An act that could bring about a melachah | Key question: is the melachah certain (pesik reisha → forbidden) or merely possible (→ permitted)? |
For halachah lema'aseh, consult your Rav — modern sweeping on hard tiling is the subject of varied positions according to communities.
8. Practical summary of the Siman
Siman של"ז in 4 rules:
- Unintended act — permitted, as long as one does not intend the melachah.
- Except pesik reisha — if the melachah is inevitable, it is forbidden even without intention.
- Sweeping — forbidden on an unpaved floor; strict custom even on a paved floor (Rema).
- Coating or washing the floor — forbidden, even when paved.
9. Comprehension questions
Check your understanding:
- What does the principle דבר שאין מתכוון מותר mean?
- What is a פסיק רישיה and why is it forbidden even without intention?
- Which underlying melachah does the siman seek to avoid (leveling the depressions)?
- Why may one drag a light piece of furniture but not roll a heavy barrel (seifim א, ד)?
- What is the difference between the Mechaber and the Rema on sweeping (seif ב)?
- Why does one not wash the floor, even when paved (seif ג)?
To go further
If you want to delve deeper into this siman:
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