Sunday, July 8, 2012

Laundry On This Slow Fast Day

I received an email asking if it is permitted to do laundry on a fast day. I actually had this question myself for the first time because I wanted to wash my clothing before my return home [I am usually not the washer. May Hashem forgive me...]. So I did a search of the 50 thousand sfarim on my Otzar Hachochma program and found NOBODY who forbade it. The rule is that everything is permitted until proven forbidden. Nobody even discusses it. All that is discussed is doing laundry from Rosh Chodesh Av. This leads me to believe that it is permitted. I DID find in that the author of the sefer Piskei Tshuvos [Vol. 6 page 68] says that he ALSO hasn't found anyone who discusses it and it is difficult to forbid something when we find no source for such a psak.

The Navi compares sin to a dirty garment and teshuva to washing it. May we all do a "good wash" today.

Thanx to the questioner for triggering this post. It should be a zchus to get EXACTLY what you need for shleimus in this world:-).