Question: Can I
open and close the hood on my baby’s buggy on Shabbos? Is it okay to put a rain
cover over the hood?
Answer: The
Shulchan Aruch (OC 315:1) writes that Chazal forbade making a temporary ohel
on Shabbos. The Gemara (Shabbos 138a) writes that one may unfold a folding
chair on Shabbos. While doing so creates a shelter over the space underneath
the chair that is not considered making an ohel. Thus, it would be muttar
to open buggies and foldable cots on Shabbos (Shemiras Shabbos Kehilchasa
24:23)
R’ Yechezkel Landau (Noda B’yehuda OC 1:30)
writes that umbrellas are not included in this category and may not be opened
or closed on Shabbos. While many Acharonim (Chasam Sofer OC:72; Tiferes
Yisrael, Kilkeles Shabbos, Ohel) disagreed with R’ Landau’s arguments, they did
not allow their use.
Following R’ Landau, R’ Moshe Feinstein
(Igros Moshe OC 4:105:3) and R’ Ovadia Yosef (Yalkut Yosef, Shabbos
2:p536) write that the hood may only
be closed (unfolded) providing it is already open a tefach as no new ohel
is being created. Likewise, when opening (folding) the hood, one should not
open it fully, though leave one tefach closed to avoid dismantling the ohel.
The Chazon Ish (OC 52:6) compares buggy hoods
to sukkah roofs which the Rema (OC 626:3) allows opening on Shabbos. As
the hood is already attached to the buggy, one may open and close it fully on
Shabbos. Most contemporary Poskim follow this view (See Rivevos Ephraim 4:97:97). R’ Yehoshua Neuwirth
(Shemiras Shabbos Kehilchasa 24:13) and R’ Ribiat (The 39 Melochos p1079) write
that if the buggy’s canopy is closed one may spread a rain cover on top.
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