Question:
While I’m washing my children’s clothes on chol hamoed, can I throw some
of my own clothes into the washing machine?
Answer: The
Gemara (Moed Katan 14a) writes that in order to ensure that people would
prepare properly for yom tov, chazal instituted that it is forbidden to
wash clothes on chol hamoed.
Thus, the Shulchan Aruch (OC 534:1) writes that
under regular circumstances one mustn’t wash one’s clothes on chol hamoed.
The Rema, however, writes that one may wash young children’s clothes if they
constantly dirty them. The Mishna Berura (534:11) explains
that one can only wash children’s
clothes that they’ll need for that yom tov.
R’ Ovadia Yosef (Yabia Omer 7:48:1), R’ Ephraim
Greenblatt (Rivevos Ephraim 1:354) and R’ Yehoshua Neuwirth (Shemiras Shabbos
Kehilchasa 66:63) write that as the reason for this prohibition is to ensure
that people are well prepared for yom tov, it doesn’t make a difference
how one washes their clothes. Thus, one can’t wash adult’s clothes in a washing
machine. Likewise, R’ Moshe Feinstein (Igros Moshe 5:36:1) writes that one
can’t give one’s suit in to the dry cleaners.
The Mishna
Berura (534:4) quotes the Chayei Adam who permits washing handkerchiefs that
need washing regularly. Based on this, R’ Yehoshua
Neuwirth (Shemiras Shabbos Kehilchasa 66:66) allows one to wash underwear
on chol hamoed providing that they washed everything before yom tov
(See Shevet HaLevi 8:124).
In conclusion, while one may wash young children’s
clothing, etc. on chol hamoed, one may not add any regular clothes to
the wash at the same time.
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