Answer: The Gemara (Bava Kama 82a) writes that
one of Ezra’s ten decrees was that one should wash their clothes on Thursday in
honour of Shabbos (See Shulchan Aruch OC 242:1). The Magen Avraham (OC 242:3)
explains that the reason is that people should not be preoccupied with their
laundry while they’re supposed to be otherwise getting ready for Shabbos. The
Mishna Berura (242:5; Shaar Hatziyun 242:16) quotes the Elya Rabba (242:9), who
writes that the main reason is to ensure that nothing prevents one from having
clean clothes for Shabbos.
R’ Yehoshua Neuwirth (Shemiras Shabbos Kehilchasa 42:n13)
questions whether this decree still applies nowadays when we wash our clothes
in washing machines. He quotes R’ Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, however, who held
that since we typically wash our clothes for the following day, it is ideal to do
our laundry on Thursday as that best demonstrates that we are washing for
Shabbos.
R’ Benzion Abba Shaul (Ohr Letzion 2:16:1) writes that while
Ezra’s decree still applies, one can wash their clothes on Friday if they have
a dryer that can dry their clothes before Shabbos. He adds that this decree
never applied to young children’s clothes.
The Ben Ish Chai (Lech Lecha 2:8) and Kaf Hachaim (OC 242:20) write
that if one didn’t manage to wash their clothes beforehand, they may still do
so on Friday.
In conclusion, it is ideal for one to wash one’s clothes
earlier during the week, though one may do so on Friday if necessary,
especially if one is going to wash and dry them before Shabbos.
No comments:
Post a Comment