Watering The Grass On Shabbat - Zoreiah (II)

 

Watering Plants

Watering plants on Shabbat  is considered Zoreiah as it promotes growth. This is the very essence of the activity.

Other applications:

1. One is not permitted to wash one’s hands over the grass on shabbat as the water promotes the growth of the grass. This is the case even though there is no intention to water the grass. It is a Psik Reisha - an inevitable outcome of the action and therefore forbidden. 

2. While permitted, some recommend not picnicking on an area with grass in order to avoid the chance that liquid will spill. 

Some outdoor sinks have a pipe that drains into an area where there is grass. Can this sink be used on shabbat? 

Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerebach permits using such a sink due to the confluence of two circumstances. He reasons that since 1. It is not one’s intention to water the grass, 2. The water reaches the grass indirectly (Grama) via the pipe it is permitted. (Shmirat Shabbat Kehilchata 12:18)

Based on this, one is permitted to wash one’s hands over a concrete or rocky area even if the water runoff will reach the grass. 

Timed Sprinklers on Shabbat

Rabbi Eliezer Yehuda Waldenberg (Tzitz Eliezer 4:31) permits this on the grounds that we are not obligated to “rest our utensils (our belongings)” on Shabbat. Rav Waldenberg also notes that allowing the timer to operate the sprinkler on shabbat does not disturb the shabbat atmosphere as the sprinklers are quiet. Furthermore, he notes that there is shabbat purpose to this i.e. that the grass / garden does not die.

Rabbi Yosef Tzvi Rimon recommends avoiding using timed sprinklers on shabbat as it may not be in the “spirit of shabbat”. At the very least he suggests having the sprinkle operate at night.