Many children (and adults) enjoy playing with a Rubik’s Cube, the question is, is doing so permissible on Shabbos. Believe it or not, there could be as many as six potential melachos involved when playing with one on Shabbos: Borer, kosev, tzovea, boneh, soser, and mochek.
If in fact playing with a Rubik’s Cube is prohibited on Shabbos, does this mean that it is muktzeh? Of this and more will be discussed below.
In recent years several halachic journals including Beis Aharon v'Yisrael (Vol. 185, Year 31, gilyan 5, pg. 148), Moria (Nissan 5776), Eitz Chaim (Nissan 5776), Ohr Yisrael (Adar 2, 5776) and Pardes Yitzchak (Ohr Yisrael, Vol. 72) have all discussed this question at length. Below we will try and bring down the important points and the main arguments that feature in these various different Teshuvos.
The Game
Before we discuss the halachah we must first determine what the game actually involves:
A standard Rubik's Cube has six faces, each divided into nine colored squares, a total of 54 moveable pieces in six different colors. The goal of the game is that the cube starts off in a scrambled state and one is supposed to rotate rows and columns until every face of the cube is a single solid color. More advanced players solve all the faces simultaneously whereas beginners work face by face.
Beyond the classic 3×3 cube, there are many variations available in the market. There are different sizes (2×2 up to 7×7), shapes (sphere, pyramid, hexagon, octagon) and different designs on the cube (colors, numbers, letters). There is even a type which is made of large and small squares and the goal of the game is to get the large squares on one side, and the smaller ones on the other.
Poskim Who Forbid Playing with the Rubik’s Cube on Shabbos Due to Borer
Rav Menachem Mendel Fuchs (Rav of Kiryat Shomrei Hachomos, Ramot, Yerushalayim) writes in the kuntros Dibros Menachem (5776) and in Moria (Vol. 403, pg. 258) that playing with a Rubik's Cube on Shabbos violates the melachah of borer. He explains that the entire purpose of the game is to sort the colors — to select and segregate each color from the mixture. Since this is the entire purpose of the game and one benefits from this, it is forbidden on Shabbos. (In regard to the other melachos such as kosev, tzovea and boneh, Rav Fuchs writes that one can be lenient like the other poskim.)
The sefer Shabbos K’Halachah (Perek 12, he’orah 233) also takes on like this, and adds: Although some want to permit as one doesn’t intend for the melachah and he is simply playing a game, it doesn’t make a difference as the game is what is forbidden. He says that it is like saying one should be allowed to draw pictures on Shabbos, as one doesn’t intend for the melachah, he simply intends to draw.
He draws support from a teshuvah that Rav Shlomah Zalman Auerbach zt”l once gave to Rav Moshe Yadler shlita (Me’or HaShabbos, Michtav 8, ois 7). Rav Moshe Yadler asked Rav Shlomah Zalman if one is allowed to separate a bone from a piece of fish on Shabbos to demonstrate to his talmidim the issur of borer? Rav Shlomah Zalman answered: “It is logical that doing so is forbidden. Since one is showing the talmidim, that itself is borer that is forbidden on Shabbos.”
To understand the above we must add some explanation: When it comes to the melachah of borer, if one benefits from the borer immediately there is a heter, so why can’t we say that here? It seems that what R’ Shlomah Zalman is saying is that if one is trying to show his talmidim the forbidden act of borer, then that is borer, as the purpose of the act was the borer, and although one has an immediate benefit from the act, it doesn’t have the same heter as when one separates food for immediate consumption. Therefore, in our case as well, sorting the colors is not incidental to the game— it is the game, therefore, it is forbidden even if one benefits immediately.
Rav Fuchs adds: There is room to differentiate between different skill levels and for a highly skilled player it may be permissible, however, for someone who isn’t as skilled and is unable to solve the entire cube in one go it would be forbidden. A highly skilled player mentally maps the entire solution before making a single move and when he moves the squares, he is doing it for immediate use, therefore, it may be mutar. However, a less skilled player, does it slowly and works on one face of the cube at a time. For example, he works on the red side first, and if a blue square is in the way he focuses on trying to get rid of it, and such an act is very much like removing pesoles from ochel (undesired pieces from desired ones). It is clear from the Shulchan Aruch (319:3) and Biur Halachah that when it comes to a mixture of two types of items, if one removes the one that he doesn’t want now, it is considered removing pesoles from ochel.
(The distinction is not that a highly skilled player does it in one go, whereas a less skilled player does one face at a time. Rather, the distinction is in what the action of rearranging the squares is considered. When a less skilled player moves the squares, his goal is to remove the pesoles from ochel, to try and create one face with all the same colors, which is more like borer, however, a highly skilled player doesn’t really look at some pieces as ochel and some as pesoles, he merely looks at all the pieces as one, moving some here and some there to create the final result.)
Poskim Who Are Not Concerned for Borer
Rav Yosef Liberman zt”l (Ba’al Mishnas Yosef, the father-in-law of Rav Fuchs) argues on the above and maintains that there is no melachah of borer when playing with a Rubik’s Cube on Shabbos, and moving the colored squares that one doesn’t want from the colored squares that he does want is not a problem of removing pesoles from ochel.
In Shu”t Mishnas Yosef (7:80) Rav Liberman brings that R’ Shlomah Zalman Auerbach zt”l allowed playing with Lego on Shabbos since the melachah is not long lasting, and is merely a game. He also allowed playing with a puzzle which is made from a big picture cut into pieces. Rav Yosef Liberman argues that playing with a Rubik’s Cube should similarly be allowed.
In Shulchan Shlomah (Shabbos, Vol. 3, siman 340, he’orah 28, pg. 314) they take on that according to R’ Shlomah Zalman zt”l one is allowed to play with a Rubik’s Cube on Shabbos, and there is no concern of kosev or tzovea. There is also no concern of boneh as everything rotates around one central hinge and there is no action of building. It can be compared to a menorah shel chulyois [candelabra made of separate pieces that connect together] which one is allowed to set up on Shabbos. (If one would pull the cube apart and break it into separate pieces, then it would be forbidden to build again either due to binyan b’keilim or makeh bepatish.)
Rav Yehudah Aryeh Dinner shlita (Mayim Chaim, gilyan 286) differentiates between different types of Rubik’s Cubes; if completing the cube creates a picture then ideally one shouldn’t play with it. However, if it is just colors without a picture, then one may play with it and there is no problem of borer, for two reasons: 1) Everything is connected together, and it is still considered a taruvos [mixture] even when completed. Completing it is not considered separating one item from the other. 2) Every square of the cube has its place, and every time one moves one of the squares, i.e. yellow from red, the yellow needs to go to a certain place, and it is considered separating ochel [good] from ochel and is therefore allowed.
A practical difference between the two reasons is a case when a child intends to solve just one side of the cube and doesn’t care about the rest of it. According to the first reason it would be allowed, whereas according to the second one it would be forbidden, as in such a case if he would for example be trying to solve just the red side, then any other colors on that side would be considered pesoles [bad].
Rav Eliyahu Nachum Frenkel (Rav in Givat Shaul) argues that we can’t call any of the squares pesoles, as they are all part of the game. There are no two parts of the game, the entire thing is one big game! If there would be no blue squares, then the red squares would be pointless. So even if one is trying to complete the red side, and he is removing a blue square from it, we can’t call it pesoles as one needs it for the game. Since everything is ochel, and there are not even two types of ochel, certainly there is no borer.
Rav Shamai Kehos HaKohen Gross shlita cited in the sefer Am Mekadshei Shevii (Vol. 2, Perek 14, ois 26, and in a Teshuvah pg. 146, ois 2) rules that one may play with a Rubik’s Cube on Shabbos and there is no issurim involved.
Rav Uriel Eizental (Megillas Sefer, siman 6, ois 10) permits playing with a Rubik’s Cube on Shabbos. He argues that each piece is distinct and identifiable, and that they remain mixed together with the other squares which always remain connected.
Rav Chanoch Shvadron (cited in Beis Aharon v'Yisrael, Year 31, gilyan 5, pg. 151) adds an additional reason for leniency which is that the entire concept of borer requires tikkun — a lasting improvement of the mixture's state. However, the Rubik's Cube is never truly "repaired" as it is no better off when it is solved then when it is in a mixed state.
The gilyan Oimek HaPeshat (gilyan 108, from where the sources for this write-up are from) quotes his father as saying that playing with a Rubik’s Cube on Shabbos is allowed based on the pasuk in Mishlei (26:14): הדלת תסוב על צירה ועצל על מטתו – “As a door turns on its hinge, so does the lazy man on his bed.” A door swinging on its hinges isn’t considered boneh or soser and opening and closing it on Shabbos isn’t considered a melachah. Similarly, playing with a Rubik’s Cube on Shabbos is like a lazy man on his bed who isn’t accomplishing anything, and moving the squares of the cube around a fixed point is not considered boneh or soser and one may play with it on Shabbos and turn the squares this way and that way.
Rav Tzvi Kushalevsky shlita (Moria Vol. 406, pg. 347, anaf 1) writes that each square is distinct and identifiable on its own and it is not considered a mixture. We find precedence for such a distinction in the Ohr Some’ach (Hilchos Shabbos 8:11) who writes that there is no borer when the items are not mixed together.
R’ Ezriel Auerbach (Yated Ne’eman, Miketz 5777) and R’ Shlomah Zefrani shlita (Moria, Vol. 406, pg. 349, anaf 3; pg. 351, anaf 6) add an additional reason for heter. In order for something to be considered pesoles [waste] in comparison to the rest of the mixture, one must remove it entirely from the place of the mixture and show that he doesn’t want it to be anywhere nearby and through that action fix the mixture. If, however, one moves the pesoles to somewhere nearby (and in our case even keeps it in the mixture) it is not considered borer. Additionally, to violate the melachah of borer one must fix up a mixture, when it comes to a Rubik’s Cube it is always fixed, as this is how it is used, therefore, there is no melachah of borer when playing with it.
Rav Yitzchok Berkowitz shlita (Moria Vol. 406, pg. 351 anaf 6) allows playing with a Rubik’s Cube. He argues that to violate the melachah of borer, one must separate something out of the mixture, however, when it comes to a Rubik’s Cube the pieces are always strongly connected, and even when removing the undesired squares they still remain connected, therefore, there is no tikkun, therefore, it can’t be considered borer.
R’ Shmuel Boruch Ganut published a ma’amer [article] permitting Rubik’s Cubes on Shabbos for a number of reasons. One of his major arguments was, that after completing the game the player scrambles it again and starts over.
The Shu”t Maharshag (Vol. 1, Orach Chaim 37) writes: Borer only applies when after separating out the pesoles one doesn’t return it to the mixture. When removing pesoles [waste] from a mixture, it is not normal to subsequently return it. In the Mishkan the pesoles was removed and never returned. Therefore, one only violates borer if he removes the pesoles and doesn’t return it.
R’ Ganut argues that when it comes to a Rubik’s Cube the very nature of the game is that after solving it, the player scrambles it again and starts over. The mixture and the solution are both inherent to the game. Without the scrambled state, there is no game. Therefore, there is no issue of borer.
What About Kosev, Tzovea and Boneh?
Regarding the melachos of kosev, tzovea and boneh they bring in the kovetz Kehillos Yaakov that they heard from someone who asked Rav Elyashiv if there is a problem of kosev to play with a Rubik’s Cube on Shabbos (this person showed Rav Elyashiv the Rubik’s Cube) and he said: “The entire purpose here is not writing — it is the challenge, therefore, it is permitted.”
The Shemiras Shabbos Kehilchosah (Perek 16, sif 25) also writes with simplicity that playing with a Rubik’s Cube on Shabbos is permissible.
Rav Avraham Chaim Adess (in his sefer Shabbos K’Halachah – Tzatzuim ois 114) writes that one may play with a Rubik’s Cube on Shabbos (he refers to it as a Hungarian Cube), and he says that there is no problem of tzovea or kosev. This heter is mentioned in the sefer Dinei Mischakim BeShabbos (pg. 347).
According to R’ Shlomah Zalman Auerbach zt”l (as cited in Shulchan Shlomah) one may play with a Rubik’s Cube on Shabbos and there is no problem of kosev or tzovea. Even boneh is not a problem as all the pieces revolve around one axis and there is no act of building.
However, if the cube gets taken apart, then it is forbidden to put it back together on Shabbos, either because of binyan b’keilim or makeh bepatish.
Bitul Torah
The sefer Halichos HaKetanim (Perek 10) brings that he asked Rav Ben Tzion Abba Shaul zt”l about playing with a Rubik’s Cube on Shabbos, and they even showed it to him, and he said: “There is no borer, or tzovea, the only issue is bitul Torah.”
Reasons for Leniency
There is no problem of kosev when arranging the colors together as an act of kosev requires intent to write and the creation of something with communicative meaning. Rotating a cube face to produce adjacent colors of the same hue is neither communication nor inscription.
There is also no problem of boneh, as it is not made to last. The Orchos Shabbos (Perek 8, ois 59 and he’orah 86) when discussing those who are lenient with building Lego on Shabbos, explains that anything which is built with the intention of destroying it is not considered boneh, and even when it is built and standing, if one intends to destroy it, it is not considered boneh. This same logic would apply to a Rubik’s Cube, as even when one solves it, he intends to scramble it once again very shortly.
The Piskei Teshuvos (siman 340, he’orah 179) writes: “To arrange on each face a different color [Hungarian Cube] is not considered a picture with meaning, it is obvious.”
Six Heterim
Rav Doniel Yaakov Travis shlita (Moria, Vol. 406, pg. 347) writes: “Regarding what HaGaon HaGadol Menachem Mendel Fuchs shlita (printed in Moria, Shevat 5776) ruled regarding borer when playing with a “Hungarian Cube” … based on the above, we have besiyata dishmayah six reasons to allow it on Shabbos.”
Rav Elyashiv’s Opinion
As is often the case, the reports about what Rav Elyashiv zt”l held are not entirely consistent.
Forbidden: In Ashrei HaIsh (Vol. 2, pg. 231) they bring that Rav Elyashiv was stringent and said that one shouldn’t play with a Rubik’s Cube on Shabbos, since it somewhat resembles assembling a picture, like the Magen Avraham (340 s.k. 10) — though he did not classify it as muktzeh.
Rav Yehudah Leib Halstock (Madrich LeDinei Muktzeh pg. 69) brings in the name of the sefer Shalmei Yehudah (pg. 208) that a Rubik’s Cube isn’t muktzeh, as it is a keli shemelachtoi l’heter as one may use it on Shabbos, however, it is fitting not to play with it on Shabbos.
Rav Drazee shlita (Shevus Yitzchak, Vol. 13, Boneh u’Soser, Perek 24, sif 10, pg. 293) reports that he showed a Rubik’s Cube to Rav Elyashiv and he ruled that it is forbidden to play with it on Shabbos.
Permissible: On the other hand, Rav Yitzchak Meir Berachia Liberman (Kehillos Yaakov, pg. 71) reports in the name of Rav Elyashiv that there is no problem of kosev, as the purpose is not the kesivah, rather, the main point of the Rubik’s Cube is the game and the challenge, therefore, one may play with it on Shabbos.
Rav Doniel Yaakov Travis shlita (Moria, Vol. 406, pg. 352) writes that he heard from Rav Yehuda Kahan (Mara d'Asra of the Kehillah of Melbourne, Australia) that over 30 years ago (now over 40 years ago) he went together with a certain chosuvah Rosh Yeshiva to Rav Elyashiv to show him the Rubik’s Cube and ask if one may play with it on Shabbos, and he answered: “I don’t see with this cube any issur on Shabbos.”
Lubricating the Cube with Oil
Rav Elchonon Prince shlita the Mechaber of the sefer Avnei Derech (gilyan Moriach Nicho'ach 290, Vayakhel – Pekudei 5776) raises another question: May one dip a Rubik's Cube into oil on Shabbos to make it spin more easily?
He writes that if cube is stiff and isn’t turning at all, or is doing so with great difficulty then it would be forbidden to lubricate with oil as doing so would be considered tikkun keli [repairing or improving a vessel] and is an issur of boneh. This parrels the ruling that one may not oil the hinge of a squeaking door on Shabbos due to tikkun moneh (and makeh bepatish) as mentioned in Shu”t Shraga HaMeir (6:101); Shemiras Shabbos Kehilchosah (23,43) and Orchos Shabbos (8:29).
If, however, the cube turns normally but the player simply wants it to spin faster, then it is permissible, although it is still better not to, as it is an unnecessary exertion that one doesn’t need to do on Shabbos.
On the other hand, there are poskim who say doing so is forbidden as it is considered uvdin dechol, a weekday activity.
(This week’s write-up is based on gilyan Oimek HaPeshat #108)
