Yosef’s doctor told him to put antibiotic cream on his wound twice a day, each day.
On Shabbos morning, he took out the cream but was hesitant to put it on. “Why aren’t you putting it on?” asked his sister Rivky.
“Because I am pretty sure that on Shabbos we cannot smear creams on a skin,” explained Moishy.
“Yeah for sure!” agreed Rivky, “Smearing a cream on a skin would be memare’ach which is a tolda of memacheck.”
Rivky thought for a moment and then suggested the following, “Yosef, why don’t you squeeze the cream from the tube onto a band-aid and then put the gauze on your wound?”
Chaim, who overheard the conversation, offered another suggestion: “Yosef, why don’t you squeeze the cream from the tube onto your wound and then put the gauze on?”
Yosef’s little brother Shimon screamed out, “Yosef, don’t listen to them! If you do what Rivky or Chaim suggest, the cream will end up getting smeared on! The only solution here is not to listen to your doctor!”
Question: Who is right - Rivky, Chaim or Shimon?
Hints & Answers*
HALACHA CHALLENGE: According to Shemiras Shabbos Kehilchosa (33:14) both Rivka’s and Chaim’s solutions are valid. It appears that Chaim’s solution is preferred (Shemiras Shabbos Kehilchosa ibid.).
RHYMES: “day”
TRIVIA: In parshas Haazinu the verse says: כִּי לֹא דָבָר רֵק הוּא מִּכֶּם כִּי הוּא חַיֵיכֶּם - For it (the Torah) is not an empty thing for you, for it is your life... See Baal HaTurim on Bereishis 37:24 who makes a connection between these two verses.
*Menucha answers are not to be taken as final decisions in halacha.
