Arukh HaShulchan, Orach Chaim 315:1-7

Sugya Map

• Core Issue: The melacha of Kotzev (Cutting/Shearing) within the context of Melabben (Laundering) and Gozez (Shearing). Specifically: does the prohibition of cutting apply to inanimate objects or only to Gidulei Karka (things that grow from the ground)?
• Nafka Mina: May one cut threads that hang from a garment on Shabbat? Is the prohibition rooted in Gozez (hair/wool) or Metaken Manah (perfecting a utensil)?
• Primary Sources:
  • Shabbat 73a: Defining the Av Melacha of Gozez.
  • Shabbat 105b: The parameters of Mekalkel (destructive acts) versus Metaken.
  • Arukh HaShulchan, Orach Chaim 315:1-7: The synthesis of Gozez and Kotzev as applied to garment maintenance.

Text Snapshot

• Arukh HaShulchan, Orach Chaim 315:1: "הגוזז צמר מבעלי חיים חייב... ואם גזז מן הצומח, כגון שקצץ ענף אילן, הוי תולדת קוצר."
• Linguistic Nuance: R’ Epstein utilizes the transition from Gozez (which strictly requires Gidulei Karka—living tissue) to Kotzev (a term often reserved for the shearing of inert or detached materials). Note the dikduk: he distinguishes between Gozez as a Toldah of Mehaber (connecting to the source) versus the act of Metaken (fixing the object).

Readings

The Rashba: Intent and Entity

The Rashba (Responsa Rashba 1:191) posits that the prohibition of Gozez is intrinsically tied to the vitality of the object. If the object does not possess the status of Gidulei Karka (like a synthetic thread or a finished garment), the act of cutting is removed from the Lamed-Tet Melachot of Gozez. However, the Rashba acknowledges a secondary layer: Metaken Manah. If the thread protrudes and makes the garment unsightly, cutting it constitutes Tikkun—a Toldah of Makeh B’Patish. The Arukh HaShulchan leans into this, arguing that the issur in 315:1 is not merely about the act of cutting, but the result of the garment’s perfected state.

The Magen Avraham: The Proximity of Prohibition

The Magen Avraham 315:1 argues that even if the object is not Gidulei Karka, one must tread carefully regarding Gozez. He suggests that the Sages enacted a gezeirah against cutting any protrusion (even loose threads) because it resembles the shearing of wool. The Arukh HaShulchan (315:4) absorbs this, pushing back slightly: he differentiates between threads that are part of the ne’ar (the weave) and those that are truly extraneous. The chiddush here is that Arukh HaShulchan prioritizes the Mekalkel vs. Metaken binary over the botanical status of the thread. He argues that if the thread is truly unwanted, its removal is a Tikkun, regardless of whether it mimics Gozez.

Friction

The Kushya: The Paradox of Detached Matter

If the Arukh HaShulchan (315:3) insists that Gozez is only forbidden on living, growing entities, how can he justify the prohibition of cutting threads on a garment? If a thread is not "growing," it lacks the mehut (essence) of the Av Melacha. To classify it as Gozez feels like a category error. If it is Metaken Manah, why is it discussed under the rubric of Gozez in the Gemara?

The Terutz

The Arukh HaShulchan solves this through a dual-lens approach:

1. The Physicality of the Protrusion: He argues that the eye of the Chacham sees the thread as part of the "body" of the garment. When a garment is woven, the threads are effectively "growing" into the structure of the manah. Thus, Gozez is not just about biology; it is about the integrity of the tzura (form).
2. The Intentionality of the Act: He suggests that even if the melacha of Gozez doesn't technically apply to non-living matter, the Chachamim categorized it there to teach us that any act of "perfecting" a surface (by removing protrusions) mimics the transition from raw material to finished product. Therefore, the "friction" is resolved: the melacha is not defined by the material, but by the tikkun of the object’s surface.

Intertext

• Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 340:11: The SA addresses the cutting of strings on a garment, noting that if they are bothersome, one must be cautious. The Arukh HaShulchan bridges this to 315 by emphasizing the kavanah (intent) of the user.
• Mishnah Shabbat 7:2: The list of Melachot places Gozez in a sequence of processing raw materials. The Arukh HaShulchan utilizes this sequence to argue that Gozez is the "cleaning" phase of production, which is why it applies to garments as much as to sheep—once the garment is "messy" with loose threads, Gozez becomes the mechanism of refinement.

Psak/Practice

The Arukh HaShulchan lands firmly on a chumra (stringency): any thread that is not intended to be there—even if it is not Gidulei Karka—is forbidden to be cut with scissors (keli) on Shabbat. However, he offers a heter: if the thread is so loose that it can be removed by hand without a tool, one may do so, as the prohibition of Gozez (and Tikkun) is generally focused on the use of a keli that performs the melacha in a professional manner.

Heuristic for the modern home: If it’s a loose thread that hangs and is visually bothersome, do not use scissors. If you can pull it off without creating a tikkun to the weave, it is permissible b’diavad, though ideally, one should ignore it until after Shabbat.

Takeaway

The prohibition of Gozez transcends biology; it is the halachic policing of surface perfection. Whether it is a sheep's wool or a hanging thread, the issur reflects the desire to leave the "raw" state of the material undisturbed during the sanctity of the day.