Shower on Shabbos

Answer

Answered by Aaron Abadi

You can use your hot water, if you have a separate hot water heater, in addition to your heating system. You should be taking a not-very-hot shower. You can wash your hair with shampoo as regular. You can use all types of soap. You can dry yourself with a towel. Why?.....Why not? The hot water you think is not allowed to be used because you're cooking the cold water going in. First of all, you don't want to do that (Pesik Reisha Delo Nicha Ley). Second and foremost, all hot water heaters come with a warning label, "Warning: Do not heat higher than 125 degrees, or you will get burned." This means that the water is lower than Yad Soledet Bo tempature and cannot cook anything. So you are not cooking. The shampoo in the hair you think is Sechita (squeezing out). That does not apply to hair. Their are various opinions, but that is my father's determination after reviewing all the necessary Seforim. The Towel use is my favorite. Everyone uses towels, but somehow if you use it after a shower there is a different set of rules. Do all the people that go to the Mikveh on Shabbat air-dry? It's not Sechita because you don't need the water. Sechita is by a lemon where you squeeze out the juice to have the juice. Now that you see it is okay, it suddenly becomes a Mitzvah and a requirement. Is it right to make all the people around suffer if you need a shower, but you are Machmir not to take one? Think it over.... AA