Toilet paper on Shabbat
Question
My family is in the wholesale sanitary paper business. About 25 years ago, my father was sitting with a group of Orthodox Rabbis discussing toilet paper tearing on Shabbat. The Rabbis at the time told my father that it is forbidden to tear toliet paper on Shabbat because of the perforations and that tissues or C-fold toilet paper sheets should be used instead. My father, knowing the business, went and gathered no less than 20 different brands of tissues and various brands of c-fold toilet papers. Upon cutting the boxes open, my father demonstrated that almost all of the brands are also a single perforated sheet, no different than the toliet paper. At the time, when my father demonstrated to this group of Rabbis that tissues, c-fold paper and regular toilet paper were all the same as far as perforations, our Rav told us to just use regular old TP and not worry about it. My father offered to provide the synagogues in our area with those great big rolls of very thin toilet paper that are used in public restrooms as my father demonstrated that this is the only sanitary product on the market that is not perforated and that is consistantly manufactured without perforations. At the time, my father was told to continue providing the synagogues with regular TP, the same for Shabbat and weekdays. Occasionally one can find a brand of c-fold sheets or tissues that ARE folded individually but it is rare and this is usually only among the most expensive brands of tissues only. This past Shabbat the issue came up again in our home and in our synagogue. A guest was upset that tissues were not provided for Shabbat, only TP. We opened 5 boxes of tissues to demonstrate that all were attached in a single sheet, no different than regular toilet paper, with perforations that no different than toilet paper except for the width of the spaces between them. To what length should we be going to in order to avoid tearing paper on the perforation on Shabbat? Should we be separating, by hand boxes and boxes of tissues (or TP) each Friday before Shabbat in order to avoid tearing on the perforations? Should we be purchasing those huge 1000 ft single ply rolls that they use in commercial settings because this is the only kind with no perforations? Your help in clarifying this issue is very much appreciated.
Answer
Answered by Aaron AbadiTear before, or buy Kleenex. AA