Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Can I wash my child's dirty clothes on Chol Hamoed?

The laws of Chol Hamoed are complex and one can not make comparisons from one law to another. Therefore, a rav should be consulted on every issue.
 
Question:Can I wash my child’s dirty clothes on Chol Hamoed?
Discussion:One should start Yom Tov with enough clothes for his children (M.B. 534:7). However, if one runs out of clothes for their child then they may be washed on Chol Hamoed.
Until what age does this apply?There is a dispute among the poskim in this matter. According to Rav S.Z. Aurebach zt”l and ylc”t Rav Elyashiv shlit”a this heter applies until the age of 6-7. According to Rav Scheinberg shlit”a it depends on the child. Does this child go through a lot of clothes or not. If he does then the age is until bar\bas mitzvah. If he doesn’t then it is until 6-7.
Does one have to wash the clothes in private?There is a dispute as to whether one must wash children’s clothes in private. The Rema (534:1) says that one must wash them in private, therefore one should not use a laundromat. However, the Aruch Hashulchan (534:8) says that everyone will see that it is children's clothes so there is no problem of maris ayin. If one must use a laundromat a rav should be consulted.
 According to Rav Moshe Finestein, if a person is traveling out of town one need not bring all of the child’s clothes with him if it is a big bother. However, there are opinions that hold one must bring all of the child’s clothes when travelling out of town if he does not do this he may not wash the clothes on Yom Tov (Shut Hagavad Mi’Debritzin Siman18). 

One may not add in any adult clothing even if he is washing a full load of children's clothes.

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