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Thought for the Day: Flies on Shabbos -- Better Dead Than Alive

It is never fun to have a fly buzzing around. Even worse when you are sitting down to a meal. Bad enough at a picnic, even worse in the house. Bad enough during the week, but on Shabbos...

What makes things worse on Shabbos? Two issues -- trapping and muktzeh. We are not even going to talk about killing it, that would be forbidden even on Yom Tov since flies are annoying and disgusting, but not dangerous. Lets take the issues one at a time.

Flies are muktzeh on Shabbos just like all animals. Pets can be taken for walks because of the prohibition to cause needless suffering to an animal. Flies; sure, just try getting a leash on one of those puppies. This, obviously, is a rabbinic injunction. What about trapping? Flies are certainly not a species that trapped for its skin (ewww), nor does it produce anything of particular value (such as venom); therefore trapping them is also forbidden by rabbinic -- and not Torah -- injunction.

Forbidden is forbidden, of course; and as R' Fuerst is wont to say, 90% of Shulchan Aruch is rabbinic. Still, flies are so annoying that I figured it was worth a shot and I asked R' Fuerst if there is anything that can be done about them on Shabbos? R' Fuerst gave me a one word answer, "Nope." From the rav's demeanor when answering, it was clear to me that I was not the first to ask. I tried a desperate maneuver, "But sometimes they are really bothering you and disturbing the shalom bayis." "That's not the fly disturbing you," answered the rav with a beaming smile, "that's your יצר הרע disturbing you."

The next Shabbos, when the fly (or its cousin) was back, we just grinned and bore it. Before shalosh s'udos time, though, I say the fly laying on its back on the counter. Yep; dead. "Great... bad enough a fly buzzing around, now I have to suffer a dead fly carcass on my counter? That's just disgusting." Wait.... disgusting?

Hmmm... no issue with trapping, obviously. It is also no longer on the category of an animal, therefore not covered by that category of muktzeh. But maybe a different category? I mean, after all, shouldn't "disgusting" be a category of muktzeh? As it turns out: nope. Chazal were sensitive to our ability to enjoy Shabbos if there is something disgusting in the room with us, so we are allowed to even pick it up directly and take it to the garbage. You will find that in the Shulchan Aruch in the siman dealing with muktzeh in general, 308. The category is know as גרף של רעי/chamber pot, but it really includes anything disgusting. The Mishna Brura adds in sk 130 that a dead rat is included in this category.

There you have it: Live fly? Work on yourself. Dead fly? Rejoice and dispose.

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