Is there anything in Jewish scripture that prohibits a person from wiping himself or herself on the day of the Sabbath? Is there anything in the scripture that could be construed as prohibiting you from wiping yourself on the Sabbath??
If so, how do observers of this particular law get around this?
Thanks.
Its not that dumb a question considering the following examples of actions that are definitely prohibited on the jewish sabbath:
You might be prohibited from taking a dump in the first place. After all, sometimes it’s a lot of work.
Playing Scrabble: not “definitely” prohibited–actually a split of rabbinical opinion on this. Read Word Freak.
Carrying a gift in areas w/o phone poles: I think you’re a bit confused here. The practice you’re referring to is the eruv. I’ll let our Jewish dopers explain further if so inclined.
So you’re supposed to read on the Sabbath but not take notes on what you read. What do you do when you find a good bit that you want to go back to later and annotate? Use place markers?
IANAOJ (I am not an Orthodox Jew)
But I can answer this one for you: The rules are wierd, but they come from the idea that God rested from creation, and so people should not create or destroy anything on the Sabbath. If you write with a pen, you’ve “created” something new, so religious Jews kids play games (like scrabble) without writing down the score. If you tear a peice of paper, you’ver destroyed something, so religious Jewish families keep a box of kleenex in the bathroom instead of tearing sheets of toilet paper.
Yeah, it’s a kinda wierd way to live, but ,gosh, they make good chicken soup. 
Not being Jewish, I have to say I find some of their religious laws to be mind-boggling.
I understand the idea is to honour God by obeying them, rather than trying to make any sense out of them, but these prohibitions against switching on lights, opening fridge doors, or using a lift because they qualify as “work” just seem… well, insane, to be honest.
OK, the Sabbath is supposed to be a Day Of Rest- but don’t lots of people enjoy “resting” by watching TV/DVDs, playing on the Computer/Xbox/PS2, going out for a picnic, and so on? As I understand it, these activities are prohibited by Orthodox Judaism from being undertaken on the Sabbath.
What activites are permitted on the Jewish Sabbath? 
When my father was a boy, one of his Friday afternoon chores was to go into the bathrooms of the house and tear off lengths of toilet paper in preparation for anyone who might require them on the Sabbath.
OF COURSE you can defecate on the Sabbath - how are you supposed to stop it? Biological functions are allowed.
Who makes up this shit? There was no Scrabble, kleenex, or pens when the Bible was written. Now I admit I have not read the entire old testament, maybe I missed the chapter that dealt with rules on board games?
(I am not Jewish)
The kleenex thing is interesting, I did not know that. I would think another way around it would be to use a bidet.
There are always ways around the laws. My oven has a Sabbath setting so that it will pop on at an alloted time and shut off at a set time so as to get around the whole “cooking” on the Sabbath thing. See, you’re not cooking, the oven is, all you have to do is take the food out. 
That’s easy…
Sex!
The Egyptians had Senet, which would have been well known to the Israelites… so even though I’m neither Jewish nor a Bible Historian, I think it’s a safe bet that the basic principle behind board games may very well merit a mention somewhere as a non-sabbath approved activity.
Although Egyptian Scrabble would have been interesting…
Let’s see, “Fish, Hand, Squiqqle, Ibis, Reed”, with a triple letter bonus, plus using all my letters… all your heiroglyphs are belong to us! 
I am not Jewish but my wife is*. I have talked to her about Sabbath law and the timer controlled oven or a bread machine or timers to turn lights on and off would not be allowed in a strict Orthodox home on the Sabbath.
Her Grandmother had 2 sets of dishes, one for Dairy and one for meat. To further the isolation, they had 2 separate sinks.
Oh, I never asked about the Op. Strange how that topic never came up. 
Jim
While we’re here, can anyone tell me whether it is permissible under Jewish law/interpretations thereof, to place a proxy bid on an eBay item scheduled to end on the sabbath?
Rabbinical teachings have been added down thru the centuries in attempts to determine what G-d’s thoughts might have been on the various specifics.
So while Leviticus and Deuteronomy don’t talk about elevators or refrigerators, there are later additions to Jewish laws that have been decided upon.
Jewish Dopers, please feel free to add to or dismiss this Non Jew’s take on this.
IANA ;j
But sometimes sex is a lot of work. And besides, if someone gets pregnant on the sabbath, that’s an example of “creating something,” and thus a no-no.
Ow, G-ddamn! That’s a good one.
As for Jews? I’m one, and though I don’t think I can possibly speak categorically on any talmudic issue let me point out something:
We debate. Jews, as a rule, argue, discuss and debate. Pretty much on anything. One of the saying I was raised on (this comes from one of my rabbis) is ‘Two jews = three opinions’.
So issues like ‘Scrabble on the sabbath?’ will pop up someplace and become a worthy, afternoon-encompassing argument.
Seriously, with each person’s relationship with God being his/her own it opens the door to endless interpretational arguments on all sorts of matters. Heck, that’s part of the fun, isn’t it?
Good point, I don’t know the answer to that, and am waiting for someone with real knowledge of Judaism, like Dex or cmkeller, to explain the, um, ins and outs of it, if you will.
My view of it as a non-Jew is more literary than legal, there is a genre of very beautiful erotic poetry for the Sabbath, as that is traditionally the time for couples to make love, get their rocks off, and enjoy spiritual blessings for it at the same time.
When I lived in Ohio, I remember reading in the news about an automatic pedestrian walk light installed on Lee Rd. in Cleveland Heights in the neighborhood of a couple synagogues. It changed to “Walk” without anyone pressing a button, and was installed specifically for the Sabbath.
(Warning: the following is a short, somewhat simplistic, overview… and I’m focused on Orthodox and Conservative, not Reform Judaism)
Remember that Judaism, as a religion, is primarily a law code: the Pentateuch contains laws, behavioral (“Thou shalt not steal”) and societal (law courts and penalties) and ritual (laws of sacrifice) and intrinisic (“Thou shalt not covet.”) When the Israelites had their own country (roughly 1200 BC - 70 AD), these were the laws of the land, upheld by the courts and enforced by the authorities.
After the destruction of the Jewish nation by the Romans, rabbinic authorities needed to find a way to adapt the laws to thenew situation: individuals, families, and small communities that did not have self-governance. So, they discussed and debated and disputed how best to adapt the religion. They were, however, discussing what they saw as a law code. Yes, they got involved with incredible minutia, but if you look over the law codes of the US, you’ll find the same minutia. Laws set forth things like “Rest on the seventh day” or “Stop at red lights.” Legal opinion decides what is meant by “rest” or “stop.”
The rabbis decided that “rest” means to “refrain from work” – it doesn’t mean to just relax and enjoy yourself. And “work” was defined as the 39 (IIRC) forms of work that were done in building the Temple. Wikipedia lists them Shabbat - Wikipedia
The rabbis then have intrepreted these over over the centuries. Is turning on an electric light the same as kindling a fire? Is roasting food the same as baking? Is driving a car similar to plowing? And so forth.
Sexual relations are not forbidden on the Sabbath; to the contrary, they are encouraged. So “becoming pregnant” is fine.
The wiping after defecation is (as already noted) not itself a problem, but tearing toilet paper is. Thus, the orthodox or very devout will pre-tear toilet paper or use flushable wipes, etc.
To an outsider, these may seem like petty and unimportant considerations. To Orthodox and Conservative Jews, these are rules that help define life, that add order and organization to chaos, and that bring holiness to the world. And, I should add, all rules of sabbath observance fall away if life or health are endangered.
Thanks for the most informative reply, Dex! It makes a lot more sense now…