Question:
Hi,
My wife left the car key by accident in her coat on shabbos. She came to me carrying the coat. I instructed her to take the coat to a safe area(we were in a shul) and shake out the key. She dropped it too soon by accident so I kicked it to the corner under some coats. Did I act correctly?
I figured that since she is carrying it already, she is allowed to continue carrying it to wherever she wants. Once it once on the floor, I figured it would be allowed to move it klachar yad especailly to make sure it isnt stolen.
Thank you
Answer:
I think you did correctly. the coat was not a bosis and muktza, because the key was not put there in order to stay there for shabbos, and it was only forgotten there.
The coat was allowed to be moved, even though it moved the key, because it only moved the key, “tiltul min htzad” movoing the key indirectly. The halacha is that we may move a muktza through a different item, such as moving the key through the coat, if the reason for moving the muktza is for the benefit of a permitted item called tiltul min hatzad l’tzorech davar a mutar”. In this case the use of the coat outdoors.
Regarding your kicking the key to a safe place, where the muktza was moved not for the use of a non muktza item, but for the benefit of saving the muktza item, (so it won’t get lost or stolen in shul), in this case we may not do “tiltul min hatzad”. We may however move it in a backhanded manner, or with an organ that is unusual to move the item, in this case your foot.
Sources:
M:B 309-18, O:CH 277-3 M:B 18 311-8 Magen Avraham 308- 7.
