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Kids toys on Shabbos Muktzeh/Bosis

Question:

Hi,
I keep running into this issue on shabbos with kids toys and I am hoping you can clarify the situation.
1. When we clean the toys we put them in bins not thinking what really goes inside and sometimes there is a muktzeh toy, does that mean all the toys under it that is supporting the muktzeh toys are muktzeh because of Bosis and the bin also or since we just put all the toys haphazardly it does not make them into a Bosis?

2. Also, if I have one of those toys that you hang over the crib and I attached a muktzeh toy on it and forgot, can I remove it on shabbos with klach hayad or is the whole thing a bosis since the muktzeh toy hangs off it?

Thank you very much for your response. If possible please include sources so that I can study it.

Answer:

  1. There are two reasons why the toys on the bottom of the muktza toy are not muktza. The first reason is because an item generally can only be a bosis if it was supporting the muktza item from before shabbos, which in your case it wasn’t. Secondly, an item will only become a bosis if the item is meant to purposely support the muktza item, however if the item ended up being under the muktza because of lack of space etc. such as in this case, where everything is just haphazardly laying in the bin, it isn’t a bosis.
  2. The upper toy that hangs over the side of the crib is potentially a more serious question, and it might very well be a bosis and muktza to move. If the muktza toy is usually kept hanging by the hanging toy, then it would be a bosis and the upper toy may not be moved.  If however the upper toy is not the usual place for the muktza toy to hang, and it was left there accidentally then it is also not consdidered a bosis, since you didn’t intent to keep it there for shabbos. ( If the toy was put there on erev shabbos then it is controversial if it considered a bosis, and many poskim are leneint about this also.)  If the hanging toy is not muktza, you can remove the whole toy from the side of the crib, because you are moving the muktza item, in a way called tiltul min hatzad, moving the muktza item via another item. This may be done if you need the place that the muktza is on, however not for no reason. Separating the muktza toy from the non muktza toy will be a little tricky. You can take the non muktza toy off the side of the crib even though the muktza toy comes along with it, as we just stated. You can also remove the non muktza toy from the muktza one, without directly moving the muktza toy. I can’t giude you more than this because I don’t know how the two toys are attached.

Best Wishes

Sources:

O:CH 309-4, M:B 10,17, 18, 19, Shar Hatzion ibid 20, Shmiras Shabbos Khilchoso 20-21,  Hilchos muktza pg. 64.

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