anybody know the reason why we dont throw nails on the floor

amother

Sun, Jun 14 2009, 12:09 am

I know its a stupid question, but..........I grew up knowing that we cant throw nails on the floor and last week someone asked me last week what the reason is and I just didnt know what to anser.....I was quiet embarassed. I dont throw nails on the floor just because thats what I was taught

sarahla

Sun, Jun 14 2009, 12:18 am

mommy's daughter wrote:

from what I know is that a pregnant woman shouldnt step on it it can case miscarrying

yes plus it's kinds of gross to just trow your nails on the floor!!!!

momsprince

Sun, Jun 14 2009, 12:18 am

My mother visited someone who had just finished cutting nails all over the floor. My mother was pregnant then and miscarried the next day.

HealthCoach

Sun, Jun 14 2009, 1:13 am

In addition to that I heard when I was younger that you are supposed to throw your nails in the garbage because once someone had to come down and collect all their nails, and it's pretty hard to do if they are all over the place.

pina colada

Sun, Jun 14 2009, 1:30 am

There is a source about not throwing nails on the floor, I think it is from the Zohar.

One should preferably flush them rather than throw in the garbage.

I think one should not throw nails on the floor bec. they contain Taameh (Sp?).

Seraph

Sun, Jun 14 2009, 1:39 am

Its because it reminds hashem of the sin of chava, which caused us to all get nails. By reminding hashem of chava, we're reminding hashem of her punishment, which was trouble having kids. So the gemara says that stepping on nails for a pregnant woman can cause miscarriage.

The gemara goes as far as to say that someone who leaves nails lying around is a rasha, someone who just disposes of it, a beinoni, and someone who burns it, a tzaddik.

Its not just an old wives' tale/bubbemaiseh.
I have to say, I have a hard time REALLY believing it, but since I dont want to do what the gemara calls a rasha, I try my best to dispose of them properly- if I'm at home, either flush em down the toilet or burn them, if outside, I bury them.
I think throwing in the garbage isnt a good solution...

Aribenj

Sun, Jun 14 2009, 11:06 am

My grandmother used to tell me that spirits (neshamas? I forget what she would call them... but something about souls that couldn't find their way home?) were attracted to nails and unless I wanted to see wierd things at night in the baby's room I should burn them or at least flush them down the toilet.

NotSoNewKallah

Sun, Jun 14 2009, 12:43 pm

amother wrote:

It gets buried by other garbage but not underground. And what if the bag tears before getting to the dump?

Its only a sakana (danger) if it fell and you stepped on it. But if you dropped a nail and cant find it, sweep around the area so that you are sure it moved around and even if its still on the floor, its no longer a sakana.

This is what my Rav told me when I was pregnant.

Debbie

Mon, Jun 29 2009, 8:00 am

[quote="mommy's daughter"]from what I know is that a pregnant woman shouldnt step on it it can case miscarrying[/q uote]

I have also heard that but I think there has to be more to it then that.
I hope I'm not wrong in saying this but isn't there a possibility that the lady may have miscarried had she not stepped on the nail clippings?
As far as I know it is ossur to drop nail clippings on the ground anywhere,which makes me think that the risk to pregnant women is only one reason because there are some places where you don't find women pregnant or otherwise and it is still forbidden to drop nail clippings.

fiddle

Mon, Jun 29 2009, 8:20 am

momsprince wrote:

My mother visited someone who had just finished cutting nails all over the floor. My mother was pregnant then and miscarried the next day.

hard to say the woman was the cause of your mom miscarrying, a sibling of mine learned about this and said its not so simple. the nail has to go into the persons foot, it has to be the entire nail....its not as simple as 'o someone dropped nails on the floor and the pregnant woman miscarried right after' things are not so eye for an eye...and if it is its got a lot more depth then this..

NotSoNewKallah

Mon, Jun 29 2009, 10:06 am

merelyme wrote:

NewKallah wrote:

amother wrote:

It gets buried by other garbage but not underground. And what if the bag tears before getting to the dump?

You mean if it's moved from where it fell, then even if you step on it it's not a sakanah?

Thats what my Rav told me. He said if Im nervous to go get a manicure when Im pregnant cuz there may be nails on the floor there- just ask them to sweep everything around. or the example I gave before- if you dropped a nail by accident.

SomebodyElse

Mon, Jun 29 2009, 10:32 am

We burn our nail clippings. (But not on the stove like some girls I knew!! Yuck!)

Once, when I was pregnant, I was on the subway. I was at a window seat, and someone came and sat next to me in the aisle seat and started cutting his nails there (!??!) letting the clippings fall wherever they may. I couldn't get off the train without walking through it! I davened hard, and B"H didn't miscarry.

Debbie

Mon, Jun 29 2009, 2:09 pm

SomebodyElse wrote:

Baruch Hashem.
I have to admit to being a bit puzzled though because I assumed that a lady would only be at risk if she were barefoot or perhaps had on stockings or tights but no shoes or slippers.
I wouldn't have thought that nail clippings would do much harm if a person trod on them whilst wearing shoes.

ra_mom

Mon, Jun 29 2009, 2:14 pm

I was taught that wrapping the nails in a tissue with 3 slivers of wood as Eidim (a toothpick, cut into 3 pieces), and then flushing the wrapped nails in the toilet, is the best way to dispose of nails.

NotInNJMommy

Mon, Jun 29 2009, 2:18 pm

ra_mom wrote:

I was taught somethign similar but to preferably burn it...