Why Your Pet Rock is Not Muktzeh
In the 1970s, one inexpensive gift to give a loved one was a Pet Rock. For those who are unfamiliar with it, a Pet Rock is like you probably imagined it – just a rock. It made its inventor, Gary Dahl, an overnight millionaire, as Pet Rock fever swept the country. A “Pet Rock Training Manual,” with instructions on how to properly raise and care for one’s newfound pet, was included. The instruction manual contained several commands that could be taught to the new pet. While “sit” and “stay” were fairly easy to accomplish, “roll over” usually required extra effort on the part of the trainer.
Rocks are generally muktzeh, since at the onset of Shabbos and yom tov they are functionless objects. Before Shabbos, though, one may designate a rock as a doorstop, thereby making it a useful object and changing its muktzeh status. A Pet Rock was generally used as a toy; consequently, it was considered a usable object and not muktzeh.
Sand and dirt are also considered unusable at the onset of Shabbos or yom tov. The Gemara (Beitzah 8b) states that Rava held that one may designate a pile of dirt before Shabbos for use in covering a child’s “accident.” In previous generations, when people had dirt floors, an efficient way of cleaning up a child’s accident was just to cover it up with some fresh dirt. Apparently, things were much simpler back then. Nowadays, if you want to refinish your wood floor, it is a whole affair: The furniture must be covered up. You leave your house for a day. The floor has to be sanded down and refinished. Back then, you just put down a fresh layer of new dirt and – presto! – you had a refinished floor. So back then, if a child had an accident on the floor, you refinished that part of the floor by covering it with dirt. Of course, most modern manufacturers do not recommend this practice for use on carpets. However, if you do decide to try this, you must remember that sand and dirt are muktzeh; therefore, the sand and dirt must be designated for use before the onset of Shabbos or yom tov.