Shabbat 95 - Nail biting and painting eyes on Shabbat

If one bites his nails on Shabbat or removes pieces of his nail with the help of the other - has he violated Shabbat? Rabbi Eliezer says that he has because it is similar to shearing. But the Sages say that the Torah did not prohibit it. Why? Let us look at similar examples.

The same disagreement applies if one paints her eyes, plucks the hair of the head or a mustache, or braids her hair. The Sages say that this is not how the work was done in building the Temple. Why would Rabbi Eliezer prohibit braiding the hair? God has "built" Eve out of Adam's rib, and the word "built" also means that he braided her hair and then brought her to Adam.

What if one plucks the flowers in a pot? Has he violated Shabbat? No, because these flowers do not draw sustenance from the ground. The exception is a flower pot with a hole at the bottom facing the earth. In this case, we have an imaginary connection between the flower and the earth.

Art: Brading Her Hair by Christian Krohg