[Avodah] Avodah] Numbers and Letters on Bottlecaps

[Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer]

(Since I'm out of town right now, this is from memory, and should be 
checked "inside.")

According to the Shemiras Shabbos K'Hilchasa vol. 3, in the dinim of 
psik reisha (paraphrasing and elaborating a bit), even Ashkenazim tend 
to be meikel in the case of a psik reisha d'lo nicha lei - even in a 
d'orysa, IIRC, but certainly in a d'Rabbanan (to a significant extent, 
because Reb Chaim held that the Rambam was meikel like the Aruch in this 
regard - which is why Reb Simcha Zelig, the Dayan in Brisk, was one of 
the early mekilim on opening fridges on Shabbos).

OTOH, SSK holds that we are machmir on a psik reisha d'lo ichpas lei, 
even in a d'Rabbanan (Mocheik shelo al menas LiKtov) - which is the case 
here. But he does say that b'makom mitzvah or other tzorech one can be 
meikeil.

Gershon Seif wrote:
> <<In Yalkut Yosef Hil. Shabbos vol. 2 p. 519 ROY paskens that if
> letters are printed on a bottlecap so that when one opens the bottle one
> rips the letters it is nevertheless permitted to open the cap on
> Shabbos! ... His rationale (note 21) is that since he does not intend to erase the letters, even though it is a pesik reisha, since he has no hana'ah from the mechikah, and since this mocheik shelo al menas liktov is only assur
> me'd'Rabbanan, it is permitted.>>
>
> - Would Ashkenazim be permitted to rely on that?
> - Would the same svara apply to opening bags (as far as the issue of mocheik is concerned)?
>
>
>