Q. I have a mulberry tree next to the side entrance of my home and the mulberries fall on the paved entrance. They can cause a mess on the carpets when someone steps on them and enters the house. Can they be swept with a broom on Shabbos since the cemented path is like karka merutzaf?

A. Biur Halacha (337: 2) rules that nowadays it is permitted to sweep floors that are wood covered, tiled, marbleized or cemented since most floors in houses are finished. Therefore there is no reason to decree a prevention ban, to avoid sweeping unfinished grounds. This would inevitably result in “Ashvuyeh Gumos” – filling in holes in the ground with dirt, which constitutes a biblical Shabbos violation.

Horav Shlomo Miller Shlit”a pointed out that Horav S. Z. Auerbach zt”l in Shulchan Shlomo (337: 2) permits sweeping a paved uncovered courtyard since it is seen as an extension of the house. However, he debates whether the same would apply to only a cemented path when most of the courtyard is unpaved. He therefore suggested using a soft broom to remove the mulberries.

He also advises that when sweeping a cemented path one should avoid sweeping over the gaps of the expansion joints between concrete slabs, as you may be filling or sealing them.

Rabbi A. Bartfeld as revised By Horav Shlomo Miller Shlit”a