Talmud Builders
    Login
    Course map
    Chapter 5 · Cooking and food preparation

    Borer at the Shabbat table - three conditions

    Lesson 40 of 55 20 min

    Borer is one of the most common Shabbat challenges. Build the three permitting conditions and apply them to table cases.

    Lesson goals
    • 01List the three conditions: food from waste, by hand, for immediate use
    • 02Understand what counts as a "mixture"
    • 03Apply to fruit, salad and fish
    01

    The three conditions

    1. 1Select the food from the waste - not the waste from the food
    2. 2By hand - not with a sorting tool
    3. 3For immediate use - the coming meal

    The source is in the Gemara (Shabbat ע״ד ע״א (74a)) and SA (OC 319:1–2). Missing one condition - there is a borer concern.

    02

    Cases

    Fish with bones: take the flesh from the bones while eating. A mixed fruit bowl: take the wanted fruit, don't remove the unwanted. A slotted spoon for draining counts as a sorting tool.

    Insight

    A study framework only - for a practical question, ask a rabbi.

    Practice

    At the next meal, notice three borer moments.

    Lesson wrap-up

    Three conditions - and a Shabbat table free of doubt.

    Check your understanding

    Test yourself before marking the lesson complete.

    Question 1 of 3

    What is permitted in borer?

    Previous lessonCooking and food prep - hot plate, pot, returning
    Next lessonGrinding and squeezing fruits and vegetables