Chapter 2 · The 39 Avot Melakhot

Bread order II - Threshing, winnowing, selecting, grinding, sifting, kneading, baking

Lesson 7 of 28 28 min

The next seven turn grain into bread. In modern halakhah - every Shabbat food prep passes through one of them. Borer (selecting) and tochen (grinding) are the most common.

Lesson goals

01Distinguish dash (extracting from shell) from borer (separating a mix)
02Understand why grinding is forbidden even without a mill (fine cutting = toladah)
03Recognize ofeh in any cooking and heating

Bread Melakhot: Stage II - The Grain Revealed

In the previous lesson, we built the foundations. Now we continue to build upon them. We follow the grain's journey, from a kernel in the field to bread on the table. The next seven melakhot are the core of preparing grain for consumption.

דשDash

Extracting content from its husk or surrounding wrapper. Like removing wheat kernels from a stalk, or peas from a pod.

משנה, מסכת שבת ז:ב

מלאכת דש - הוצאת גרגרים משיבולתם. תולדתה - הוצאת פרי מקליפתו, כגון מיץ מפרי, או שמן מזיתים.

The melakha of Dash is extracting kernels from their stalks. Its toladah (derivative) is extracting fruit from its peel, such as juice from fruit, or oil from olives.

Insight

Dash is a melakha of 'liberation.' We free the food from its natural protective covering, making it accessible for consumption. This is a critical step in transforming raw material into a food product.

Melakhot of Separation and Grinding

זורהZoreh

Separating lightweight waste from heavier food using wind (or an action simulating wind). Like separating chaff from kernels using an air current.

בוררBorer

Separating food from waste, or separating different types of food from each other, when the waste or unwanted food type is mixed with the desired food. Important: Borer applies only if separating 'food from waste' or 'food from food that is currently unwanted'.

1Distinguish: Dash is extracting content from its husk (seed from pod).
2Borer is separating a mixture (food from waste, food from food).

טוחןTochen

Changing the size of raw material by crushing it into smaller particles. The goal is to prepare the material for further processing or consumption. For example: grinding wheat kernels into flour, or mashing potatoes into a puree.

Tochen and its Derivatives – Beyond the Mill

Many think the melakha of Tochen is only related to a large mill. This is a mistake! Any action that significantly reduces the size of food, with the intention of preparing it for eating, falls under Tochen or a toladah of Tochen. This includes very fine cutting, crushing, or crumbling.

Insight

The guiding principle is 'ma'aseh uman' – does the action fundamentally change the form of the material, as a craftsman would? Coarse cutting for a salad is not Tochen. Very fine cutting or mashing into a puree – yes.

מרקדMeraked

Separating fine waste from food using a sieve or strainer. Like sifting flour to separate bran or insects from it.

Kushya

What's the difference between Zoreh, Borer, and Meraked? They all deal with separation!

Terutz

Zoreh: By wind (or air current). Borer: Manual separation of food from waste or food from food. Meraked: Separation using a sifting tool (sieve) based on particle size.

Transforming Dough into Bread

לשLash

Combining powder particles (or other solids) with liquid to create a dough or paste. Like kneading flour with water to make dough, or mixing soup powder with water to create a thick soup.

אופהOfeh

Cooking, baking, roasting, frying, or any action that hardens or changes the form of food through heat. This is a very broad melakha that includes almost any form of cooking or heating food.

Insight

Ofeh is one of the most common melakhot on Shabbat. Any heating or cooking of food (that has not already been fully cooked) is 'Ofeh' or a derivative of 'Ofeh'. Remember: 'All forms of cooking are like baking' – all types of cooking are toladot of Ofeh.

משנה, מסכת שבת ז:ב

כל בישולין ככל אפייה.

All forms of cooking are like baking.

Practice

Describe making a Shabbat salad. Mark which of the 7 melakhot come up.

Lesson wrap-up

The Shabbat kitchen is a halakhic minefield. Only the map-reader cooks calmly.

Check your understanding

Test yourself before marking the lesson complete.

Question 1 of 4

What is the primary difference between the melakha of 'Dash' and 'Borer'?

Previous lessonBread order I - Sowing, plowing, reaping, gathering

Next lessonGarment order I - Shearing, bleaching, combing, dyeing, spinning