Shulchan Arukh Orach Chayim · Siman 320

Shulchan Arukh Orach Chayim 320 — English translation

Translation: Sefaria Community Translation. Section numbers match the Hebrew text above.

1. 1The Laws of Squeezing on Shabbat. Contains 20 Seifim: It is forbidden to squeeze olives and grapes on Shabbos [see above O. C. Siman 252:5] and if the juice seeped out by itself it is forbidden even if the fruit is intended only for eating. It is forbidden to squeeze berries and pomegranates and if the juice seeped out by itself, it depends, if they are intended for eating, then the juice is permitted and if it is intended for squeezing, then the juice is forbidden. It is permitted to squeeze all other fruit. Rema: In a place where certain fruits are squeezed for their juice for drinking purposes, either to quench thirst or for pleasure, they share the same status as berries and pomegranates. If however they only squeeze them for medicinal purposes it is permitted. [Beis Yosef]. The prohibition applies only to squeezing; however it is permitted to suck juice from grapes with one’s mouth and all the more so other fruit. [Beis Yosef in the name of the Shibulei Leket]. There are those who prohibit sucking grapes etc. [Hagahos Maimoni]
2. 2It is permitted to drink juice that has seeped out from olives and grapes that were already pressed before Shabbos. Even when grapes were not pressed before Shabbos, if they are placed inside a vat full of wine and the grapes burst open on Shabbos into the vat it is permitted to drink the wine on Shabbos, because the wine seeping from the grapes is negated in the wine already in the vat.
3. 3Grape peels and seeds that had water poured over them in order to make a wine drink, one may draw the wine and drink it, and even if one did not pour water and the wine seeps out by itself, one is permitted to drink it.
4. 4One is permitted to squeeze a bunch of grapes into a pot that has food inside in order to enhance the food, because a liquid entering a food is like the food, but if there is no food inside it is forbidden.
5. 5There is an opinion that permits squeezing unripe fruit into food but Rabbeinu Tam prohibits squeezing unripe fruit [because they are inedible]. [Tur]
6. 6One is permitted to squeeze lemons.
7. 7Squeezing pickled (fruit and vegetables preserved in vinegar and salt) and stewed vegetables: if done for their own improvement i.e. one does not need the liquid and is merely squeezing to enhance them for eating purposes, even if one squeezes them into an empty plate it is permissible. If one wants the liquid, one may squeeze them into a plate with food but if there is no food it is prohibited. According to Rabbeinu Chananel, if one squeezes for the liquid one is liable to bring a Chatas, even if one squeezed them into a plate with food [according to him, squeezing a bunch of grapes into a pot of food is also forbidden]. [Tur]
8. 8Squeezing fish for its juice is equivalent to squeezing pickled and stewed vegetables for their liquid.
9. 9It is prohibited to crush snow and ice into small pieces in order to produce water but one may place them into a cup of wine or water and let them melt by themselves, without trepidation. They are also permitted if one places them in the sun or opposite a fire and they melted.
10. 10It is permissible to break ice in order to access the water beneath it.
11. 11One must take care in the winter not to wash one’s hands with water mixed with snow or ice and if one does, one must be careful not to press one's hands together in order not to crush.
12. 12One must take care not to rub one’s hands with salt.
13. 13One may trample snow with one’s feet without fear.
14. 14The Maharam of Rotenberg permits urinating in snow but the Rosh was careful not to.
15. 15It is prohibited to place a garment atop a barrel and place the vessel used for drawing water on top of it lest one comes to wring out the garment. It is permitted to place it on a garment designated for covering the barrel because one does not care to wring it out.
16. 16It is prohibited to wedge cotton-wool into the spout of a jug containing liquid because of Sechita – squeezing.
17. 17One may not wipe with a sponge lest one squeezes it, unless the sponge sports a handle.
18. 18One authority says that one may remove a flaxen stopper used to plug a barrel’s hole used for extracting wine, even though liquid will certainly be squeezed, provided that a Keli is not present underneath it. Since one does not benefit from this squeezing it is only a Pesik reisha (i.e. an issur that definitely will result from an action; like death is a result of decapitating [a chicken]) de’lo nichah lei and is permitted. Others disagreed with him saying that even though it is lo nicha lei, since it is a Pesik reisha it is forbidden. People are accustomed to be lenient. One can justify those [who rule permissively] since the bung-hole is deep and far from the flax, and one’s hand does not touch the flax, it is permitted similar to a sponge (The Aruch explains that sponge is a material that is situated atop a gigantic fish in the sea and when it raises its head to gaze at the world this sponge descends over its eyes blocking its view, and without that no ship would be safe from this fish) with a handle. Since this is a feeble argument and it has its faults, it is correct to instruct people not to place a Keli below the barrel when one plugs the hole (see Siman 301 for other Halachas regarding squeezing) .
19. 19It is permissible to add saffron to food and one need not be concerned about coloring, because there is no prohibition to dye foods.
20. 20There is an opinion who holds that when eating berries and other staining fruits one must take care not to touch one’s clothes or a cloth with fruit-colored hands, but if one colors bread with the colored juice it is not a problem because there is no prohibition to color foods.

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