Borer - Reshelving
QUESTION: After I finish learning, I have a pile of seforim next to my seat. Can I put them back in their place, or is this a violation of Borer (sorting)?
ANSWER: Sefer Ohr L’Tzion (vol. 2 – He’aros, chapter 31:4) writes that there are several potential reasons why one can be more lenient regarding putting seforim back on the shelf. Still, he writes that this should not be done in the normal manner. Rather, you should take one sefer at random and place it back on the shelf. Then take another sefer at random and place it back on the shelf. You should not organize the seforim and put them back in batches, since that would involve selecting the appropriate sefer to place back on each shelf which could be forbidden.
___________________________________________________
The Gerald & Karin Feldhamer OU Kosher Halacha Yomis is dedicated to the memory of Rav Yisroel Belsky, zt"l, who served as halachic consultant for OU Kosher for more than 28 years; many of the responses in Halacha Yomis are based on the rulings of Rabbi Belsky. Subscribe to the Halacha Yomis daily email here.
