#280: An Introduction to the Melacha of Borer

1. The next melachah following zoreh (winnowing) is borer (separating or selecting). The melachah of borer is defined as separating waste (pesolet) from food (ochel) in a mixture (Tractate Shabbat 74a). In the bread-making process, this took place after zoreh, when the chaff was separated from the kernel through winnowing (see last week’s halachot). Even after winnowing, the kernels of grain are still mixed with pebbles on the threshing floor, so borer removed the pebbles from the mixture, so the kernels could be used to make flour (Rambam, Commentary on the Mishnah, Shabbat 7:2).

2. The melachah of borer applies not only to removing actual waste from a mixture with food, but also to removing types of food that one does not want from a mixture with food that one does want, even if both types are edible. (Shabbat 74a and Tosafot).

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Dedicated by Fran Broder as a zechus for the hostages to be released safely to their families and may everlasting peace come to Eretz Yisrael in the merit of learning Hilchos Shabbos.