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DAAT · LEVEL 1 — INTRODUCTION
Siman שי״ט · 17 Seifim
Borer (selecting) on Shabbos — melocho de'oraisa — to discover and understand
סימן שי״ט
דִּין הַבּוֹרֵר בְּשַׁבָּת
🌱 Introductory Level · Beginners
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First approach to Siman שי״ט: complete Hebrew text of the Mechaber, fluent English translation, pedagogical explanations of the halachic concepts, modern practical cases, and summary.
Subject: Borer (selecting) on Shabbos — melocho de'oraisa
Source: שולחן ערוך אורח חיים סימן שי״ט (17 seifim)
Compiled by: Rav Yosef Chaim Samama
DAAT · daattorah.com
📑 Study Plan
1. The text of the Shulchan Aruch — the 17 seifim of the Mechaber
2. The general context: why this siman?
3. The key halachic concepts
4. The details of each seif — one by one
5. The Mishnah Berurah — first entries
6. The position of the Rama
7. Modern practical cases
8. Practical summary
9. Comprehension questions
1. The Text of the Shulchan Aruch
Siman שי״ט contains 17 seifim of the Mechaber codifying the halachos of borer (selecting) on Shabbos — melocho de'oraisa.
Seif 1 — The 3 Conditions of Permitted Selecting
דיני הבורר בשבת. ובו יז סעיפים:
הבורר אוכל מתוך פסולת או שהיו לפניו שני מיני אוכלים ובירר מין ממין אחר בנפה ובכברה חייב בקנון ובתמחוי פטור אבל אסור ואם ביררם בידו כדי לאכול לאלתר מותר: הגה וכל מה שבורר לצורך אותה סעודה שמיסב בה מיד מקרי לאלתר [המגיד פ״ח ור״י ני״ב ח״ח וב״י וטור ורא״ש] ואפי' אחרים אוכלים עמו שרי [תוס' פ' כלל גדול] ולכן מותר לברור הירק שקורין שלאט״ן מן העלין המעופשין שבו כל מה שצריך לאכול באותה סעודה [ב״י סימן שכ״א]:
Translation: One who selects (borer) — separates the food (okhel) from the waste (psoles), or selects one type from another — using a sieve or strainer is chayav. With a kanon or tamchuy (partial selection tools) → patur aval assur. But if selected by hand to eat immediately — permitted. Rama's gloss: Whatever is selected for the needs of the meal one is starting right away is called "immediate" (l'alter) — even if others eat with him. From here, one may select salad from spoiled leaves, for that meal.
What this seif says:
- One who sorts food from refuse, or two kinds of food one from the other, with sieve or riddle: liable.
- With קנון or תמחוי: exempt, but forbidden.
- And if he sorted by hand to eat at once: permitted. Three degrees of one act, by instrument and by timing.
Seif 2 — Selecting Food to Set Aside
הבורר אוכל מתוך הפסולת בידו להניחו אפי' לבו ביום נעשה כבורר לאוצר וחייב:
Translation: One who selects food from waste, by hand, to set aside (not eat right away) — even to consume later that day — is considered to "select for storage" (borer le-otzar) and is chayav. Selecting is only permitted for immediate consumption.
What this seif says:
- One who sorts food from refuse by hand to set it aside —
- even for the same day — becomes as one sorting for the storehouse: liable.
Seif 3 — Two kinds mixed — selecting to eat at once
היו לפניו שני מיני אוכלים מעורבים בורר אחד מאחד ומניח [השני כדי] לאכול מיד: הגה ושני מיני דגים מקרי שני מיני אוכלים ואסור לברור א' מחבירו אלא בידו כדי לאכלו מיד אע״פ שהחתיכות גדולות וכל אחת ניכרת בפני עצמה אבל כל שהוא מין א' אע״פ שבורר חתיכות גדולות מתוך קטנות לא מיקרי ברירה ואפילו היו שני מינים ובורר משניהם ביחד הגדולות מתוך הקטנות או להיפך שרי הואיל ואינו בורר מין אחד מתוך חבירו [תה״ד סי' נ״ז]. ואם בירר והניח לאחר זמן אפילו לבו ביום כגון שבירר שחרית לאכול בין הערבים חייב:
Translation: If he had before him two kinds of food mixed together, he selects one from the other and leaves [the second, in order] to eat at once. Rama's gloss: and two kinds of fish count as two kinds of food: it is forbidden to select one from the other except by hand and in order to eat it at once — even though the pieces are large and each is distinguishable in itself. But whatever is of a single kind, even if he selects large pieces from among small ones, is not called bereirah; and even if there were two kinds and he selects from both together the large from among the small or the reverse, it is permitted, since he is not selecting one kind from the other (Terumas ha-Deshen). And if he selected and left it for later, even the same day — for instance if he selected in the morning to eat at dusk — he is liable.
What this seif says:
- Two kinds of food mixed: he sorts one from the other and leaves the second — to eat at once.
- Rama: two kinds of fish count as two kinds of food — forbidden to sort one from the other save by hand to eat at once, even if the pieces are large and each distinct.
Seif 4 — Selecting the waste from the food
הבורר פסולת מתוך אוכל אפי' בידו אחת חייב: הגה ואפי' האוכל מרובה ויש יותר טורח בברירת האוכל אפ״ה לא יברור הפסולת אפי' כדי לאכול לאלתר (ב״י):
Translation: One who selects the waste out of the food, even with one hand, is liable. Rama's gloss: and even if the food is more plentiful and there is greater trouble in selecting the food, he should not select the waste — not even in order to eat immediately (Beis Yosef).
What this seif says:
- One who sorts refuse from food — liable, even by hand alone.
- Rama: and even if the food is the greater part and sorting it is more trouble — he shall not sort the refuse, even to eat at once.
Seif 5 — Lupins — when the food is the waste
הבורר תורמסין מתוך פסולת שלה' חייב מפני שהפסול' שלהם ממתקת אותם כשישלקו אותן עמהם ונמצא כבורר פסולת מתוך אוכל וחייב:
Translation: One who selects lupins out of their waste is liable — because their waste sweetens them when boiled together with them; he is therefore as one selecting waste from food, and is liable.
What this seif says:
- One who sorts lupines from their refuse: liable.
- Because their refuse sweetens them when boiled together — he is found sorting refuse from food.
Seif 6 — Rubbing ears of grain — the shinui
אין מוללין מלילות אלא מולל בשינוי מעט בראשי אצבעותיו. הגה ואע״פ שמפרק האוכל מתוך השבלים הואיל ואינו מפרק רק כלאחר יד כדי לאכול שרי ויש מחמירין [מרדכי ור״ן פ״ק דיו״ט] ולכן אסור לפרוק האגוזים לוזים או אגוזים גדולים מתוך קליפתן הירוקה (מהרי״ל) וטוב להחמיר מאחר דיכול לאכלן כן בלא פירוק:
Translation: One does not rub ears of grain; he rubs them only with a slight change (shinui), with his fingertips. Rama's gloss: and although he separates the food from the ears, since he does so only in an unusual manner and in order to eat, it is permitted — and some are stringent (Mordechai and Ran). Therefore it is forbidden to shell hazelnuts or large nuts from their green husk (Maharil), and it is good to be stringent, since he can eat them so without shelling.
What this seif says:
- One does not rub out ears of grain — but he rubs with a slight change, with his fingertips.
- Rama: and though he separates the food from the ears, since he does so only כלאחר יד to eat, it is permitted; and some are stringent.
Seif 7 — Winnowing: the kanon, the tamchui, and two hands
היו לו מלילות מע״ש לא ינפה בקנון (פרש״י כלי שראשו אחד רחב והשני עשוי כמין מרזב ונותנין הקטניות בראשו הרחב ומנענע האוכל ומתגלגל דרך המרזב והפסולת נשאר בכלי) ותמחוי (פי' קערה גדולה) ולא בשתי ידיו אלא מנפה בידו אחת בכל כוחו:
Translation: If he had rubbed ears of grain from before Shabbos, he may not winnow with a kanon (Rashi explains: a vessel one end of which is wide and the other made like a spout; the legumes are put in the wide end and shaken, the food rolls out through the spout and the waste remains in the vessel), nor with a tamchui (explanation: a large dish), nor with both hands — but he winnows with one hand, with all his strength.
What this seif says:
- If he had ears rubbed out from before Shabbat:
- he shall not winnow with קנון, with תמחוי, nor with both hands — but he winnows with one hand.
Seif 8 — Vetch — steeping, rubbing, and the sieve
אין שורין את הכרשינין (פי' הערוך ויצ״ה בלע״ז) דהיינו שמציף מים עליהם בכלי כדי להסיר הפסולת ולא שפין אותן ביד כדי להסיר הפסולת דהוה ליה כבורר אבל נותנן בכברה אע״פ שנופל הפסולת דרך נקבי הכברה:
Translation: One does not steep vetch (the Aruch explains: vitza in the vernacular) — that is, pour water over it in a vessel in order to remove the waste — nor does one rub it by hand to remove the waste, for that would be like selecting. But one may put it in a sieve, even though the waste falls through the holes of the sieve.
What this seif says:
- One does not soak vetches — that is, pour water over them in a vessel to remove the refuse — nor rub them by hand: that would be sorting.
- But one puts them in a riddle — though the refuse falls through its holes.
Seif 9 — The straining-cloth
משמרת אפילו תלויה מע״ש אסור ליתן בה שמרים אבל אם נתן בה שמרים מע״ש מותר ליתן עליהם מים כדי שיחזרו צלולים לזוב:
Translation: A straining-cloth (meshameres), even if it was hung before Shabbos, may not have lees put into it. But if he put lees into it before Shabbos, it is permitted to pour water over them so that they should run out clear.
What this seif says:
- The strainer — even hung from before Shabbat, forbidden to put lees in it.
- But if he put the lees in before Shabbat — permitted to pour water on them that what remains run clear.
Seif 10 — Straining wine — clear and turbid
יין או מים שהם צלולים מותר לסננן במשמרת. הגה ואע״פ שיש בו קסמים דקין הואיל וראוין לשתות בלאו הכי (סמ״ג) אבל בסודרים אסור משום ליבון ויין ושאר משקין מותר ואם הם עכורים בין מים בין יין אסור לסננם ולהרמב״ם במשמרת אסור ואפי' מים ויין צלולים ואפי' בסודרים לא התירו אלא בצלולין אבל לא בעכורים ויין מגתו כל זמן שהוא תוסס (פירוש שנראה כרותח) טורף חבית בשמריה ונותן לתוך הסודר:
Translation: Clear wine or water may be strained through a straining-cloth. Rama's gloss: and even though there are fine splinters in it, since it is fit to drink even without that (Semag). But in cloths it is forbidden, on account of libun (whitening) — and wine and other liquids are permitted. And if they are turbid, whether water or wine, it is forbidden to strain them. And according to the Rambam, the straining-cloth is forbidden even for clear water and wine; and even in cloths they permitted only what is clear, not what is turbid. And new wine from the vat, so long as it is fermenting (explanation: that it appears to be boiling) — one beats the barrel with its lees and pours it into the cloth.
What this seif says:
- Wine or water that are clear: permitted to strain them through the strainer.
- Rama: and even if fine straws are in them, since they are drinkable without that — but through a cloth, forbidden, on account of ליבון.
- And if they are turbid — water or wine — forbidden to strain them.
Seif 11 — Not making a hollow in the cloth
כשמסננין היין בסודר צריך ליזהר שלא יעשה גומא (בסודר) לקבל היין משום שינוי:
Translation: When one strains wine through a cloth, he must take care not to make a hollow (in the cloth) to catch the wine — on account of the shinui.
What this seif says:
- When straining wine through a cloth,
- he must take care not to make a hollow in it to receive the wine — on account of the required change.
Seif 12 — The Egyptian basket
כל מקום שמותר לסנן יין בסודר מותר לסננו בכפיפה מצרית (פי' קופה שעושין מן הגומא וממיני ערבה) ויזהר שלא יגביה הכפיפה משולי הכלי טפח משום שינוי:
Translation: Wherever it is permitted to strain wine through a cloth, it is permitted to strain it through an Egyptian basket (explanation: a basket made of rush and kinds of willow). And he should be careful not to raise the basket a tefach above the bottom of the vessel — on account of the shinui.
What this seif says:
- Wherever it is permitted to strain wine in a cloth, it is permitted in an Egyptian basket.
- And let him take care not to raise the basket a tefah above the vessel’s base — on account of the required change.
Seif 13 — The makeshift filter in the spout
כלי שמערין (פי' שמריקין) בו יין מהחבית לא יתן בפיו קשים וקסמים בחזקה שאין לך מסננת גדולה מזו:
Translation: A vessel into which one decants (explanation: empties) wine from the barrel: he should not press straws and splinters into its spout — for there is no greater strainer than this.
What this seif says:
- The vessel into which wine is decanted from the jar:
- he shall not pack straws and twigs firmly into its mouth — for you have no greater strainer than that.
Seif 14 — Pouring gently — stopping at the last drops
מותר לערות בנחת מכלי לחבירו ובלבד שיזהר שכשיפסק הקילוח ומתחילין לירד נצוצות קטנות הנישופות באחרונה מתוך הפסולת יפסיק ויניחם עם השמרים שאם לא יעשה כן הניצוצות מוכחי שהוא בורר (מותר להגביה החבית על איזה דבר כדי שיקלח ממנו היין היטב) (רוקח ה' י״ט וב״י):
Translation: It is permitted to pour gently from one vessel into another — provided he takes care that when the stream breaks off and the small drops that come last from the dregs begin to fall, he stops and leaves them with the lees. For if he does not do so, those drops prove that he is selecting. (It is permitted to raise the barrel on something so that the wine should run out well) (Rokeach and Beis Yosef)
What this seif says:
- Permitted to decant gently from vessel to vessel —
- provided that when the stream ends and the last small drops drawn from the lees begin to fall, he stops and leaves them with the lees.
- For if he does not, those drops prove that he is sorting.
Seif 15 — The egg in the mustard-strainer
מסננת שנתן בה חרדל לסננו מותר ליתן בה ביצה אע״פ שהחלמון יורד למטה עם החרדל והחלבון נשאר למעלה:
Translation: A strainer in which he placed mustard to strain: it is permitted to place an egg in it, even though the yolk goes down with the mustard and the white remains above.
What this seif says:
- A strainer in which mustard was placed to clarify:
- permitted to put an egg in it — though the yolk descends with the mustard and the white remains above.
Seif 16 — Drinking through a cloth — the test of the moment
מים שיש בהם תולעים מותר לשתותן על ידי מפה בשבת דלא שייך בורר ומשמר אלא במתקן הענין קודם אכילה או שתייה אבל אם בשעת שתייה מעכב את הפסולת שלא יכנס לתוך פיו אין זה מעין מלאכה ומותר:
Translation: Water containing worms may be drunk through a cloth on Shabbos. For borer and meshamer apply only to one who prepares the matter before eating or drinking; but if it is at the moment of drinking that he holds back the waste so it should not enter his mouth, this is not of the nature of a melachah, and it is permitted.
What this seif says:
- Water containing worms: permitted to drink it through a cloth on Shabbat.
- For בורר and משמר apply only to one preparing the matter BEFORE eating or drinking.
- But if at the moment of drinking he holds back the refuse from entering his mouth — this is no manner of melakha, and it is permitted.
Seif 17 — Mechabetz — churning butter, and spitting into the wind
המחבץ [פי' שמוציא החמאה מן החלב] תולדת בורר הוא לפיכך אע״פ שנותנים שומשמין ואגוזים לדבש לא יחבצם בידו [וע״ל סי' ש״מ סי״א]. הגה הרוקק ברוח בשבת והרוח מפזר הרוק חייב משום זורה [מהרי״ל בשם א״ז וירושלמי פרק כלל גדול]:
Translation: The mechabetz [explanation: one who extracts butter from milk] is a derivative of borer. Therefore, although sesame and nuts are put into honey, he may not churn them by hand [and see further, siman 340, seif יא]. Rama's gloss: one who spits into the wind on Shabbos, and the wind scatters the spittle, is liable on account of zoreh (winnowing) (Maharil in the name of the Or Zarua and the Yerushalmi, chapter Kelal Gadol).
The complete text: These 17 seifim constitute the whole codification of the Mechaber on this topic.
What this seif says:
- Churning — drawing butter from milk — is a תולדה of בורר.
- Hence: though sesame and nuts are put into honey, he shall not churn them by hand.
- Rama: one who spits into the wind on Shabbat, the wind scattering the spittle — liable on account of זורה.
2. The General Context — the Melocho of Borer
What does this siman discuss?
Siman שי״ט deals with the melocho of בורר (borer — to select, separate), one of the 39 melochos. The Mishnah Berurah itself opens with a solemn warning: "Many people stumble in the prohibition of borer" — it is one of the most frequently transgressed issurim through ignorance.
The melocho of borer: separating what is mixed. Source: In the Mishkan, dye herbs were sorted. Selecting = av melocho, mid'oraisa. The siman belongs to the "11 melochos of bread" — zorei'a, choresh... dash, zoreh, borer, tochen, merakeid.
The 3 cumulative conditions of PERMITTED selecting (per the introductory Mishnah Berurah) — all three are required:
- אוכל מתוך פסולת — taking the food (okhel) out of the waste (psoles), not the reverse.
- ביד — by hand, without a selection instrument (no sieve, strainer, or colander).
- לאלתר — for immediate consumption (the meal one is starting right away).
Place in Hilchos Shabbos
Siman שי״ט follows siman 318 (cooking) and precedes 321 (tochen — grinding). Together they form the "food preparation melochos" block. Borer is everywhere: every time one separates two mixed things on a plate.
3. Key Halachic Concepts
1. בורר (borer) — to select. Separating what is mixed (ta'aroves). Av melocho, mid'oraisa.
2. אוכל מתוך פסולת — food from waste. Permitted selecting takes the good (what one wants) and leaves the bad. Taking the waste from the good = derech berirah, assur.
3. ביד — by hand. Without a specialized selecting instrument (sieve, strainer, colander). With such an instrument → chayav mid'oraisa, even for immediate eating.
4. לאלתר (l'alter) — immediately. For the meal one is about to eat. Selecting for later (even the same day) = borer le-otzar ("for storage"), chayav.
5. שני מיני אוכלים — two types of mixed foods. When two edible foods are mixed, the one one does not want now has the status of "relative psoles." One takes what one wants, by hand, for now.
4. Map of the 17 Seifim
| Seif | Theme | Central Concept |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The 3 conditions; sieve/strainer/hand | אוכל מתוך פסולת / ביד / לאלתר |
| 2 | Selecting to set aside = borer le-otzar | L'alter mandatory |
| 3 | Two kinds of food mixed | שני מיני אוכלים |
| 4-7 | Filtering liquids, decanting wine | Mishmeres — filtering |
| 8-11 | Sorting bones, peeling, shelling | Waste from food |
| 12-14 | Mud in water, lees, sorting seeds | Edge cases of filtration |
| 15-17 | Sorting utensils, clothing; applications | Borer beyond food |
Method of analysis (the "3 conditions test"):
- Am I taking the good (okhel) and not the waste?
- Am I doing it by hand, without a selection instrument?
- Is it for now (l'alter)?
- All three together → permitted. One missing → assur.
5. The Mishnah Berurah — First Entries
The Mishnah Berurah has 69 entries on this siman. Here are the first:
משנה ברורה (א) — הנה בורר הוא אחד מל״ט אבות מלאכות של שבת וחייבין עליה ג״כ חטאת בשוגג ומיתה במזיד כמו על שאר מלאכות ובעו״ה הרבה אנשים נכשלין באיסור בורר וע״כ אראה לבאר אותה בעז״ה בכל פרטיה ואקדים לזה הסימן הקדמה קצרה. והוא: אין חל איסור בורר מן התורה כ״א באחד משלשה אופנים שאז דרך ברירה היא כן בחול. א) אם בורר פסולת מן האוכל אפילו בורר בידו ודעתו לאכול מיד ג״כ חייב שזהו דרך ברירה בחול לברור הפסולת מן האוכל. …
משנה ברורה (ב) — (א) בנפה ובכברה חייב - שזהו דרך ברירתו ואפילו היה בדעתו לאכול לאלתר:
משנה ברורה (ג) — (ב) בקנון ובתמחוי - פירש״י קנון הוא כלי עץ שעושין כעין צנור רחב מצד אחד וקצר מצד אחד והבורר קטניות נותן אותם בצד הרחב ומנענע אותם והם מתגלגלים ויורדים דרך פיו הקצר והפסולת שאינם עגולים נשארים בכלי ותמחוי היא קערה גדולה ופטור אבל אסור דהוי בורר כלאחר יד דעיקר ברירה אינו אלא בנפה וכברה:
For the full text of all 69 entries, see Sefaria: Mishnah Berurah 319.
6. The Position of the Rama
Main glosses of the Rama:
- Seif 1 — "L'alter" means: for the meal one is starting right away — even if others eat with one. From this, one may sort salad from spoiled leaves for that meal.
- Seif 3 — Two types of fish = two kinds of food → one only sorts one from the other by hand, to eat now. But one type, picking large pieces from small ≠ berirah.
- Seif 3 — Selecting for later (morning for evening) = chayav.
Mechaber vs Rama:
- Mechaber → sets the 3 conditions and the filtering.
- Rama → clarifies "l'alter" and the case of two types vs one type.
- Chabad → Shulchan Aruch HaRav siman שי״ט.
7. Modern Practical Cases
| Situation | Halachic Analysis |
|---|---|
| Removing fish bones | Removing the bone = taking the waste out of food → problematic. Solution: take the flesh around the bone, or eat "derech achilah." Edge case — many details; consult a Rav. |
| Sorting pieces of a mixed salad | Take what one wants to eat now, by hand = permitted. Setting aside what one dislikes = assur (psoles + le-otzar). |
| Peeling a fruit / an egg | Permitted to eat now — peeling just before eating is derech achilah. Peeling for later → assur. |
| Strainer / colander | Assur — it's a selecting instrument. Draining pasta in a colander = borer with instrument. |
| Removing a fly fallen in a drink | Edge case — taking the fly = removing waste. Solution: take the fly with a bit of liquid around it. |
| Sorting mixed utensils (forks/spoons) | Borer applies to objects too — take what one needs now, not sorting to put away. |
| Choosing the large pieces from one same dish | Permitted (one type — no berirah per the Rama). |
For halacha l'maaseh: Borer is one of the most transgressed issurim through ignorance. The golden rule: every time you separate two mixed things, apply the 3 conditions test. In case of doubt → consult a Rav.
8. Practical Summary of the Siman
Key teachings of Siman שי״ט:
- Borer (selecting) is one of the 39 melochos — mid'oraisa.
- 3 cumulative conditions of permitted selecting: okhel mitoch psoles / b'yad / l'alter.
- One missing → assur, often mid'oraisa.
- Selection instrument (sieve, strainer) = chayav even for immediate eating.
- Selecting for later (borer le-otzar) = chayav, even the same day.
- One type of food: picking pieces ≠ berirah.
9. Comprehension Questions
Check your understanding:
- State the 3 cumulative conditions of permitted selecting.
- Why is taking waste from food assur?
- What does l'alter mean? And borer le-otzar?
- Why is a colander assur on Shabbos?
- What is the difference between sorting two types and picking pieces of one type?
- May one peel a fruit on Shabbos? Under what condition?
- How to remove a fly fallen in a cup?
To Go Further
If you want to delve deeper into this siman:
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