Borer – Food Specific Applications

Accessing the food

1. Peeling: As touched on previously, it is permitted to remove the peel of fruits, vegetables etc immediately prior to consumption, even though the peel is often considered ‘undesired’, as this is the usual manner of eating this produce given there is no other way to access it (SSK 3:33).
   1. Where a peel or skin is edible and most people do indeed eat it – which is often the case for example with apple peels, tomato skins and chicken skin –  removing this is not considered as removing an ‘undesired’ part, so the restrictions of borer do not apply, even for an individual who does not like eating these peels or skins. Therefore one may even use a peeler to remove the peel in these cases, even though it is an instrument designed to help the peeling process. SSK does, however, note that there is also a stringent opinion which says that the restrictions of borer do apply even in these circumstances (SSK 3:34, fn88).
   1. However, where a peel or skin is not eaten by most people, the restrictions of borer do apply. As such it can only be removed for immediate consumption and not with a specialist instrument such as a peeler, though one may do so with a knife. This is relevant for example, in relation to eggs, onions, bananas or the label a bakery sticks on a challa (one must also take care that removing it does not cause any writing to be torn) (SSK 3:35). One should note that if the peels are not even fit for animal consumption, they are muktzah once removed. (SSK 3:42)
   1. It should also be noted that with legumes such as beans  and peas, if the pod or shell is not suitable for consumption, removing these is forbidden under the melacha of דש, threshing.
2. Lettuce: it is permitted to remove the outer layers of a lettuce if they are not edible, in order to access the inner, edible leaves, so long as this is done immediately before the meal, as per peeling.
   1. However, one may not remove the bad leaves which are in between good leaves as this is no longer similar to peeling.
   1. Bugs: As on weekdays, lettuce leaves require checking for bugs (unless they have a reliable hechsher stating they were grown specially in a way that this is not required). Where one finds a sizeable bug (such as a caterpillar) this may be removed on its own – there is no concern of borer as it is considered to be separate from the leaf. Strictly speaking it could even be removed by hand though some would consider it muktza so it is preferable to cut off a bit of the leaf with it rather than touching it directly. Small bugs are considered mixed with the leaf as careful observation is required  to distinguish them from the leaf; as such these may only be removed with some of the leaf (so one is removing a mix of the desired and undesired items).
   1. One may not wash bugs off or soak the leaves in water to clean them of bugs as this will lead to their death, and it is forbidden to kill animals, insects etc on Shabbos (SSK 3:40, fn 114).
3. Removing fruit or vegetables from their cluster: One may detach grapes, tomatoes etc from their clusters, so long as one does so immediately prior to consumption (as mentioned previously, items which are attached together are considered ‘mixed’ with respect to borer). One should note that once all the fruit has been removed from the cluster, the remaining stalk is muktza. There are also opinions who specifically forbid separating dates from their cluster. (SSK 3:46)
   1. Removing stalks: Where there is a little part of the stalk attached to the top of a fruit or vegetable, the best course of action is to hold the stalk with one hand and pull the fruit off with the other, such that one is taking what one ‘desires’. However, SSK rules that strictly speaking one may remove the stalk directly, as this is considered like removing a peel (SSK 3:39, fn109).
4. Cleaning fruit and vegetables: when it comes to cleaning fruit (and vegetables) from waste, there is a distinction depending on how the dirt is mixed with them:
   1. If the waste is not stuck to the fruit, but rather mixed in with it, then actively removing the waste, such as by soaking the fruit in water for the waste to rise and the fruit to fall, or by running the mixture under the tap to wash away the waste, would be forbidden due to borer.
   1. However, if the waste is stuck to the fruit, then it is permitted to rinse it under the tap, as this is considered ‘cleaning’, rather than ‘selecting’, which we have previously said is permissible, but this should only be done close to the meal. (SSK 3:22, fn52)

Bones, Seeds, Stones etc

1. Eating meat or fish with bones: When one is eating fish or meat which contains bones, to avoid issues of borer by removing the bones (which are ‘undesired’), one should either place the full piece in one’s mouth and then remove the bones from one’s mouth (which is not considered borer, just the normal eating process), or hold the bone and eat the flesh off, or cut the flesh off with a knife/fork and eat it.
   1. It is a matter if dispute whether one can directly remove the bone before eating it if one ensures there is some flesh attached to it. Furthermore, even those who remove the bone directly from the meat or fish (without any flesh on) have opinions on whom to rely if they are doing it at the moment they are eating and not before (in advance of the meal). (SSK 3:12-14, fn27, BHL 319 DH Haborer).
   1. According to all opinions, however, one must not remove bones without flesh on from one’s plate when they are mixed in with the rest of the food (SSK 3:16).
2. Eating watermelon with seeds:  in a similar vein to yesterday’s halacha about bones, one who is eating watermelon should preferably eat the piece as it is and then remove the seeds from one’s mouth. One who does not wish to do so may shake the piece to remove its seeds. Where this fails to remove all the seeds, those who remove them directly have opinions on whom to rely if doing so immediately before eating them. (SSK 3:17, and see MB 321:84)
3. Eating melon: However, when eating melon, one may directly remove the seeds by hand, though only immediately before eating it; this is more lenient than with watermelon as the seeds are not really considered attached to the melon (SSK 3:37, fn 106).
4. Fruits with a stone inside: When one cuts open a fruit which contains a stone inside, in the same way as described before, the optimal solution is to take hold of the stone and pull the fruit off such that one is actively taking the desired part, or in this case allowing the stone to fall out by itself (where it’s unattached to the fruit, such as with an apricot). As above by meat bones, however, there are opinions who permit removing the stone directly as one is about to eat the fruit, but not in advance of this. However, one may certainly not use a utensil specifically designed to remove the stone (SSK 3:18, 59).

Straining Liquids

1. Filtering liquids through a strainer: a liquid may be filtered through a strainer only if two conditions are met – a) the majority of people drink this liquid without straining it; and b) if the person straining it also able to drink it without straining it. For example orange juice with bits may be strained, as most people drink it without straining it, so long as the person straining it is also able to drink it without this (it is, however, questionable whether they could so for a person who cannot drink it without it being strained). Similarly, where people commonly drink regular tap water and this person can too, the water can be filtered. This leniency applies as in such a situation it is not considered a mixture of different types.
   1. However, where either of these conditions are not met, it is forbidden to strain the liquid in a strainer on Shabbos (SA 319:10, MB35, BHL D”H Hoil, SSK 3:53-54, 60, fn163, 166).
   1. Where a liquid may be considered ‘drinkable’ without straining, but most people would only drink it strained, a strainer may not be used; however, in a case of need, one may use an object which is not usually used as a strainer such as a piece of fabric to strain it; for example milk which has small pieces of milk skin mixed in with it. However, water may not be passed through fabric in such a situation as this will be forbidden under ‘libun’, washing the fabric (SA 319:10, MB40, SSK 3:52).
2. Straining liquid from solids: However, under no circumstances is one allowed to strain solids from the liquids they are in, such as straining vegetables or noodles cooked in liquid, whether one is doing so to consume the liquid or solid, as this is certainly considered a situation where one has two different ‘types’ and performing the selection with a utensil is forbidden. Included in this prohibition would be:
   1. using the lid of a saucepan to trap the solids and allow the liquid to pour off
   1. using a slotted spoon with the intent of selecting the solid from the liquid. However, if one is just intending to use it as a serving utensil and serves with it quickly such that it does not meaningfully separate the solid from the liquid, this is acceptable even if a little of the liquid runs off
   1. it is questionable whether one can hold the serving spoon next to the side of the saucepan when taking the food out to allow the liquid to run off, as together these may be considered like a utensil used for selection purposes (SSK 3:57-58, fn173, 177).
3. Tea bags: When preparing tea with a tea bag, there is no problem in removing the tea bag from the water in terms of it being ‘undesired’ as it is sizeable so not considered mixed in with the water (per 7 above). However, there is a concern of borer if one takes the bag out by itself and holds it over the cup, as drops of liquid will fall out from the bag back into the cup, with the tea bag acting like a strainer. Therefore, it is correct to remove it with a spoon to avoid it dripping back into the cup.
   1. It is worth noting that there is significant dispute amongst the poskim about whether one may make tea using a tea bag on Shabbos due to the prohibition of bishul – cooking (iyH we will get to the halachos of bishul in the future).  Shmiras Shabbos Keshilchasa (SSK) rules stringently that one may not make tea even in a Kli Shlishi unless the water is below yad soledes bo (approx. 45 Celsius) – hence some people only make tea from tea essence prepared before Shabbos – whilst Rav Moshe Feinstein permits one to do so in a kli shlishi.  (SSK 1:63, Igrot Moshe O.C. 4:74:Bishul:18)