Introduction
- As a toldah, a sub-category, of the melacha of dash – threshing, it is forbidden to squeeze fruit to extract its juice. This is known as ‘schita’. It is linked to the melacha of dash as dash entails extracting the grain from within its husk and schita involves extracting liquid from inside the solid which contains it. Squeezing liquid out of fabric can also be included under this melacha – we discuss halachos related to this in our treatment of the melacha of libbun, which also includes a prohibition of squeezing wet fabrics.
Parameters of the Melacha
- Torah prohibition: It is a Torah prohibition to squeeze juice from grapes and olives, which were fruits that were normally squeezed for their juice.
- Rabbinic Prohibition: Chazal forbad on a Rabbinic level squeezing juice from fruits that are primarily eaten but sometimes squeezed for their juice.
- Permissible: Fruit which is never squeezed for its juice may be juiced on Shabbos, as the liquid that comes out is considered ‘food’ rather than ‘juice’. However, this may not be done with a specialist utensil.
- Nowadays, given the diverse nature of food products available, it is assumed that all fruit is sometimes squeezed for its juice, such that it remains at least Rabbinically prohibited to squeeze any fruit in order to drink its juice (SA 320:1, MB 1,5,8, SSK 5 fn4).
- Unlike by some other melachos, schita is forbidden even if one is squeezing the juice to consume immediately, and even if one is not using a specialist utensil for this purpose (SSK 5:1).
Details of Schita on Shabbos
Squeezing into an Empty Container or Liquid
- The prohibition of schita applies when one is squeezing a fruit into an empty utensil, or into a utensil containing other liquid. In these circumstances, one’s intention is to obtain a juice to drink, rather than food to eat and hence the prohibition applies. For example, one may not squeeze oranges into an empty cup, or squeeze lemon into a cup of tea.
- One may, however, put eg slices of lemon into a liquid (if it’s hot, only into a kli shlishi) even though some juice may naturally come out from them. However, one may not directly squeeze these slices with a spoon, even if they arealready sitting within the liquid. This is particularly relevant to those who add lemon slices to their tea (SSK 5:2).
Squeezing into Food
- It is permitted to squeeze fruit into food, so that one is using its juice as part of eating that food, rather than as a drink, so long as one does not use a specialist utensil.
- This is applicable in one of two ways:
- when one squeezes liquid into a solid food knowing that the majority of the liquid will be absorbed into the food
- OR when the juice one squeezes out is coming to ‘improve’ the food that one is squeezing it into, even if most of the liquid is not absorbed into that food; for example, if one squeezes a lemon onto salad
- This leniency only applies if one squeezes the fruit directly into the food. It is not permissible to squeeze it into an empty container and then mix this juice in with the food afterwards.
- Strictly speaking, the above leniency applies to all fruits, including olives and grapes. However, it is preferable to be stringent not to squeeze olives and grapes into other foods, unless in a case of particular need, such as for a child (SSK 5:3-4, 7, fn15).
- There is a dispute whether one may squeeze a liquid into a solid if one intends to then put that solid into another liquid. The poskim discuss this in the context of squeezing a lemon into sugar that one intends to add to hot water or tea. One should consult with one’s Rav for practical guidance (SSK 5:6).
- When one’s reason for squeezing the liquid out is to improve the food, one may even make use of the liquid once one has squeezed it out. However, one may not squeeze out the liquid specifically for the purpose of using that liquid (SA 320:7, SSK 5:8).
Squeezing a Previously Absorbed Liquid out of Food
- It is permissible to squeeze a previously absorbed liquid out of food in order to improve it, so long as one does so immediately before the meal. For example, one may squeeze the vinegar out of pickled cucumbers immediately before the meal, to improve the taste of the cucumbers.
Sucking Juice From Fruit
- It is permissible to suck juice from fruit with one’s mouth, so long as one is careful not to squeeze it at all by hand.
- Similarly, one may dip one’s bread into a liquid, such as soup, and then suck the liquid from it (due to the halachos of not ruining bread, one should also eat a bit of the bread with the liquid each time one sucks it).
- Grapes and Olives: However, for grapes and olives one should be strict not to suck out their juice whilst holding them in one’s hand; rather one should place them in one’s mouth and then suck out their juice, which is considered to be eating them rather than squeezing them (SA 320:1, MB12, SSK 9-10, fn38).
Eating Grapefruit
- It is permitted to cut open a grapefruit or other such fruits and eat from it with a spoon, even though a little juice is inevitably squeezed out when eating it in this fashion. This is on condition that one does not actively intend to squeeze it or intend to specifically eat its juice.
- This is permissible as:
- a) squeezing a grapefruit is generally only Rabbinically prohibited and:
- b) this is not considered to be squeezing it in its ‘normal fashion’
- c) the squeezing out of juice is only a side consequence and not one’s intention when eating the grapefruit
- (In technical language, it is a ‘psik reisha’, an inevitable consequence, on an act that has two ‘leniencies’ that make it only a Rabbinic prohibition rather than a biblical one) (SSK 5:12, fn49).
Juice that Came Out of Fruit
- As mentioned in the introduction, there is a Torah-level prohibition to squeeze juice from olives and grapes. As a protective measure, Chazal instituted that one may not even drink the juice that drips out of these fruits on Shabbos until after Shabbos, whether it drips out on its own or as a result cutting the fruit, lest one comes to actively juice these fruits.
- Grapes and Olive: For grapes and olives, this prohibition is in place whether the fruits the juiced drips out of are intended for eating or juicing. This has significant ramifications when preparing fruit salad with grapes, as discussed below.
- Other Fruits: Juice which drips out of other fruits which are Rabbinically forbidden to squeeze is similarly forbidden to use, but only when the fruits have not been designated for eating. When they have been designated for eating (this only need have been done mentally), the juice that drips from them is permitted.
- Muktza: In the circumstances when the juice that has dripped out is forbidden to drink, it is also muktza (SA 320:1, MB6, SSK 5:11).
- One exception to this prohibition is where the juice is never individually identifiable when it drips out. For example, if a grape is already sitting in grape juice from before Shabbos, any juice that drips out of it is nullified and all the grape juice may be consumed (SA 320:2, MB14).
Practical Applications
- As a consequence of the above, any juice that drips out when one cuts grapefruit or watermelon to eat them may be consumed and is not muktza
- However, when preparing a fruit salad with grapes in it, if one cuts the grapes on Shabbos (which is permissible as it is not inevitable that juice will be squeezed out), any juice that drips out of them may not be consumed and is muktza. Furthermore, if this juice is initially individually identifiable and then falls into juice from the other fruit, all the juice may become forbidden to consume until after Shabbos – a Rav must be consulted to determine its status(SSK 5:11, fn46, cf SA YD 102:1).
- It would therefore seem to be advisable to prepare a fruit salad containing grapes before Shabbos.
