Weekly Halacha By Rabbi Shimon Fridmann 6/30/20 Sorting/Borer on Shabbos #11

Types of “Mixtures”
We have learnt in the previous Shiur that items are readily distinguishable because of a clear
difference of consistency or structure are not considered a mixture. For example, meatballs in
sauce is not a mixture. Only items that are: 1) Mingled together, 2) attached together, 3) stacked
on each other constitute a mixture.
1- Mingled items
א .A mixture consists of items that have lost their personal identity due to the being mingled
with other items, such as:

  1. beans, barley, potato, and meat in a cholent.
  2. Mixed nuts in a bowl.
  3. Sliced fruit bowl.
  4. Pile of utensils.
  5. Deli platter.
  6. Cake platter [with different types of cakes].
    ב .When there is a doubt if it is considered a mixture, it is deemed as a mixture and the
    prohibition of Borer applies.
    ג .A rotten located in a fruit bowl constitutes a mixture and the laws of Borer apply. One may
    then take a “good” fruit from the bowl only if he intends to eat it immediately.

2- Attached items
א .Attached Items are considered a mixture, such as:

  1. Fat attached to meat.
  2. Peels on fruits.
  3. Shells on nuts or eggs.
  4. Rotten part of a fruit.
  5. Pits of the fruits.
    ב .As learnt in previous Shiurim, one must remove the “good” from the “bad”. Sometimes it
    is impossible for 2 categories of items:
  6. Peeling an orange or an egg, it is impossible to remove the “good” from the “bad”,
    It is nevertheless permitted to remove the “bad” [the peel] as it is the “way of eating
    it”. Thus, it can only be done for immediate consumption.
  7. When it is more difficult to remove the “good” from the “bad”. For example, Fat on
    Meat, one can remove the fat if he also removes a sliver of the meat. It is permitted
    as it is not considered the “bad” was removed since some good was also removed.
    3- Stacked items
    א .If items are piled on top of one another, they are considered a mixture even if each item
    is individually recognizable, such as:
  8. A stack of different type of plates.
  9. A pike of towels or clothes.
    ב .Thus, it is permissible to remove unwanted top items in order to reach a wanted item on
    bottom of the mixture.

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