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Thought for the Day: Selecting on Shabbos, or When Is a Hand Not a Hand?

בורר/selecting is such an interesting Shabbos malacha. One the one hand, it would be nearly impossible to go through an entire Shabbos without running into this malacha. On the other hand, an action can go from perfectly permissible to a Torah violation with very tiny differences.

בורר/selecting, of course, is never permitted, as discussed in a previous TftD. There is, though, a unique aspect of בורר/selecting; namely, that what people call the activity plays a role in defining whether or not בורר/selecting is an issue. For example, using a (manual, obviously) carpet sweeper on Shabbos is permissible even though (1) you are using a special device for removing said dirt/grime, and (2) you are removing what you don't want. Seems to open and shut case: forbidden. And it would be forbidden if you were selecting the dirt/grime from the carpet. So why is it allowed? Because you are sweeping the carpet, not selecting out the dirt. Yes, "just" semantics (Shmiras Shabbos k'Hilchaso, Chap 3, footnote 7).

That is usually a leniency in the malacha of בורר/selecting, but it can also lead to a stringency. To wit: You want to use baby corn in a salad you are making on Shabbos, but forgot to open the can before Shabbos. No problem, you open the can and find it filled with yummy pieces of baby corn mixed with water that you definitely do not want. Removing the baby corn pieces one at a time is such a hassle, but you know you can't use sieve. But wait! How about if I hold my hand under the can, fingers slightly spread apart to allow the water to run through and holding back the baby corn? That is certainly for immediate use and taking what I want from the waste and using my hand!  Good to go, right?

Wrong. I asked R' Fuerst and his response was that, in fact, you are still selecting; so this won't work. It isn't called eating, it's called selecting. What happened to "using your hand and not a special instrument for selecting?" Just as a fork when stabbing the food you want is called an extension of your hand; so, too, your hand used to select is called a hand being used as a special sorting instrument.

Moral of the story: you can eat, but you can't do an activity of בורר/selecting. As with all halacha -- remember to whom, I mean to Whom, you are going to need to answer.

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