By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for the Five Towns Jewish Times
No, this is NOT an article on Kashrus, forbidding salt.
It is about chemistry, of sorts. Most of the people who do it do not have a background in the underlying science involved.
Nonetheless, they have discovered that somehow, some way, the –OH groups that are found in the complex starch matrix of well dried rice grains seem to create strong hydrogen bonds with airborne water molecules. And these rice grains are pretty porous starch structures. This chemical reality thus makes rice grains a rather formidable desiccating agent.
But wait. That is not the only reason these grains are legendary desiccating agents. When placed in close proximity to small molecules of sodium chloride that clump together on account of exposure to high humidity, because of their larger volume and mass they tend to paralyze the sodium chloride lumps when shaken together.
The confluence of both factors mentioned above leads to what every kitchen master already knows – if you put rice in salt containers the rice will not clump up.
Ah, but may this be done for use on Shabbos?
May we use these salt containers that contain hidden within them grains of rice, or does it constitute one of the thirty nine proscribed categories of labor on Shabbos – namely Borer?
Before we examine the issue further, let us briefly review the laws of Borer:
Borer has been defined as selecting and or sorting one item from a mixture of different items. The items that are selected are generally termed “Ochel” even though it does not have to refer specifically to food; the items that are not selected are termed the “Psoles” even though these too may be used later. Thus “good” or desired items are called ochel and the undesired item or “bad” item is called Psoles.
In order to separate something from a mixture the following three criterion must be met:
1] You must take the good from the bad
2] It must be for immediate use.
3] It must be done by hand or by an extension of the hand – but not
through a specialized sorting instrument.
Now let us return to our rice filled salt shakers. Rav Moshe Feinstein zatzal is quoted by Rabbi Shimon Eider z”l (Hilchos Shabbos Borer section in note #103) that the salt shaker holes prevent the rice grains from coming out and going into the food and that this constitutes halachic Borer. He thus forbids the use of rice filled salt shakers.
However, Rav Elyashiv zt”l (see Ayil Meshulash p. 112 footnote #110) has indicated that he has a more lenient view. He states that the purpose of the salt shaker holes are merely to constrict the flow of the salt. The salt shaker cannot therefore be viewed as a Borer specific tool. It happens to be that the owner is merely using the salt shaker for that purpose. This is also the view of the Az Nidberu (Vol. II # 14).
We therefore have a debate between Rav Moshe Feinstein zatzal of the previous generation and Rav Shalom Elyashiv zt”l as to whether the rice filled salt shakers may be used on Shabbos. What is the point of contention between these two luminaries?
Rav Elyashiv’s rationale is that the vessel itself is not made for the purpose of Borer. It happens to be that as a repercussion of its regular form of use Borer is taking place. But this does not fit into the criterion of Borer beKli – separating in a vessel. What does Rav Moshe Feinstein hold? He is of the opinion that any vessel which assists in the Borair, no matter how it does so, is considered Borer with a vessel.
Even according to Rav Moshe Feinstein, however, it is difficult to see how it would be construed as a full-fledged Borer. The Mishna Brurah writes in his introduction to chapter 319 that if it is not the norm to perform Borer with that particular vessel then the law is that one is exempt, but it is forbidden (in Hebrew the terminology is Patur aval Assur). One could quite reasonably make an argument that this is certainly not the norm in terms of usage of the salt shaker top.
In light of this, which opinion should we follow? Since it is a debate, and even according to the stringent opinion the worst case is that it is Patur Aval Assur, it would seem that one can certainly be lenient and allow the use of a salt shaker with rice grains inside. If, however, one is a Talmid of Rav Moshe or of his students, one should be stringent.
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One Response
Agudas Yisrowel must be on the verge of endorsing a company about to market a halacha friendly salt shaker. use it with your shabbas lamp, frum lettuce checker, shabbas kosher switch, and soon to be kosher shabbas car.
follow the money