Torah · Halacha YomitBorer: Intro to Separating on Shabbatמבוא למלאכת בורר בשבתRabbi Uri Nahum · November 1, 2026 · 39 Melachot-15Play+30Position0:00—Save⌄ShareTranscript0:00Okay, we're up to the next melacha. We finished melacha five, which is melacha of dash.0:07Now we're up to the next melacha, number six, which is melacha of zoreh.0:12Before we speak about zoreh, let's know that the next four melachot, three out of the four,0:18it's pretty much the same melacha. It just, the way, that means the purpose is the same;0:22the way it's done is just done differently. Number six, number seven, and number nine.0:27Those three melachot, which are zoreh, number six; number seven is borer; and number nine, which is0:33meraked. All these three melachot are doing and accomplishing the same thing. And what is that?0:37And that is separating what you don't want from what you want.0:41There's a mixture of two different things, things that you want and you don't want,0:45and you're separating, you're taking out what you don't want.0:48In the halacha, in Shulchan Aruch, in practical halacha, you'll see that Shulchan Aruch0:52in Siman Shin Yud-Tet, he talks about all these three melachot in one0:55siman, because really the halacha lemaaseh, they're the same.0:59In dinim of korbanot, in Gemara, and different things, that's when they are separated.1:04So we're going to talk about them pretty much the same way.1:07First we'll define what they are, and then when we're talking halacha1:11lemaaseh, let this all be the same. So we finished the1:15melacha of dash. What happens is you're making bread. So what's the next step after you beat?1:18You get the kernels out. Now you get the kernels out, it's all mixed together1:22with all the chaff, which is the peels of the wheat stalk.1:26You can't grind it, you can't make it. Today you can advertise and say this is very healthy.1:30Just put all the garbage in and say it's very healthy, it has vitamins,1:33and everybody will buy it. Just get, you know, one guy to lose weight and, chalas, you're sold.1:39But they don't want it. They wanted clean wheat. So what do they do?1:42They had to separate the unwanted parts. So the first step is, in those days,1:46they would take a shovel, take everything in a pile, throw it up in the air.1:49The heavy kernels would fall down, and the wind would push away those1:55little, very, very, you know, those peels that sometimes you see by peanuts. That's what we see.1:58That's how they're very light, so the wind would blow it out.2:02I've seen that, you know, today I've seen machines. I've seen somebody who has done it in his house.2:07It took a blow dryer. He just took a blow dryer, he blew it, and everything blows away2:11because the kernels are heavier than the wind and they'll stay.2:14So zoreh is using wind to separate what you don't want from what you want, from the mixture.2:22Okay, next, after they would do that, now there's still some heavier pieces2:26like rocks and pebbles and different things are still mixed with the wheat,2:29so that you can't get it with the wind. So then they would need somebody to go by hand2:33and take out what you don't want. So take out the pebbles, take out the rocks.2:38That's again separating. You have a mixture of two things, of things that you want and things you don't want.2:43Using your hand to separate what you don't want, that's the melacha of borer,2:47where a lot of halacha l'maaseh comes out from this.2:51And then the third melacha, which is meraked, which comes on the next, not two steps later,2:56after you ground and after you have the wheat, the kernels are now into flour,3:01there's other things that can be mixed with it, so you put it on the sifter3:04using a tool to separate. Again, the same idea. You're taking out what you don't want from what you want.3:09You want the flour, the flour comes down. What you don't want,3:13which is the other things that are mixed in your flour, you separate it,3:16and that's called the melacha of3:18meraked. Meraked sounds like dancing because that's what happens. That's how you3:21do it, back and forth, you go side to side.3:23Those are the next three melachot that, like we said,3:26in Hilchot Maaseh in Shin Yud Tet in Shulchan Aruch, they're all mixed together.3:31We will speak about them all in one shot because at the end of the day, in practicality,3:35they're all the same idea. But we'll start today with the first thing.3:37In all of these melachot, we call them borer, but remember it's these three together.3:42In order for borer to happen, there has to be a mixture.3:45If there's no mixture, there's no borer.3:48So if I have something that I don't want on this table3:50and something I want on this table, there's no borer, there's no mixture.3:54Mixture, that and borer, that means I'm separating, there's got to be a mixture.3:57Number two is, in order for it to be a mixture, it has to be two different things.4:02Something of the same is not called a4:04mixture. So for example, if I have a log of cake and I sliced, right,4:09and then I slice a cake and one of my kids comes and I want to give him a piece of cake,4:13he says, No, not that one. I want that one.4:15Okay, so if I take it out, that's not called4:18boreh. If I don't give it, if I separate it from the log, it's not called4:20boreh. They're all the same thing.4:21Mixture. Remember, there's got to be a mixture.4:23Mixture has to be two different ingredients mixed together. It doesn't seem to be continuous.