Preparing a dish on Shabbos by night for the day time (in regards to Borer)

Question

It says in SA OC Siman 321 Sif 19 in the Rema that normally it's ossur to peel garlic or onions however that's only to leave them to eat at a later time. However if it's being done to eat right away then it's muter. The reason it's ossur if not eaten immediately because of the malacha of "borer". The Biur Halacha explains however that if peeling is a problem of borer then even to eat immediately should be ossur. He explains that since it's impossible to eat any other way that this because the "derech achilah" (way of eating) and is not considered to be like taking the "poseles m'toch ochel". See there for more.

My question is, what about if a person is peeling an onion by the night of Shabbos to use it in a dish that he will only eat Shabbos day. He wants the onions to be there together with the other food from now in order to absorb the taste more (for example he's mixing together herring with onions, oil, salt and perhaps some other ingredients.) Granted he's only eating it tomorrow but the eating will only start after the dish has been prepared properly. And not that he is "preparing" now in a way that it could be eaten right away, on the contrary he can't or doesn't want to eat it now but is only able to do the action of peeling now.

Is this muter to do and would be included in the definition of "derech achilah"?

Answer 1

I had a similar question. My case was about doing borer to take out frozen challa from the freezer (in a case where that could be borer) long enough before the se'uda so that it could defrost. (This would seem to be even more meikel than your case, as it is ochel mi'psoless).

I heard from a local Rav that this is mutar. However, if it takes 4 hours to defrost, you couldn't remove it the night before out of convenience.

Answer 2

Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach in תיקונים ומלאוים to the Shemiras Shabbos Kehilchasa (הערה ר ד״ה לפני עכ״ד) permits “marinating” the food even the night before if, by doing that, it would enhance the taste of the food. It would be permitted as it is called דרך אכילה - the normal way of eating.

The idea here is that there it is muttar to prepare the food סמוך לסעודה - prior to the meal (which is an extension of the heter of דרך אכילה, which is literally defined as the immediate act of eating - also known as מיד). The poskim disagree as to what exactly defines ״prior to the meal״. The Chazon Ish was of the strict opinion that it is 30 minutes prior to the meal. While Rav Moshe Feinstein believed that any time that is feasibly needed to prepare the meal is called prior to the meal, as long as it is prior to the meal (ie. No break in between, eg. going to Shul after the preparation [Magen Avraham])

Rav Shlomo Zalman is mattir because since this food “needs” the time overnight to marinate or take on the taste of the fish or the onion, this is also included in the heter of סמוך לסעודה - prior to the meal.

However the שו״ת רב פועלים) ח״א ס׳יב) disagrees.

Therefore, the peeling of the onions in order to sit and marinate with the other foods is meant to enhance the taste in a significant way, thus it would be permitted.

According to the above, it would also be permitted to do borer when taking out a frozen challah for it to thaw out later. Though it depends on ones intention. If you are separating this item to thaw it and you would specifically not do it any earlier then it is mutar. If you just forgot or out of convenience decided to thaw it now then it is not considered samuch l’seudah. Based on this rationale it follows that you can remove a food from a mixture in order to heat it up for an upcoming meal since this is an entirely normal part of the preparation process just prior to the meal.

Answer 3

I had a similar question, which I asked a well-known posek and mechaber sfarim after he gave a shiur on borer.

My case was about doing borer to take out frozen challa from the freezer long enough before the se'uda so that it could defrost. (This would seem to be even more meikel than your case, as it is ochel mi'psoless).

The rabbi said it is assur. I asked him why, and if it would ever be possible to defrost a challa to eat on shabbos. He said he didn't want to tell me at that time.

Answer 4

In the Shulchan Aruch Harav (319:3) it says: ואינו קרוי לאלתר אלא סמוך לסעודה ממשיט אבל אם לא יאכל עד לאחר שעה אסור אך כל שהוא סמוך לסעודה מותר לברור לצורך כל אותה סעודה it seems from here that the main thing is not having it prepared a long time before the meal... but if the only way to have it prepared is by preparing it the night before, then you should be able to.

Answer 5

In Rambam Hilchos Shabbos 8:14 he writes that if one selects food from waste for a later period of time in the same day - for example morning to afternoon - he is Chayov (In other words it is forbidden).