Laws of Borer (Sorting)

We're delving deeper into the 39 melachot (forbidden creative labors on Shabbat) with a look at the prohibition of borer (sorting).

Borer refers to the act of sorting (separating) one desired item from a mixture that also has undesired items in it. The act of sorting constitutes a creative labor that is forbidden on Shabbat.

In today's Jigsaw activity, students learned the three techniques that must be utilized to circumvent the problem:

1. You must select the desired item from the undesired item (along with a portion of the undesired part)
2. The act of sorting must occur at a time that "immediately" precedes the time the item will be used (there's some gray areas here regarding how close in proximity the action must be to the time of use).
3. No special utensils can be used to expedite the act of sorting.

Parents, be proud! This is a very nuanced topic, but the class really knows their stuff. We introduced information slowly and meaningfully, and the kids truly understand the issues!