Is one permitted to squeeze
lemons in order to make lemonade on Shabbos?
In the first instance we
would say that it is forbidden, because in previous shiurim it was explained
that when people squeeze fruit for juice, it is forbidden for everyone to do so.
The Beis Yosef
[1]
himself was perturbed by this as he says that the people of Egypt were
accustomed to squeezing lemons into sugared water and the sages did not
remonstrate against them for doing so.
Accordingly the Beis
Yosef offers two explanations why it should be permitted:
The
first being that the prohibition of squeezing fruit only applies when the
beverage is consumed undiluted, but when always mixed with another beverage it
is permitted.
The
second being that squeezing fruit is prohibited when squeezed into an empty
cup but is permitted when always squeezed into a beverage.
Lemons
in Egypt were always squeezed into sugared water and therefore that custom
complies with both explanations.
Nowadays however lemons are
squeezed into empty containers as well and therefore should it not be forbidden
to do so?
Correct, the Mishna
Berura himself points that out. The M”B
says
that since nowadays lemons are squeezed to fill barrels in the thousands and
only later is the juice mixed with sugared water and the like, one must squeeze
lemons onto sugar
and
add the concoction to water. (As to the amount of sugar required for this
method, we will soon see). He does not permit squeezing lemons into an empty cup
or into water. The Kaf haChaim
brings
many other poskim who prohibit squeezing lemons on Shabbos to make
lemonade and he also advocates squeezing the lemon onto sugar and then adding it
to water.
Does that mean that I am
forbidden to squeeze a lemon into my tea on Shabbos?
I am afraid so because one
is squeezing a fruit into a liquid and therefore the squeezed juice is
classified as liquid and forbidden. The modus operandi would be either to
squeeze a lemon onto sugar and add the sugar to the tea or to squeeze lemons
before Shabbos and add the juice to tea on Shabbos.
When squeezing lemon onto
fish or salad, how much of the juice must be absorbed into the food?
The lemon that is squeezed
onto fried fish is absorbed into the fish and therefore it is considered as
separating a food from food. When squeezed onto lettuce salad, for example, it
is not absorbed into the lettuce but since it enhances the lettuce, it is
permitted.
We find proof in Hilchos
Yom Tov that such an action is permitted. The Mechaber deals with the
problem of milking on Yom Tov, which as we know is a Biblical prohibition. The
proffered solution
was to
milk onto bread, by which the milk is absorbed into bread thereby utilizing the
rule that says that squeezing onto food is permitted.
Obviously it would be
ineffectual milking 10 liters of milk onto one slice of bread, but when the
majority of milk is absorbed in the bread this solves the problem.
The
next solution was to milk onto food that would be enhanced by the milk. Here too
the Mishna Berura
says
that it suffices if the majority of the milk enhances the food.
We see
that the liquid does not have to necessarily be absorbed into the food – suffice
that it enhances it. Therefore we are safe to say that one may squeeze lemons
onto lettuce salad.
If we revert to our case of
squeezing lemon onto sugar, the halacha is that the majority of the
squeezed lemon must be absorbed into the sugar. It would not help to squeeze an
entire lemon onto a few grains of sugar. If one requires more lemon one must use
more sugar.
What is the halacha with
regards to squeezing the excess liquid from a pickle?
The reason for prohibiting
squeezing a fruit for its juice is because one ascribes importance to the
extracted juice and promotes it from being a food to a beverage.
Were
one to squeeze out the juice for a different reason the ramifications would be
different.
Accordingly:
Pickles
are often saturated with excess brine or vinegar and one’s sole purpose when
squeezing the pickle is to rid it of the excess liquid. Since one is not
squeezing it for the sake of its juice, it is permitted.
One
may even squeeze it into a cup or plate;
it
need not be squeezed into a tissue or napkin.
The
Mishna Berura
says
that the same halacha applies when squeezing lokshen from excess
fat or lettuce after being soaked in water. The purpose for extracting the
liquid is not to produce a beverage; rather it is to rid the food of excess
liquid.
Does that mean that one may
squeeze fruit to rid it of its excess liquid?
The Mishna Berura
writes that one may not squeeze olives and grapes in order to rid them of excess
juice, because one might easily squeeze them for their juice. This implies that
one may squeeze all other fruit to rid them of excess juice.
According to some opinions,
one
should refrain from squeezing juice from oranges for the very same reason.