Practical Halachah on the Laws of Shabbat Chabad.org: Rabbi Yosef Shusterman

One of the prohibited categories of work on Shabbat is Sechitah, which is squeezing out liquid from an item. This class outlines the biblical and rabbinic nature of this prohibition, and the situations it’s permitted. Learn practical applications related to squeezing lemon juice, sucking fruit, wiping up spills, using sponges, baby wipes, nursing and pumping, and hair drying.

In this class we discuss the prohibition of ‘selecting’ on Shabbat. Learn various laws of borer and their practical application in everyday situations. For example the borer issues to be careful with when setting the table, or when putting away different types of food, how to eat watermelon, and the question of choosing clothing.

On Shabbat we abstain from 39 general categories of creative work. In this class we discuss the prohibition of ‘selecting’ on Shabbat. Learn what constitutes the biblical melachah of borer, the underlying principles, and their practical application in contemporary situations. For example what are the criteria for peeling fruit and making a fruit salad, and what’s the issue with eating nuts on Shabbat?

In this class we look at some practical applications related to the rabbinic injunction of ‘chazarah’—returning a pot to the fire on Shabbat. Learn for example how it would be permitted to warm up a challah on Shabbat or to add hot water to a pot of cholent.

In this class we discuss the laws of cooking on Shabbat related to the rabbinic prohibition of ‘chazarah’—returning a pot to the stove on Shabbat. Only if five conditions are met would it be permissible. Learn some practical applications of these principles; for example, how one may return a pot to the blech on Shabbat, what if one didn’t place a blech before Shabbat, and what’s required for returning food to a hotplate.

In this class we examine the laws of cooking on Shabbat related to the rabbinic prohibition of ‘shehiya’ (regulations for leaving a pot on the fire before Shabbat). This encompasses the requirement of using a ‘blech’ (a sheet of metal) to cover the fire beneath the pots. Learn the practical application for using hotplates and crockpots, leaving food in an oven, and the three areas on the blech that are of differing halachic status.