Squeezing Lemons for a Drink or into Food

Hi,Why is squeezing a lemon into a drink prohibited on Shabbos, while squeezing it into a salad is allowed? What is the difference, and is this a biblical (Torah-level) prohibition?

Shalom uVracha,

The definition of the squeezing prohibition is extracting liquid from a fruit.

Therefore, when squeezing a lemon into an empty container or into a drink, the juice that comes out is classified as “liquid,” which falls under the prohibition.

But when squeezing the lemon directly onto food, the juice is immediately considered part of the “food,” similar to simply cutting a food into two pieces—both are still defined as food—and this is not included in the prohibition of squeezing.

Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim, Siman 320:4:

It is permitted to squeeze a cluster of grapes into a pot that already has cooked food, in order to improve the dish—because the liquid goes straight into the food and is therefore treated like food itself.
 But if the pot has no cooked food inside, squeezing the grapes is not allowed.