Arranging salads in their places on Shabbat
Question
Is it permitted on Shabbat to arrange bowls of salads, each bowl in its proper place?
Answer
Shalom u’verachah
The case in the question is not clear.
Of course, there is no problem taking salads out of the container and placing them into bowls, even when there are many salads, since at this point there is no mixture at all.
I assume that your intention is to ask whether it is permitted to take the salads from the small bowls and return them to their containers. In such a case, your question is whether the small bowls on the table are considered a “mixture,” so that when one places each one in its proper place, he is “sorting” the mixture.
The answer to this is that there are indeed rare cases in which there is a very large number of small salad bowls, and they are standing crowded together and in disorder, to the point that they are considered “mixed” with one another. In such a case, it is forbidden to separate each type into a separate place, because “sorting” is included in “borer.”
However, in ordinary cases, where the small bowls are placed on the table without crowding, this is not considered a mixture. Therefore, it is permitted to arrange them in their places.
