Question
My wife recently bought one of those silicone garlic-peeling tubes. You place the garlic clove inside, roll the tube on the counter, and the peel comes right off. It is much easier and cleaner than peeling the garlic by hand. May we use this garlic tube peeler on Shabbos when preparing food for the meal?
Answer
No. A garlic tube peeler may not be used on Shabbos.
Although it is not the classic utensil used for the Melacha of Borer, it is nevertheless a utensil designed to separate the garlic from its peel. Accordingly, it has the status of an irregular Borer utensil, similar to the Knon discussed in the Poskim, and its use is at least Rabbinically forbidden.
Explanation
The Three Ways Borer Is Forbidden
The general laws of Borer teach that one transgresses the Biblical prohibition of Borer in any of the following ways:
- Removing the bad from the good.
- Separating for later use.
- Using a utensil designated for separating.
Thus, even when one is interested in eating the food immediately, the use of a designated separating utensil constitutes Borer.
Why A Garlic Peeler Is Problematic
When peeling garlic by hand immediately before use, one is generally performing an act of eating and food preparation in the normal manner. However, a garlic tube peeler is not merely assisting one’s fingers. Its very purpose is to separate the peel from the garlic clove.
The peel is the unwanted portion and the garlic is the desired food. By inserting the garlic into the tube and manipulating it so that the peel is stripped away, one is using a utensil whose function is to separate food from waste. Accordingly, it enters the discussion of Borer.
Similar to a Knon
The Poskim discuss a utensil known as a Knon, a tube-like device used to separate legumes from their peels. Although it is not the standard professional sifting instrument, Chazal nevertheless prohibited its use due to its separating function.
The Alter Rebbe rules that separating with a Knon is Rabbinically forbidden. The reason is that although it is not the classic Borer utensil, it is still a utensil being used for separation.
Likewise, the Poskim explain that any utensil designated for separating food from waste receives the same status. While a sieve or sifter may involve a Biblical prohibition, other separating devices remain Rabbinically forbidden.
A garlic tube peeler closely resembles this category. It is essentially a tube used for separating a food item from its peel. Hence, even if one were to argue that it is not a classic Borer utensil, it would still fall under the Rabbinic prohibition against using an irregular separating instrument.
Practical Ruling
| Method | Ruling |
| Peeling garlic by hand immediately before use | Permitted |
| Using a garlic tube peeler | Forbidden |
| Using a utensil designated to remove garlic peels | Forbidden |
| Using a classic Borer utensil | Biblically forbidden |
| Using an irregular separating utensil such as a Knon | Rabbinically forbidden |
Sources
The Biblical prohibition of Borer through removing waste from food: Admur 319:1; Michaber 319:1
The Biblical prohibition of separating with a utensil designated for separation: Admur 319:1; Michaber 319:1
The rule that a sieve and sifter constitute the normal form of Borer and are Biblically prohibited: Admur 319:1
The Rabbinic prohibition of using a Knon and similar irregular separating utensils: Admur 319:1
The definition of a Knon as a tube used to separate legumes from their peels: Rashi Shabbos 74a; Mishnah Berurah 319:2
The rule that any irregular Borer utensil is Rabbinically forbidden even though it is not the classic separating implement: Admur 319:1; Mishnah Berurah 319:2