Daily Halacha: Sorting Food or Fixing Electricity on Shabbat

Is it allowed to benefit from food that was sorted incorrectly on Shabbat?

One of the 39 types of work (melachot) that are forbidden on Shabbat is borer which is separating or sorting. If someone separates waste or inedible parts from food on Shabbat in a way that goes against halacha (Jewish law), it is forbidden to benefit from the food that was prepared in this way.

However, there is a solution if the mistake has already been made. If the person re-mixes the waste with the food, and afterward separates the food from the waste in the correct way, then it is permissible to benefit from it. Since the original improper act was “cancelled out” by mixing it again and redoing it properly, it is allowed.
(Based on Chazon Ovadia, Volume 4, page 442)

What if someone fixed an electrical short on Shabbat—can you eat food that was heated?

If there was an electrical short in a neighborhood on Shabbat, and we can reasonably assume there are sick people in the area who need the electricity for health or safety, then it’s permitted to benefit from the electricity once it’s restored even if Jews are the ones who fixed it.

In such a case, it is also allowed to eat the food that was heated on a hot plate (called a plata) during that time. Still, someone who wants to be extra careful and removes the food from the hot plate will be blessed.
(Based on Chazon Ovadia, Volume 6, page 158)

These halachot remind us how important it is to be thoughtful in our actions on Shabbat, and also how Judaism offers guidance and compassion even when mistakes are made.

Source: “Ach Tov VaChesed – Daily Halacha” by Hidabroot