Question: I’ve always prepared my egg and liver
before Shabbos lunch. Is that a problem?
Answer: The Shulchan Aruch (OC 321:9) writes that
the melacha of tochen, grinding, doesn’t apply to food that
doesn’t grow from the ground such as meat and eggs. Thus, while one needs to be
careful not to chop the onion too fine, one is allowed to cut liver and eggs
into very small pieces or mash it with a fork (Shemiras Shabbos
Kehilchasa 8:23). The Mishna Berura (321:36)
writes, however, that one mustn’t use a specialized utensil such as a grater to
cut such foods, as it is uvda dechol, weekday activity. R’
Yehoshua Neuwirth (Shemiras Shabbos Kehilchasa 6:3) writes that one may use an
egg slicer even for vegetables, as it is simply a few ’knives’ placed closely
together.
As shelling the eggs is considered borer, separating,
one must only prepare them right before the meal.
Another potential issue with mixing the
ingredients together is losh, kneading. R’ Yehoshua Neuwirth
(Shemiras Shabbos Kehilchasa 8:23) writes that while there are reasons to
permit mixing the ingredients together normally, ideally one should do it
slightly differently, placing the ingredients in a different order to normal
and mixing it in a crisscross rather than circular fashion, etc. (See Mishna Berura 321:68; Baer Moshe 6:44).
In conclusion, while onion and other
vegetables can’t be chopped too fine, egg and liver may be chopped and mashed.
When mixed with other ingredients, ideally it should be done with slight
variations. It should only be prepared right before use.
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