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We are continuing in siman 2, where we began learning about merakeid for the purpose of airing out the flour, without separating any impurities. We learned that it is assur miderabanan, because, although it is not an act of separating, it is using a kli unique for merakeid.
The Chayei Adam ends the siman by referring the learner to hilchos Yom Tov. In hilchos Yom Tov, the Chayei Adam writes that a person cannot perform the first act of merakeid with a sifter on Yom Tov even with a shinui. Sifting through flour was something done for long-term purposes, as a person would not wait until they are ready to bake bread to begin grinding wheat and sifting it but would prepare it and leave it in storage. The heter of ochel nefesh applies to the melachos which are performed for immediate consumption; melachos performed in larger quantities and for longer periods of time are not muttar on Yom Tov. It is a machlokes whether it is assur mideoraysa or derabanan, but either way, it is assur to sift the flour for the first time on Yom Tov. If one already sifted the flour once before Yom Tov, it can be sifted a second time on Yom Tov for the purpose of making the flour more fine. It must be sifted with a shinui, such as sifting onto a piece of paper on the table rather than into a bowl. If a person normally sifts flour in that manner, they will need to find a different shinui.
The Shulchan Aruch discusses a case of a person who sifted their flour before Yom Tov, but an impurity fell into the flour which needs to be removed on Yom Tov. The Shulchan Aruch paskens it is muttar, provided that they did their due diligence to sift the flour before Yom Tov. This halacha can be relevant regarding situations such as bug infestations.
The Shulchan Aruch writes that in this case, one does not need to perform the sifting with a shinui. Others, including the Mishnah Berurah and Chayei Adam, hold that a shinui is necessary. A shinui could include sifting the flour through the back side of the sifter, rather than the regular side.
Coming back to Shabbos, the Chayei Adam writes that even though it is assur on Shabbos, he is unsure whether it would be muttar to perform merakeid in this case (airing out the flour) with a shinui.
Summary
- It is assur miderabanan to sift flour for the purpose of making it lighter. On Yom Tov, it is muttar with a shinui, provided it was previously sifted before Yom Tov. The Chayei Adam leaves unsure whether a shinui would work on Shabbos.
