May I Use a Lemon Squeezer on Shabbos?

In this week’s episode, the topics discussed by Rabbi Braun include: **Greeting others before *davening*** - What are the parameters of the halacha against greeting someone in the morning before *davening*, and how does going to a friend’s house differ from meeting him in *shul* or on the street? - Since “good morning” is now a standard greeting, does it still count as a valid *shinui* from saying “*Shalom*”? - Is calling someone on the phone comparable to going to his house, and does it matter whether the call is specifically to say hello or for another purpose? - How do the Zohar’s stringency on one hand, and the *mitzvah* of *hevei makdim l’shlom kol adam* and *kevod habriyos* on the other, shape the practical approach? **“Words of inspiration” at a *levaya* on Chol Hamoed** - On days when *hespedim* are prohibited (e.g., Chol Hamoed, Rosh Chodesh), is saying *divrei hisorerus* a legitimate alternative, or merely renaming a *hesped*? - If one may not even leave the coffin standing in the street lest people come to eulogize, would that apply also to speeches inside a shul or chapel? - Is praising the *niftar* itself the problem on these days, or is anything said for *kavod hameis* permitted? - What other factors can be relied on when using the opportunity to inspire those gathered to Torah and mitzvos? ***Rashba*’s view on *bracha* covering a more *chashuv* food** - According to the Rashba, who holds that a *bracha* on a less important food doesn’t cover a more *chashuv* one, is it enough to know you will eat the other food, or must you specifically intend to exempt it with your *bracha* (*kavana liftor*)? - When a guest’s *bracha* covers whatever their host will serve later, does that apply even to more *chashuv* foods served by the host, since the guest never specifically intended to exempt them with his original *bracha*? - What is the halacha *l’maaseh*, *l’chatchila* and *b’dieved*, when the *bracha* was made without specific intent to exempt the more important food? **Lemon squeezers on Shabbos** - If squeezing a lemon directly onto food is permitted on Shabbos, may one use a designated lemon squeezer, or is that *uvdin d’chol* (a weekday activity)? - How does this compare to the Rivash’s prohibition against grating cheese with a formal grater, given that a squeezer is arguably made for permissible squeezing onto food? - Do squeezers that trap the seeds involve a separate concern of *borer*? **Covering the *tefillin shel yad*** - Why don’t Lubavitchers cover their arm while wearing *tefillin shel yad*, and does “*lecha l’os v’lo la’acheirim l’os*” actually require *tefillin* to be covered? - Does the Arizal’s practice of covering the *shel yad* apply only while putting on the *tefillin* or throughout *davening*, and does today’s protective box accomplish it? - Is there a *tznius* concern with a bare upper arm, where the *tefillin shel yad* is placed? - Is it disrespectful to *daven* before Hashem with one sleeve rolled up and one down, or is it dignified precisely because everyone knows it’s for the *tefillin*?