Question:
If someone comes to ask you to borrow something (eg sugar) and you have to separate it from a mixture, can you still give it to him even if he is not going to use it immediately (but walk home with it, or even not use it immediately on arriving home)? Is your lending him the item your 'immediate use'? Is it because lending him is a recognised secondary use (like showing someone a garment)? If it is okay, please could you explain why.
Answer:
Your question is the subject of controversy. R’ Shlomo Zalman Auerbach[1] zt”l discussed a similar case, in which a host wanted to give his guest food to take along to eat later on in the day. He ruled that it is permitted for the person giving the food out of a mixture, even though the food will not be used until later. His reasoning was because the person giving the item to the guest is giving it in order to fulfill the mitzva of Hachnosas Orchim, which he is fulfilled right now. The guest however would not be allowed to separate the sugar from a mixture, because they don’t need the sugar until later.
Your question is very similar. Therefore, the owner of the sugar, who is lending the sugar is immediately fulfilling the mitzva of lending an item to a person who need it. Therefore, it is permitted for him to take it out of a mixture to lend it, however the person who is borrowing it would not be allowed to remove it from the mixture, because as far as he is concerned, it isn’t for now, rather for later.
Others however disagree with this[2], if it is known that the item will not be used until later.
Best wishes
[1] בשש"כ חדשה פ"ג הערה קכ"ט, שש"כ שם הערה ר"ו שה"ה בשם רש"ז זצ"ל שמותר לא' לברר דבר טוב מתערובת כדי להשאלו לאחר אע"פ שהשני לא ישתמש בזה עד לאחר שעה, וע"ש שזה דוקא אם הוא יקח אותו לביתו אבל אם הוא נשאר שם בבית של הנותן אסור כיון שיכול לתת לו את אח"כ.
[2] אמנם יש חולקים על כל זה כיון שלמעשה ישתמשו בו רק לאחר זמן. וע"ש שאם אמר לו חבירו שהוא אלאחר זמן שאסור. אמנם ע' באור שמח פ' כ"ג הל' ט"ז שאסור לברור תרומות ומעשרות ליתן לכהן אסור אם הכהן לא יאכל ממנו עכשיו, וע' ג"כ באז נדברו ח"ח ס' י', וארחות שבת פ"ג סע' נ"ד בשם הרב אלישיב , ונשמת שבת ס' קע"ח.
