Halacha Corner

This week we learned the Halachos of Hatmana and discussed the Shailos of a crock pot. There is a big discussion about whether there is a problem of Hatmana with a crockpot although many people rely on the lenient opinions that there is no issue of Hatmana, I saw quoted in the name of Reb Elyashiv that it is best if one can to lift the pot a bit so it is elevated from the bottom of the crock pot this way it is only a Hatmana Bemiktzas whis is permissible according to the Rama. ( For the Sefardim who hold Hatmana Bemiktzas is a problem as well, best to ask a Rav familiar with the Sephardic Psak).

This week we started the sugyos of Hatmana. We learned the Halachos of not being able to do Hatmana (completely insulating food) even with something that doesn’t add heat, however if it is done before Shabbos it is Muttar. There are certain instances where the the Rama allows for Hatmana and one of those cases is if it is only partially covered, in that case the Rama holds its not Hatmana. However the question arises when a part of the top of the pot is exposed, what is the amount of exposure for it to be permissible. The Poskim say that as long as there is enough opening on top for a significant amount of heat to get out then its mutar.

This week we learnt about the relevant Halacha of removing food from one stove and placing it on another stove. In a practical sense this is most relevant in the event that a cholent is burning and one wants to place hot water in the cholent. If the hot water is in an urn and is hot then one is permitted to remove water from the urn in a cup and transfer the water into the cholent. This should preferably be done when the cholent is of the fire but if need be it can be done one can do it when its on the fire as well. However one should be careful to make sure that when you pour the water in to be careful that the food isn’t mixed by the oncoming water, therefore it is best to pour the water on the side of the pot in order for the water not to mix the food, however in the event this isn’t possible there are poskim that allow you to pour it directly onto the food itself, because even if the food mixes, this isn’t considered the normal way of mixing and would be permissible.

This week in the Hilchos Shabbos shiur we continued the dinim of chazra on Shabbos, and learned the important Biur Halacha who discusses the halacha if someone takes a pot of the blech and the pot does not belong to him does that affect the status of the pot in regards to the Issur of Chazara, or do we apply the well known concept of Ain Adam Oser Dvar Shaino Shelo, “ A person cannot asser something that does not belong to him”.   Rebbe Akiva Eiger maintains that since the Issur of Chazra is accomplished through an action, it would therefore fall under the category of Issur, even though the pot does not belong to him – because the klal of the inability to asser something of your friends does not apply if it is done through an action.  However if one took his friends pot of the stove and didn’t have in mind to return it but was still holding on, that would be included in the din of machshava and simply would have the din of “Ain adam oser dvar Shaina shelo”. However the Biur Halacha himself still leaves this case in question as well.

This week in Hilchos Shabbos we started the sugyos of Chazara. There is a chiddush quoted in the poskim that in regards to chazara once the food has been placed on the floor even if one had in mind to return it, it is still Asur. The reason being is because once it reaches the floor we cannot look at it as if the shiya is continuing, Reb Elyashiv held lehalacha that putting the food in the fridge would have the same effect as putting it on the ground, and would be assur in all instances even if you are holding on to it and had in mind to put it back.

This week we continued the sugyos of shehiya, and raised the question of whether it is permissible to set a timer on a hotplate to have it go on in the middle of shabbos.  If the food is placed on it from before shabbos, it would seem that everyone maintains that this is permissible, (although the food has to be cooked in order not to have a sheiya issue).  However, if you want to place the food on shabbos before it turns on, if the food is fully cooked it would be permissible but if the food isn’t cooked or contains a cooled down liquid this would be an issue of causing a cooking process to occur and would be assur.

This week we continued with the sugyos of shehiya, and dealt with the shayla of someone who brings shabbos in early and has food with out a blech on the fire but by the time shkiya comes it will be machal Ben drusai, do we go with when shabbos starts for the person or with shkiya. Although it is a machlokes we follow the opinion of Reb Shlomo Zalman that says you go with shkiya, therefore if the food is ready by shkiya one would not need the flame to be covered mikar hadin.

Hilchos shabbos shiur: This week we learned the halachos of mixing a pot on a fire and that the halacha is that even if the food is fully cooked one may not remove food with a spoon while the food is on the fire. However in cases of great need where it isn’t possible to remove the pot from the fire there are many poskim who allow one to remove the food with a spoon when it is on the fire as long as one is sure the food is fully cooked.

This week  we learned the halachos of warming up  a baby  bottle on  Shabbos,  There are two  very simple ways that are lechatchila. Number one to  put the bottle in  a kli  sheini,  or option  two ,  one can  pour  from  the urn  directly  onto  the bottle because the contact from  a pouring will  only  cook  the first layer i.e.  the plastic of the bottle and not the milk inside therefore this is a valid way to  heat up  the bottle. If one is very  careful  to  pour a little hot water in the milk  but you  have to  make sure that the milk  will  just warm  up  a bit but not reach level  of cooking, this requires special  attention to  just pour a little bit of hot water in the bottle.