Friday, April 11, 2014

The Laws Of Porcelain And Glass With Regards To Kashering

The Laws Of Porcelain And Glass With Regards To Kashering
Day: Friday
Date: April 11, 2014
Parshat: Aharei Mot
Source: Yalkut Yosef: 451

Porcelain or clay pots, pans, and dishes that are used for hot hametz during the year may not be kashered for Pesah and should be put away until after the holiday. A porcelain dish that is used to store cold hametz for more than 24 hours at a time may be kashered by filling it with water and changing the water every 24 hours for three complete 24 hour periods. If the water is left inside for more than 24 hours it only counts as one 24 hour period. If it was poured out before 24 hours have passed the whole process must be started again. If the porcelain dishes have not been used for 12 months and prior to that they only held hot food but no food was actually warmed up on them (kli sheni) they may be used but to be safe one should do hag'alah (dip them in boiling water) three times. Glass does not absorb nor expel any taste and therefore it does not need any kashering whatsoever other than cleaning it well. Ashkenazim however consider glass to have the same status as pottery (see above for laws of kashering pottery).



The DSH is brought to you in memory of Rabbi Mordechai ben Daniel. Please visit us online at sephardichalacha.org

Thursday, April 10, 2014

Kashering Sinks For Pesah

Kashering Sinks For Pesah
Day: Thursday
Date: April 10, 2014
Parshat: Aharei Mot
Source: Yalkut Yosef: 451


Eating utensils like cups or plates that are normally used for food or drink that is not hot do not need any special kashering beyond cleaning them well. This holds true even if they are occasionally used for hot hametz since when it comes to these kinds of vessels we can follow the main usage. However, if they have been used for hot hametz within the past 24 hours they need to kashered following the same methods as any other hametz pot and pans. Refrigerators and freezers do not need to be kashered, they may be used on Pesah after being cleaned well. Soda Stream machines also do not need anything more than to be cleaned well. Sinks (even porcelain) may be kashered by pouring boiling water into them. If possible one should pour hot water into the sink three times. Marble countertops can also be kashered by pouring boiling water over them. They do not need to be covered for Pesah.


The DSH is brought to you in memory of Rabbi Mordechai ben Daniel. Please visit us online at sephardichalacha.org

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

How To Kasher A Microwave

How To Kasher A Microwave
Day: Wednesday
Date: April 9, 2014
Parshat: Aharei Mot
Source: Yalkut Yosef: 451


There are two different kinds of microwave ovens. Some of them have a heating element and can be used like a regular oven. Others work by using radiation to warm up the food as opposed to using actual heat. The ones that have a heating element can kashered for Pesah the same way as a regular oven: by waiting 24 hours from the last use, cleaning it well, and turning it on the highest setting for an hour or so. The microwaves that work through radiation need to kashered even though generally they are used to warm things up rather than to cook. These are kashered by cleaning them well and boiling a cup of water with some soap (not poisonous) until the walls of the microwave have steam on them. If they are in a public place and are being constantly used they should not be kashered. Serving trays that are not used to cook on may be kashered by pouring boiling hot water on them directly from the pot the water was cooked in.


The DSH is brought to you in memory of Rabbi Mordechai ben Daniel. Please visit us online at sephardichalacha.org

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

How To Kasher Dishwashers, Stove Tops, And Hot Plates

How To Kasher Dishwashers, Stove Tops, And Hot Plates
Day: Tuesday
Date: April 8, 2014
Parshat: Aharei Mot
Source: Yalkut Yosef: 451


Skewers and barbecue grills that are generally not used with liquid need to be kashered by doing libun. This is done by applying a heat source directly onto them until sparks are created. Lekatchila hag'alah doesn't work for these kinds of items. However if one did hag'alah they can still be used on Pesah. If one does not know for sure that he put hametz onto them he still needs to kasher them but lekatchila he can do hag'alah.  An oven may be kashered by cleaning it out well and leaving it on the highest temperature for an hour or so. A dishwasher may be kashered by cleaning it out well and running it empty with soap. The stovetop grates can be kashered by cleaning them well and dipping them in boiling hot water (in a kli rishon). A plata (hot plate) can be kashered by cleaning it well and pouring boiling hot water onto them from a kli rishon.


The DSH is brought to you in memory of Rabbi Mordechai ben Daniel. Please visit us online at sephardichalacha.org

Monday, April 7, 2014

Kashering Appliances For Pesah

Kashering Appliances For Pesah
Day: Monday
Date: April 7, 2014
Parshat: Aharei Mot
Source: Yalkut Yosef: 451


Kitchen appliances that are used for hametz may not be used for Pesah from the time that hametz is forbidden on Erev Pesah unless they have been kashered. As will Gd willing be explained, the general rule is that the way an item is used is the way it is kashered. For example, a pot that is normally used to cook food with liquid needs "hag'alah" (dipping in boiling water), and something normally doesn't contain liquid needs "libun" (heating to the point that it turns white). However when it comes to whether an item needs to be kashered or not, we do not follow the majority of its usage. Therefore if an item is always used for food that is okay for Pesah and one time it is used for hametz, it must be kashered properly before it is used on Pesah. For example, if one only uses an urn for water, and one time he heats up borekas etc. on it, he must kasher the urn before using it on Pesah.


The DSH is brought to you in memory of Rabbi Mordechai ben Daniel. Please visit us online at sephardichalacha.org

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Selling The Hametz

Selling The Hametz
Day: Sunday
Date: April 6, 2014
Parshat: Aharei Mot
Source: Yalkut Yosef: 448


The accepted custom is to sell ones hametz on Pesah and one need not question this practice. When one sells his hametz he should not include his pots and pans and hametz dishes, only the hametz itself. If one did include the dishes he must immerse them all in a mikveh after he buys them back just like any other dishes or utensils that are bought from a non Jew. No blessing is said on this tevilah. After Pesah is over one should not buy hametz from a Jewish owned store unless it is known that he did not own his hametz on pesach. There is a machloket among the Hachamim regarding one who is located in a different time zone than his hametz. Some say the prohibition against owning hametz on Pesah follows his location, and some say it follows the location of the hametz. Therefore to satisfy both opinions, one who is in Eretz Yisrael and owns hametz in chutz la'aretz located in a time zone that is earlier Eretz Yisrael (for example in Los Angeles)  should ideally sell his hametz in Eretz Yisrael. This is because if he may not own hametz anymore in Eretz Yisrael at 11am, for example, it is only 1am in Los Angeles at that time. By the time his hametz is sold in LA at around 11am LA time he will already have owned hametz for ten hours past the time he had to get rid of it. By the same token, if his hametz is in a later time zone should sell it in that location for the same reason. However if he sold it in such a way that he still owned it when it was forbidden in his location but not in it's location, or it was forbidden in its location but not his location, it is not forbidden after Pesah since this is a Rabbinic prohibition and when we have an uncertainty about a Rabbinic rule we can be more lenient.  


The DSH is brought to you in memory of Rabbi Mordechai ben Daniel. Please visit us online at sephardichalacha.org

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Hametz That Was Owned By A Jew On Pesah

Hametz That Was Owned By A Jew On Pesah
Day: Thursday
Date: April 3, 2014
Parshat: Metzora
Source: Yalkut Yosef 448


The Torah forbids any Jew from owning hametz on Pesah. The Hachamim forbade anyone from having any benefit from hametz that was owned by a Jew on Pesah regardless of whether he himself owned it or a different Jew owned it. Even if one disowned his hametz he still may not keep it over Pesah and he must either get rid of it or sell it. The reason for the Hachamim's prohibition is because a person might forget to disown the hametz and in order not to have to get rid of it all he may say that he disowned it when in fact he didn't. If this will result in a large loss one should consult a Rabbi. Some also forbid smelling besamim containing hametz that was owned by a Jew on Pesah.  


The DSH is brought to you in memory of Rabbi Mordechai ben Daniel. Please visit us online at sephardichalacha.org

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Hametz That Became Inedible To A Dog Before Pesah

Hametz That Became Inedible To A Dog Before Pesah
Day: Tuesday
Date: April 1, 2014
Parshat: Metzora
Source: Yalkut Yosef: 447


Hametz products that became inedible even to dog before Pesah are not considered to be hametz and may therefore be used on Pesah. Things that fall under this category are cosmetics, snuff, and many other products. Technically one may use any dish soap on Pesah regardless of whether it has a Pesah certification or not. However, nowadays we have many options available that do not contain hametz and one should purchase one of those if he is able. Pain killers are permissible to be used on Pesah (if they were bought before the holiday) even though they may contain hametz, since they are inedible. One who takes medicines that are vital to his health, and not just supplementary, should buy any of them that contain hametz before Pesah and leave them hidden for the holiday, only taking them out when he needs them. In the case of a specific medical need one should always consult a Rabbi for each individual situation.


The DSH is brought to you in memory of Rabbi Mordechai ben Daniel. Please visit us online at sephardichalacha.org