Practical Halacha

Introduction to Jewish Festivals and Food Preparation

Food preparation forbidden on Jewish festivals includes these forbidden melachot:

Preparing soil for planting (choreish)
Causing plants to grow (zorei'a)
Harvesting (kotzeir)
Gathering (mi'ameir)
Threshing (dash; such as milking a cow into clean container or squeezing juice for drinking)
Winnowing (zoreh)
Selecting (boreir) (for exceptions, see Introduction to Jewish Festivals: Selecting/Boreir)
Grinding (tochein) (Grinding may be OK with a shinu'i; ask a rabbi for specific cases)
Sifting (merakeid).

However, you may do all food preparation necessary for baking or cooking food for that day--from kneading dough (kneading, or lash) to cooking and baking (ofeh) from an existing flame.

Note You may not use electric appliances to knead dough and you may not turn on an electric oven.

Dish Soap

Dish soap made from kosher ingredients but without Passover supervision may still be a problem on Passover due to possible alcoholic ingredients.

Using a Non-Kosher Sink

A dish is still kosher b'di'avad if heated to 120° F (49° C) or more in a non-kosher sink that had remained below 120° F for the previous 24 hours.

Kashrut: Dairy/Meat: Dishwashers: Neutral/Pareve Item

You may not wash a neutral/ pareve dish in a meat or milk dishwasher--even if there are no dirty dishes with milk or meat on them and even if there are no other dishes in the dishwasher. If you did, the neutral/pareve dish may have become the gender of the dishwasher, but consult a rabbi for leniencies.

Situation You have a meat or milk dishwasher and you washed a neutral/pareve utensil in it.
What To Do If the dishwasher has dirty dishes containing milk or meat food, the neutral/pareve utensil will become that gender. However, if the dishwasher does not have any dirty dishes with food of either gender on them and the dishwasher has not been used for at least 24 hours, the pareve dish will remain pareve.
NoteThis is a b'di'avad (after the fact) case. You may not intentionally (l'chatchila) wash the pareve utensil in a gendered dishwasher.

Shabbat and Sponging

You may not wash dishes with a:

Sponge (even if it is on a handle),
Dish rag, or
Scrubbing pad (a pad that holds water and, when used, the water gets squeezed out).

Wide mesh or other items that do not normally hold water may be used.

Using a Non-Kosher Cooking Utensil

You may not use a non-kosher cooking utensil (pot, pan, baking dish, etc.) for cooking even if the utensil is clean and has not been used for more than 24 hours (unless you kasher it first).

Jewish Festivals: Sponging

You may not wash dishes on Jewish festivals with a

Sponge (even if it is on a handle),
Dish rag, or
Scrubbing pad (pad that holds water and, when used, the water gets squeezed out).

You may use wide mesh or other items that do not normally hold water.

Kashrut: Non-Certified Soap

Soap must be considered non-kosher unless it is certified kosher. Soap without kosher supervision should not l'chatchila be used on food utensils--even if you use cold water and even on glass--because a soap residue adheres to the surfaces, even after careful rinsing.
Soaps/Detergents
Bar soap is generally made from animal fat. Since all soaps do have taste and might be edible by a dog, they might not be nifsal for a dog and therefore cannot be used on eating utensils.

Note However, a dish remains kosher b'di'avad if washed with cold water and non-kosher soap made from non-kosher fat.

Borei Pri Ha'Eitz: Five Special Fruits: Order and Preference

To eat more than one type of the Five Special Fruits:

If you have a particular preference, you may eat the fruits in whichever order you prefer.
If you have no particular preference, eat them in this order:
1. Olive
2. Date
3. Grape
4. Fig
5. Pomegranate.

Note Order of Five Special Fruits
The order for eating the Five Special Fruits comes from Deuteronomy/Devarim 8:8 and follows the fruit's proximity to the two times the word “eretz” is used:
“Eretz chita u's'ora v'gefen u't'eina v'rimon, eretz zayit shemen u'dvash.”
A land of wheat and barley and grapevine and fig and pomegranate, a land of olive oil and honey.

Introduction to Toveling: Utensils

Tevila is the Hebrew word for immersion. You must tovel (immerse in a mikva or other halachically purifying water) new utensils made of metal or other materials that require tevila unless you know that they were:

Made by a Jew,
Sold by a Jew, and
Not owned by a non-Jew in between.

Toveling: Utensils: How To Tovel
To tovel a utensil, you may go to any kosher natural mikva (see section on natural mikvas) or to a mikvat keilim (a small mikva for utensils, often attached to the outside of a regular mikva building). To tovel several items, some of which require a blessing and some on which there is doubt whether a blessing is necessary, say the blessing over the item that requires the blessing and have in mind that the blessing will cover all the rest of your items.
Remember to remove all stickers, rust, etc., before you begin. Nail polish remover may help with stubborn stickers. Say the blessing al tevilat keilim and then let the item free fall through the water. Unlike with hagala, during which the item may be immersed in sections, when you tovel a utensil, the entire item must be in contact with the water at the same time, even if only for an instant.

Toveling: Utensils: What Gets Toveled?

Note The main halacha applies to metal utensils that will be used repeatedly.
Say the blessing al tevilat keilim on metal or glass items--including Pyrex, Duralex, and Corelle-- that come in contact with food. Items that require toveling include:

Bowls
Cups
Forks
Knives
Pans
Plates
Pots
Spoons
Storage containers (only if they are brought to the table).

The below chart is copied with permission from the Star-K (www.star-k.org):

Utensil	Tevila Guideline	Utensil	Tevila Guideline
Aluminum Pans, Disposable if intended to be used more than once	Tevila with Brocha	Meat Tenderizer Hammer, Metal	No Tevila
Aluminum Pans, Disposable to be used only once	Tevila w/o Brocha	Melamine	No Tevila
Blech	No Tevila	Metal Cutlery	Tevila with Brocha
Blender with metal blade on bottom	Tevila with Brocha	Metal Flour and Sugar Storage Canisters	Tevila w/o Brocha
Bone	No Tevila	Metal Pots Coated with Teflon, Enamel or Plastic	Tevila w/o Brocha
Brush, Pastry	No Tevila	Metal Spoon Specifically for Medicine	Tevila w/o Brocha
Brush for Grill, Metal	No Tevila	Microwave Turntable, Glass	Tevila w/o Brocha
Can Opener	No Tevila	Mixer Beaters	Tevila w/o Brocha
Cans, Reusable Empty if opened by a Yehudi	No Tevila	Paper	No Tevila
China, Bone	Tevila w/o Brocha	Peeler, Vegetable	Tevila with Brocha
China, Glazed	Tevila w/o Brocha	Plastic	No Tevila
Colander, Metal	Tevila with Brocha	Porcelain Enamel	Tevila w/o Brocha
Cookie Cutters, Metal	No Tevila	Racks, Cooling	Tevila w/o Brocha
Cookie Sheets, Metal	Tevila with Brocha	Racks, Oven	No Tevila
Cork Screw	No Tevila	Rolling Pins Metal or Wood	No Tevila
Corningware	Tevila w/o Brocha	Sandwich Maker	Tevila with Brocha
Crockpot Ceramic Insert	Tevila w/o Brocha	Silicone	No Tevila
Crockpot Glass Lid	Tevila w/o Brocha	Sink Racks, Stainless Steel	No Tevila
Crockpot Outside Metal Shell	No Tevila	Spatula, Metal	Tevila with Brocha
Dish Rack, Metal	No Tevila	Stoneware	Tevila w/o Brocha
Dishes, Ceramic	Tevila w/o Brocha	Stoneware, Non-Glazed	No Tevila
Earthenware, Non-Glazed Dull Finish, e.g. Flower Pot	No Tevila	Storage Utensils, Glass not brought to the table	No Tevila
George Foreman Grill	Tevila w/o Brocha	Styrofoam	No Tevila
Glass (including Pyrex, Duralex & Corelle)	Tevila with Brocha	Tea Kettle, Corelle	Tevila with Brocha
Grater, Metal used for foods that are ready to eat, eg, apples, onions	Tevila with Brocha	Toaster which will not break	Tevila w/o Brocha
Grater, Metal used only for foods that need further cooking,eg potatos	Tevila w/o Brocha	Toaster Oven rack & tray only	Tevila with Brocha
Hamburger Maker	Tevila with Brocha	Trivet, Metal	No Tevila
Hot Air Popcorn Maker, Metal	Tevila with Brocha	Waffle Iron	Tevila with Brocha
Hot Water Urn, Metal	Tevila with Brocha	Warming Tray	No Tevila
Knife, Arts & Crafts	No Tevila	Wood	No Tevila
Knife Sharpener	No Tevila	Wooden Cask with Metal Straps	Tevila w/o Brocha
Meat Thermometer	No Tevila

How to Prepare Food in a Non-Kosher Kitchen

BAKING IN NON-KOSHER OVEN

An oven that has not been used for at least 24 hours is considered, d'oraita, to be neutral/pareve, but only if it is clean. D'rabanan, it is still not kosher, but this may be useful for when you can be lenient; e.g., if there is a safek.

Note Even when baking in a non-kosher oven, you must cook the food in a kosher utensil.

INTRODUCTION TO BAKING IN NON-KOSHER OVEN

Baking in a Non-Kosher Oven

How To Tell if Oven Is Clean

To determine whether a non-kosher oven with black or brown spots is clean, scratch them:

If the substance crumbles, the spots are OK and you may bake non-liquid food in that oven without covering the food.
If the spots do not crumble or they remain immovable or come off in flakes rather than crumbles, consider the oven not clean.

Uncovered Food; Clean (Non-Kosher) Oven

You may cook food uncovered in a non-kosher oven if:

The oven rack and walls are clean, and
The food is not “liquid.”
Note Non-liquid is defined as not being liquid before cooking OR not being liquid after cooking, but the food does not need to be non-liquid at both times. Examples of “non-liquid” foods:
- Apple cobbler
- Lasagna
- Meat (that will create gravy at the end)
- Pudding
- Raw fish.

Situation You plan to bake uncovered food in a clean, non-kosher oven in which the racks are not clean.

What To DoPlace two layers of foil under the baking utensil.

Double Wrapping

When To Double Wrap

Double-wrap food before baking in a non-kosher radiant-heat oven if:

The rack and/or oven are not clean;
The food that you are baking is liquid at any time during the cooking process; OR
Some of the food you are baking spills onto the rack or oven surfaces.

How To Double Wrap

When wrapping food for cooking in a non-kosher oven, the wrapping material does not need to seal completely, but the:

Food must be completely covered with two layers of foil or plastic;
Layers must keep water vapor out from between the layers; and
Surfaces of the utensil must all be covered.

SPILLED KOSHER FOOD IN NON-KOSHER OVEN

Kosher Food Spilling in Non-Kosher Oven

If kosher food spills inside a non-kosher oven in which you are cooking uncovered kosher food (whether liquid or non-liquid), consult a rabbi about whether the uncovered kosher food may still be eaten.

NoteIn this case, it makes no difference whether the oven is clean or dirty because the spilled food is wet and takes on the non-kosher status of the oven. When the spilled food vaporizes, it carries the non-kosher essence to the kosher food or utensil.

NoteIf the non-kosher oven had not been used for more than 24 hours, the food is probably still kosher b'di'avad.

NoteThis applies to food spilled either from the same utensil in which you were cooking the kosher food or from a different utensil.

FROZEN FOOD IN NON-KOSHER OVEN

Double Wrap Frozen Food in Non-Kosher Oven

Frozen food is considered to be wet food regarding cooking it in a non-kosher oven or regarding its being neutral for dairy and meat issues: If the oven is not kosher, the frozen food must be double wrapped, even if the oven is clean.

AIRLINE MEALS IN NON-KOSHER OVEN

Heating Airline Meals in Non-Kosher Oven

Airline meals are usually non-liquid, so even if they are single-wrapped, it is OK to heat them in a non-kosher oven as long as no non-kosher food contacts the kosher food container.

COOKING IN NON-KOSHER MICROWAVE OVEN

Microwave Oven: Kosher Status

Introduction to Microwave Oven: Kosher Status

If a microwave oven's walls/floor/door do not become hot (more than 120° F, or 49° C), the microwave oven does not become non-kosher, dairy, meat, or non-Passover/chametz.

NoteA microwave oven that does not normally get hot, may get hotter than 120° F if you cook:

A liquid or moist food for a long time (even if less than 10 minutes),
Several liquid or moist items sequentially, or
Popcorn and similar foods.

If a microwave oven's walls/floor/door get hot, the oven can become dairy, meat, or non-kosher (if they become one gender and then the opposite gender is cooked or if non-kosher food has been cooked in it). If any surface--including walls, door, floor, etc.--that gets hot are plastic or coated metal, it cannot be returned to kosher or pareve. However, if the surfaces are all made of metal, they may be kasherable. Consult a rabbi.

NoteIf the microwave oven does get hot, it cannot be kashered at all--not for Passover and not from non-kosher to kosher. To check if your microwave oven gets hot, see How To Check If a Microwave Oven Will Get Hot during Cooking

Microwave Oven: Kosher Status: Walls and Door

Since microwave oven walls and doors do not normally get hot (more than 120° F, or 49° C), there is usually no need to kasher them from milk to meat (or back to milk); from ordinary use to Passover use; or from non-kosher to kosher. Just clean all surfaces.

Microwave Oven: Kosher Status: Floor

Microwave oven floors can get hot, especially where there is no rotating glass tray and the utensil is placed directly on the oven floor. All microwave ovens should be assumed to get hot unless you have tested them personally.

Microwave Floor

Cover the floor (ideally with styrofoam or another substance that blocks heat and moisture) in a non-kosher microwave oven.

Glass Tray

The glass tray does not become non-kosher and does not become dairy or meat or chametz (unless it was removed and used in a conventional oven) as long as it is clean.

Plastic Tray Support

The plastic support under the glass tray must be cleaned and must be blocked from contact with actual cooking utensils and from food if the tray:

Has any food of the gender opposite that of the food being cooked,
Has non-kosher food on it, or
Is dirty and you cannot tell with what.

How To Check If a Microwave Oven Will Get Hot during Cooking

To determine if the walls of a microwave oven will get hot during cooking:

Boil water for as long as food would typically be cooked in that microwave oven, and
Touch the inside walls, floor, door, and ceiling
- If the walls are too hot to touch, the walls may acquire the gender of any food cooked in the oven. (If the walls are already the opposite gender when cooking a food, the oven may become non-kosher.)
- If the walls are not too hot to touch, then no change of status occurs.

Non-Kosher Microwave Oven: Hot Oven, Liquid or Solid Food

If the walls of a non-kosher microwave oven get hotter than 120° F, you must double wrap any liquid or solid food you cook in that oven.

NoteIf you did not double wrap liquid or solid food cooked in a non-kosher microwave oven, consult a rabbi about whether you may eat the food.

Non-Kosher Microwave Oven: Non-Hot Oven

If the walls of a non-kosher microwave oven stay less than 120° F, you do not need to wrap or cover liquid or non-liquid food, as long as:

The microwave oven is clean and dry, and
If the tray is non-glass or non-Pyrex, you put a layer of separation (plastic, styrofoam, etc…) that blocks heat and any moisture underneath the cooking utensil.

COOKING ON NON-KOSHER STOVE

Setting Down Hot Lid on Non-Kosher Stove Top

SituationYou set down a hot pot lid on a non-kosher stove top.
Status

Lid is dry and stove is clean: lid remains kosher.
Lid is dry or wet and stove is dirty: lid is non-kosher.
Lid is wet and stove had hot non-kosher mixtures on it within the previous 24 hours--even if the stove is clean: lid is not kosher.
Lid is dry or wet and stove is clean and did not have hot non-kosher mixtures on it within the previous 24 hours: lid is kosher.

COOKING WITH NON-KOSHER UTENSILS

Using a Non-Kosher Kitchen Utensil
Introduction to Using a Non-Kosher Cooking Utensil
You may not use a non-kosher cooking utensil (pot, pan, baking dish, etc.) for cooking even if the utensil is clean and has not been used for more than 24 hours (unless you kasher it first).

Fruit Cut with Non-Kosher Knife
You should wash most fresh fruit cut with a non-kosher knife in order to remove whatever non-kosher food might have been on the knife from before.
Note Fruit with a sharp taste—such as lemons or tart apples—may not be used if cut with a non-kosher knife, regardless of whether the knife had been used within 24 hours.

WASHING IN NON-KOSHER SINK

Using a Non-Kosher Sink
A dish is still kosher b'di'avad if heated to 120° F (49° C) or more in a clean, non-kosher sink that had remained below 120° F for the previous 24 hours.

How To Wash Hands Using the Three-Times Method

To wash hands the Three-Times Method:

Fill the washing cup with at least 3.3 fl. oz. (99 ml) of water for the first pair of pours.
Pour enough water (may be as little as 1.3 fl. oz.--39 ml, or 1/6 cup) from the washing cup to completely cover your entire first hand (either hand may be first, but it is proper to wash your right hand first).
Pour enough water to completely cover the second hand.
Repeat the pouring twice more, alternating hands, until each hand has been completely covered a total of three times.

Note There is no minimum required volume for the subsequent pours, and you may refill the cup in order to have enough water to cover each hand for all three pairs of pours.

How To Wash Hands the One-Time Method

To wash hands the One-Time Method:

Fill the washing cup with at least 3.3 fl. oz. (99 ml) of water.
Pour enough water (may be as little as 1.3 fl. oz.--39 ml, or 1/6 cup) from the washing cup to completely cover your entire first hand (either hand may be first but it is proper to wash your right hand first).
Pour enough water to completely cover the second hand.

Note You do not need to pour any more than that or to break up the revi'it into two pours.

How To Wash for HaMotzi

See HaMotzi: Washing Hands.

How To Wash Your Hands for Rachtza

To wash hands for rachtza:

Fill the washing cup with at least 3.3 fl. oz. (99 ml) of water.
Pour enough water (may be as little as 1.3 fl. oz.--39 ml, or 1/6 cup) from the washing cup to completely cover your entire first hand (either hand may be first, but it is the custom to wash your right hand first).
Pour enough water to completely cover the second hand.

You do not need to pour more than once per hand and you do not need to break up the revi'it into more than one pour for each hand.

BLESSINGS & PRAYERS

Glossary

Halachot