Laws of Kashering Vessels - Rabbi Shaul Silam shlita

05:40 It needs to be kashered in a first vessel, as though the countertop itself had been inside a first vessel. So pouring from a first vessel is not enough here. For it to be considered as though I took the countertop and put it into a first vessel, I also need what is called a heated stone. The Alter Rebbe writes that you pour the boiling water, but in addition you use a heated stone. Today we say to take an iron and run it over the water, and that is as though I put my countertop into a pot of boiling water. But that is quite difficult to do, so we can make do without going overboard with the iron. We can pour from a first vessel, but also cover the countertop, and then we are covered. In truth, covering it alone could have been enough. In other words, if I cover it completely and no water gets through the PVC covering, then seemingly that is sufficient. But since I am always concerned that I might not cover it properly, or that water might somehow get through the covering, we do both. In other words, the custom is both to pour from a first vessel and to cover it with PVC, or with thick aluminum foil, or with two layers of thin aluminum foil. That is what we do. Now, when we pour from the kettle, wherever the water lands, it certainly works. The water then spreads farther. And if I pour again—as I have to, several times, because the countertop is large—I am seemingly pouring onto a surface that is already wet. So I need to do it in several rounds: I pour, dry it again, pour again, dry it again, and in that way I work my way across and finish the

07:40 countertop. That is important. Afterward, although the Alter Rebbe mentions a custom in section 452 to rinse utensils with cold water after hagalah, here the countertop is large and the water cools quickly. It is not as though the water remains boiling there for a long time, raising a concern that the hot water will cause the chametz to be absorbed again. Here the countertop is large and cools the water fairly quickly, so there is no need to pour cold water over it as well. That is regarding the countertop. As for the sink, the material does not make so much difference. It is true that if it is metal, I can kasher it, while if it is earthenware, I cannot. There are all kinds of materials in between—stone mixed with various substances, and things whose exact composition is unclear to us. But in any case, whether I am certain that pouring will kasher it, as with metal, or I know that pouring will not help, I will always do both things we discussed. I keep coming back to the countertop, but the same principle, the same reasoning, applies to the sink. I will always do both. With earthenware and the various kinds of ceramic, I will do this because there are those who hold that it does help. And with metal, as we said, I will not rely on pouring alone, because pouring without a heated stone is not enough, and it also needs to be covered. So ultimately, the material does not make so much difference. Let us move on to the sink. First, I clean it and put in a substance that spoils the taste. Here I also need to pour it into the sink—into both sinks—so that it will spoil whatever is in the pipes as much as possible.

09:43 After that, we take care of the faucet. We turn on the hot water as hot as it will go, and while the water is running, I also pour from the kettle over the outside of the faucet. In any case, I am always concerned that something in the pipes might come back up. Say there are some noodles somewhere about a meter down the pipe, and hot water touches them: it could bring the chametz back up and, at least as a stringency, cause problems for the Pesach utensils. So it is very advisable not to use water hot enough that the hand recoils from it in the kitchen sink at all during Pesach. That way we really are covered. So for the sink, we pour from a first vessel, but we do not stop there. We put a plastic sink insert inside. Usually the insert does not reach all the way to the bottom, and it is very important that it not touch down there, because water rising back up and getting inside would be a problem. If I do not have such an insert, I can always take a basin and make a hole in it, but I need to arrange it so that the basin does not touch the bottom. I can raise the basin by putting something underneath it, leaving some distance between the bottom of the sink and the hole in the basin. That is regarding the sink. As for the stove, first of all, steam rises around it. There is a certain distance over which that rising steam is hot enough that the hand recoils from it, and it can cause chametz to be absorbed into the cabinets, the wall, and all those places. So everything around the stove, up to the height where I know the steam is still very hot, needs to be covered. That may include a nearby kitchen cabinet, a wall, and certainly the stove lid. All those things need to be covered with special paper or aluminum foil. Perhaps foil is better. That is the first thing. After that, of course, we clean everything again—the grates, the burners, and the body of the stove—with a strong cleaning agent. From here, each part is a little different: the burners, the grates, and the body. The burners are a little less problematic, because they are small, and if there is chametz on them, it burns up immediately. After all, the burners are close to the flame, so we can be more lenient with them. First of all, it is very, very advisable for every household to have separate burners and grates. It is harder for young couples, but over time, with Hashem’s help, it is worthwhile to have a separate set—or, if possible, a separate stove. There are two-burner stovetops that can be connected to the gas supply, and then there is no problem at all. I clean my regular stove and put it aside. I do not even need to sell it to a non-Jew, because there is no chametz there—at most, that kind of chametz. But if someone wants to sell it, okay, we can sell it, as many Jews customarily do with their utensils. If I do not have a separate stove, then at least it is very worthwhile to have burners and grates for Pesach. And if I do not, then, as we said, the burners are easier: I can suffice with lighting them for about twenty minutes and covering them afterward. Care is needed, of course—the holes must remain open so the gas can come out. Alternatively, I can kasher them by hagalah in a first vessel. We will see later how, in practical terms, we do hagalah for cutlery and all these things in a first vessel, and the same applies to the burners.

12:11 You know the steam is very hot, so it could affect a nearby kitchen cabinet, a wall, and certainly the stove cover. All those things need to be covered with special paper or aluminum foil. Foil may be better. That’s the first thing. After that, of course, we clean everything again—the grates, the burners, and the stove frame—with a strong cleaning agent. From here, the procedure is a little different for each part: the burners, the grates, and the frame. The burners are a little less problematic, because they’re small, and any chametz on them burns up immediately. They’re close to the flame, so we can be more lenient with them. First of all, it’s very, very advisable for every home to have separate burners and grates for Pesach. It’s harder for young couples, but with time, with Hashem’s help, it’s worth having a set—or, if possible, a separate stove. There are two-burner stoves that can be connected to the gas, and then there’s no problem at all. I clean my regular stove and put it aside, and I don’t even need to sell it to a non-Jew because there’s no chametz there. But let’s say someone wants to sell it—okay, we’ll sell it, as many Jews customarily do with their utensils. As for the stove itself, if I don’t have a separate one, it’s at least highly advisable to have burners and grates for Pesach. And if I don’t, then with the burners, as we said, it’s easier: it’s enough either to turn on the flame for about twenty minutes and cover them afterward—taking care, of course, to leave the holes open so the gas can come out—or to kasher them by immersing them in boiling water in a primary vessel. We’ll see afterward how, in practice, we

14:19 But that is the point: either light the burners for twenty minutes or do hagalah on them in a first vessel, and afterward cover them. That is regarding the burners. The grates are much more problematic, because they sometimes get very hot. A noodle might fall on one, but it is away from the flame and will not burn up immediately. Its taste is absorbed directly, without water as an intermediary, so this requires full libun. As we said, we cannot do full libun. So what we do is pour from a first vessel over the grates, even though that is not what is really required—more than that is needed—and cover the burners, sorry, the grates, with thick aluminum foil, about two layers of covering. But that is very problematic, because sometimes it tears off during Pesach. It is not a simple matter. It is very, very advisable to have separate grates for Pesach, but if that is not possible, this is what should be done. As for the white surface of the stovetop, after cleaning it well with a good cleaning agent, we pour from a first vessel over it too. If possible, we should also use a heated stone. Yes, the heated stone we mentioned is less important with the countertop, since we cover that with PVC, but here it is a little harder to cover this whole area. So it really is advisable to use a heated stone as well. I pour water from the kettle, a first vessel, and in addition I take some tongs—not something that gets very hot, because that would be a problem for my hand—to hold a stone with something made of wood or another material that does not conduct heat. Usually the gripping end is metal; I grasp the stone and put it into

16:34 the fire, and then, when I pour onto the very, very hot stone, I transfer the heat into the water and bring the water inside to a boil. But that is a little difficult to do, and even if you do not do it, it is highly advisable to cover the surface as well. That is regarding the stovetop. As for the stovetop surface, you simply heat it at the highest possible setting and cover it. A Shabbos hot plate—we will take every possible precaution here. Very often, a piece of challah has touched the hot plate, and that is a real problem. It is true that we generally use a hot plate with aluminum foil, but sometimes the foil can tear. So here we will be careful about everything. First of all, a very thorough cleaning. Then we turn on the hot plate for about an hour. The same goes for the stovetop surface—about an hour, until it is really hot. In addition, if possible, we also pour boiling water directly from the pot in which it was heated onto the hot plate. If possible, that is; you have to be careful around the electrical connection. In any case, we will cover it with aluminum foil—two layers of thin foil, for example. Be careful, because aluminum foil on a hot plate can reach very high temperatures and become dangerous. It is very important to make sure that cloths and similar things do not fall onto the hot plate. Another point: it goes without saying that we do not use a utensil for cold food if it would require hagalah or libun to be used for hot food. Right? Say I have a utensil used for chametz. What difference does it make? I could put fruit or other cold foods in it without a problem. It is true that there is a practical concern about the transfer of

18:40 chametz, and because of that we are concerned that someone might actually use it for other things. Therefore the Sages—and the Rema, as well as the Alter Rebbe—forbid using such a utensil unless we have done hagalah or libun. A Teflon frying pan: since libun would damage it, we do not perform libun on it. There is a principle that when something is liable to be damaged—something that is generally damaged by libun—we are concerned that when a person does the libun, even if he says he is willing to take the risk, he will not take it all the way. He will worry and will not do it properly. Teflon falls squarely into that category, so we do not permit Teflon frying pans. Now let us see how we actually do hagalah. Suppose I have a small pot that I want to kasher. I really have two options: I need to do hagalah in a pot in which the water was boiled, so either I fill it with water, bring the water to a boil and make it overflow, or I put it into a larger pot in which the water is already boiling. Right? Those are the two options. Now take cutlery and things like that: I need to put them into a large pot. So what do I do? There are really three stages here. First, say I have a large pot that I want to kasher for Pesach. Again, because we take even occasional uses into account, as we said, I am talking only about a utensil in which I do not cook food directly against the surface. It is not something I roast in, or something I use in the usual way without water or oil. Even a frying pan with a little oil just to keep the food from sticking counts as direct contact, not cooking in liquid. So I am not talking about those things,

20:34 or even things that I use that way only sometimes, because we take even occasional uses into account. I mean only things I always use with water. So I have my large pot, in which I sometimes cook pasta. It is hard for me to believe we are discussing this—oy gevalt, who would kasher a pot used to cook noodles all year? But this year things are different, and people are asking. Not everyone can go out and buy things, and financially things are harder this year too. People have concerns about many things, so this situation does arise. So I have this large pot in which I sometimes cook chametz. Stage one: first of all, as we said, we do not kasher utensils that were used for chametz in the last twenty-four hours. If I have to—“Oh, it is already Erev Pesach and I forgot”—I can always add a little substance that spoils the taste to the water, and then I can kasher utensils that were used within twenty-four hours. But that is not the ideal solution, because some raise questions about kashering with something other than water. The effect of soapy water, and how much absorbed taste it draws out, are not at all clear in halachah. So adding soap is not ideal. It is better to do hagalah without soap, when I am sure the utensils have not been used for twenty-four hours. So, back to the large pot: first I need to kasher the pot itself. Once it is clean and has not been used for twenty-four hours, I fill it with water. The water boils. I have filled it almost to the top, but after some evaporates, it will not overflow.

22:30 Separately, I prepare more water, in a kettle or something else, and add it to the pot. I could always add a hot stone, but this is easier: I add boiling water from outside the pot, and then it overflows. For this pot, as we said, the practice of the Rema and the Alter Rebbe is to rinse the utensils afterward in cold water. So I rinse it in cold water, and I have finished kashering this pot. Then I want to use the pot to kasher cutlery. Now, regarding cutlery, you should know that it is preferable not to kasher knives; it is better to use plastic knives. That is because we sometimes cut very hot foods with knives, without water. When those hot foods are solid pieces, they are treated as though they were still in the pot in which they were cooked, and that creates a problem. So preferably, knives should not be kashered. We are talking now mainly about tablespoons, teaspoons, forks, and the like. So I fill the pot again and wait for it to boil. The Alter Rebbe emphasizes that one bubble rising in the water is not enough; I need lots of bubbles—a full boil. Once it is boiling, I put in the teaspoons. But how do I put them in and take them out afterward? I need to work that out. You can use tongs, but you need to loosen your grip a little so that every part is in the water and all the absorbed chametz can be drawn out of the spoon or other cutlery. If I do not have tongs, I can always put several pieces of cutlery into a mesh bag or something similar, lower the bag into the water, and move it around

24:41 so the water really reaches everywhere it needs to. Here I need to be careful, as we said, that the water was bubbling before I put them in. If the bubbling stops when I put them in, that is all right, because it was bubbling at the moment they first went in, and that is enough. I leave them in for three seconds. If I leave them in longer, there is always the concern that chametz might be absorbed back into the cutlery. So I count three seconds and take them out. Even if the water cooled a little afterward, that is all right, because it was bubbling when they went in. I take them out, rinse them in cold water because of the practice we mentioned, wait for the water to boil again, and then I can put in the next batch. That is how I finish kashering everything I have in this pot. That is the second stage. Now, if I also want to use this pot on Pesach—exactly as we said about the kettle—after it has drawn out the chametz from all those utensils, its water is not exactly as clean as it could be. So I empty out all that water, refill it, and kasher the pot again: a third kashering, a third hagalah. Then I can use all the utensils. What if I have a long utensil that does not fit? This is not like immersing utensils in a mikvah, where I cannot do it in two stages, because there the entire utensil must be surrounded by water without anything intervening. That concern does not apply to hagalah. So I can put half the utensil in, take it out, and put the other half in, with no problem. What matters is that, in the end, every part has been in the boiling water. We do not kasher plastic utensils. An oven—the Chabad custom is not to

26:27 To kasher it at all. If someone wants to kasher an oven and has no choice, one approach is that after heating it, I take a metal box, put it inside the oven, and cook only inside that box. It gets complicated. Anyone who needs to do this should ask a rabbi, but as a matter of halachah, we certainly do not kasher an oven. A microwave—we do not kasher a microwave even during the rest of the year, because the method of kashering one is rather... There are many who question the way microwaves are kashered, and so Chabad rabbis, too, do not permit kashering a microwave even during the year, let alone for Pesach. That is not our practice. A dishwasher has grooves and other things inside, so do not use a dishwasher for Pesach either. You have to be very careful with a freezer. Sometimes, especially when the freezer is not new, there is ice, and there may be chametz beneath the ice. So you need to defrost the freezer and remove everything—all the dirt and all the chametz on the drawers, and there usually is some. Only then can you really clean it. In other words, after preparing it for Pesach, clean it with a substance that renders any residue unfit for consumption, and that is all. As for the refrigerator, clean it well with such a substance too; excellent. But there is something important here. There is a halachic principle that soaking is like cooking. What does that mean? If I take a container, put water in it, and put chametz in the water, even though it is all cold—ordinarily, for something to cook, it must reach the temperature of yad soledes bo; below that temperature, nothing cooks. If I accidentally put meat and dairy on the fire, or I put a piece of cheese in a pan or pot thinking it was dairy, and it did not reach yad soledes bo, I

28:37 take it out, right? I wash it, and that is all. I do not need to kasher it in boiling water or do anything else. But there are cases where, as we said, soaking is like cooking: the items are cold, yet we consider them to have been cooked in every respect. So again, if I have a container, a cup with water in it, and chametz remained in that water for twenty-four hours, the water caused the chametz to be absorbed into the walls of the cup. Now, how could that happen in a refrigerator? At the bottom of the refrigerator are those plastic drawers where we put vegetables. Sometimes water leaks into them. So let us say water collected in the vegetable drawers, some chametz fell in as well, and it stayed there for twenty-four hours—because we do not clean the refrigerator every twenty-four hours. Then chametz has been absorbed into the walls of the plastic. Later, on Pesach, let us say I have vegetables in there, inside that plastic drawer, and there is water there too. The vegetables and water are in contact with the walls, and after twenty-four hours, the walls could release the chametz again. There is a particular stringency on Pesach: even chametz absorbed more than twenty-four hours earlier, which strictly speaking certainly would not render anything forbidden, we treat as absolutely forbidden. So I have a problem here in the refrigerator that many people do not think about. And certainly, certainly, what I have said applies not only to those plastic drawers but to every surface where this could happen. Therefore, after cleaning the surfaces, we need to cover all of them, yes? With paper, with aluminum foil—however each person wishes. Dentures. Dentures are a little complicated. If possible—each person knows their own dentures,

30:34 what exactly they are made of and how sturdy they are. If they can be kashered in boiling water—and again, I take no responsibility for what might happen to the dentures; each person needs to know the material their own dentures are made of—then kashering them in a pot of boiling water is excellent. But usually that really could damage them. You can take the pot off the fire and wait for the temperature to drop. In this case we will not require the water to remain at boiling temperature; it may have boiled earlier, but in the meantime... Rabbi [unclear] writes that he kashers dentures in water at a temperature of seventy degrees. Some even permit kashering them in water poured into a second vessel. Each person should use the highest temperature they know their dentures can withstand. But I say that this is permissible if we also take care. On Erev Pesach, of course, you need to wash them and use toothpicks to remove all the chametz. But if throughout Pesach we are careful not to drink or eat anything at yad soledes bo temperature—no drinks at that temperature, and no kugels or things like that—and we wait, yes? That does not mean eating it while it is burning hot. We wait until it drops below forty-five or forty-three degrees, which is still very hot, and that will be excellent. So if we do both what we said—the best kashering possible—and take this precaution... We do this even for those who do not have dentures, the younger ones among us, with our mouths as well. Generally, the material of the teeth Hakadosh Boruch Hu gave us does not absorb. It is

32:49 a wonderful material. But usually, from all the sweets people eat, there are various pieces of metal in the mouth, and those do absorb. So we rinse the mouth, and for the twenty-four hours before doing so, we avoid eating or drinking anything at yad soledes bo temperature. Then, on Erev Pesach, before the deadline for eating chametz, we use the hottest water we are accustomed to using. Of course, we must be careful not to burn our mouths. We rinse with the water as needed, and that is how we kasher the metal in our mouths. As for a woman’s ring, this is really important. A woman generally wears her rings and touches all kinds of very hot things, sometimes even getting a little burned. If her ring touched challah that was at yad soledes bo temperature, the ring absorbed from it. Then, if on Pesach the ring again touches food at yad soledes bo temperature, it will release what it absorbed, and there will be a problem. So either kasher the ring in boiling water, or, if you know or are concerned that this would damage it, the woman should at least remove the ring before handling hot things in the kitchen. When you take off a ring, it is worth always putting it in the same place, so you do not spend hours looking for it afterward because it has suddenly disappeared and ended up in the trash. So be careful. As for tables, many people ask whether they need to be kashered. What is the principle here? It is true that I am not going to heat things on the table, but I am always concerned that food might come into contact with it. So if possible, if it is not a table that would be damaged, pouring boiling water onto it directly from the pot would certainly be good. But in any

34:58 case, in any case, we will cover the table. So if someone does not want to damage their table, that is perfectly fine; there is no problem. But after cleaning the table very, very thoroughly and making sure there are no crumbs, cracks, or anything like that, it should be covered with paper, or with two layers of something plastic, or with heavy-duty aluminum foil, in such a way that the covering cannot move. Heavy-duty aluminum foil, for example, secured with tape so the table cannot become exposed—that is really the best option.