Someone who realized on Shabbos that the platta was not turned on (they placed the pots on the platta, however forgot to turn it on) what is the best solution (if any) they have in order to get the food hot on Shabbos in a case where the food has pretty much cold off (the person is very much in sofek if they can still say it’s b’geder “lo nitznain l’gamri”) and also where there is no goy to use?
Answer:
For liquid, if the food has cooled beneath the definition of “slightly warm” (meaning, a food that it is comfortable to eat due to its warmth), there is little that can be done. Even if a non-Jew is available, he cannot be asked to turn on the hot plate.
For solids that are fully cooked, one can check if a neighbor (to whom it is permitted to carry) has a hot plate, and the food can be placed on the hot plate on top of an inverted pot, or similar method that is permitted to heat with on Shabbos (accoring to Iggros Moshe 4:74:34, the food can be placed directly only an electric hotplate, which is not generally suitable for cooking).
I heard one Rov that was makil in this shailo with an interesting cheshbon. He claimed to have been somach on the Rema. The Rema says that ain bishul achar bishul with something that wasn’t yet cold down completely. This Rema many achronim says different pirushim on how the Rema came up with this seemingly new shita in regards to bishul achar bishul. One of the darachim in understanding the Rema is that put forward by the Minchas Cohen, Nishmas Adam and probably most well known for this way of understanding the Rema, the Chazzon Ish (as well as other achronim if I’m not mistaken.) They say that really the Rema holds *mikar hadin* “ain bishul acher bishul by a davar lach even if it was cold down completely, just he was machmir that it should be a little bit hot still — some explain this chumrah as a ‘geder’ to the issur chazarah. In this being the case this Rov wanted to be somach on the “ikar hadin” of the Rema that ain bishul achar bishul b’davar lach even if it was cold down completely.
What do you think of this cheshbon?
The 2 main problems is that there are other darachim in understanding the Rema that say he holds mikar hadin yesh bishul achar bishul if the food was completely cooled down (perhaps even m’doraisa) just he is makil neged the machaber as long as it’s still a little hot for another reason (See all of the achronim that go in this derech — Pri Magadim, SA HaRav, and others.) That’s one reason to find it difficult to say to be somach on the “ikar hadin” of the Rema in this case.
As well that the Chazzon Ish that wants to explain mikar hadin the Rema holds “ain bishul achar bishul…” he says to then ask a goy to put the pot back on a fire that’s goref and katum would be muter but for a Yisrael would for sure be ossur. So even the makilim don’t go so far l’maseh.
Tzrich Iyun. The eitzah of the Chazzon Ish to ask a goy to put it on the other platta in this case would seem like the best.
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