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Using Towel that Absorbed Milk

If milk spilled on a kitchen towel and dried out. Then later a person mistakenly used that towel to pick up a hot meat pot is there any problem with this?

Answer:

If the milk was completely absorbed by the towel, and the towel is now dry (meaning that both the towel and the pot are dry), there is no problem.

The reason for this is that one keli doesn't absorb from another when both are dry. Having been absorbed into the towel, the towel has the status of a keli, and will not affect the pot.

Best wishes.

Sources:

For sources on this matter, please see the comments below.

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2 Comments

  1. rabbi do you have any sources for this? it seems (to me) a big jump in logic to equate a towel and a pot!

    1. Sources: See Darkei Teshuva 92:179, citing from the Chochmas Shlomo (Ha-Elef Lecha Shlomo 150) who writes that a cloth that absorbs milk has the status of a utensil, and that there is therefore no transfer of beliyos.
      Rav Moshe Feinstein (Yoreh De'ah 3:10) writes that the towel can even be used lechatchilah.
      However, if the milk was not fully absorbed and dried, there will of course be a problem.

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