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Steam from Shabbos Urn

Question:

Dear Rabbi

I recently added water from a very hot electric Shabbos urn straight into a pot of hot chicken soup. It was about 3 inches away from the soup itself but the steam went on the tap and possibly on the side of the urn. Does this make the urn meaty from now on? The tap is plastic and the urn is stainless steel.

Part 2 of this question: I have in the past added boiling water from a kettle into a pot of hot cooking cholent and the steam did rise onto the kettle. I’m sure I’ve also added boiling water to a hot milky drink too, and had the steam rose onto the kettle. Should I get a new kettle?

Please can you tell me also of there are leniencies about these issues.

Thanks

Answer:

Although L’chatchila you should be careful not to use the urn for pouring into milchig and fleishig, however if it was done the urn will still be pareve, and even if it was used to pour into a cholent pot, you may still use it for coffee. Essentially there are two issues here, the hot steam, and the “nitzuk” the flow of the liquid. Regarding the steam, although the steam might have been hot, but since we are only dealing with heter, we can be lenient and say that once the steam is no longer inclosed in the pot, that it will not make it the urn fleishig. Regarding the flow of water b’dieved we are not machmir for nitzuk by issur v’heter.

Sources:

Regarding “nitzuk- Rma Y:D 105-3, Darcei Teshuva ibid 98, Kovetz Mbais Halevi 6 pg. 33-9, Maadanei Osher (Issur Vheter) 104-4 in the name of R’ S. Z. Auerbach zt”l, Shmiras Shabbos Khilchoso 1 ftnt 47, Aliba D’hilchoso  vol. 47 Pg. 21 column 2. R’ Y. Cahen shit”a.

 

 

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