Question:
Dear Rabbi
Do new dishes, glasses, utensils, etc. made of wood, ceramic or glass need to Toveled if they are new and never used? Also, do trays and plates, cups etc. made of melamine need Tevilas Keilim?
Thank you so much
Answer:
The rule with tevilas keilim is that only metal and glass need to be toveled with a bracha. Wood and pottery are not materials that have a need to tovel. Porcelain, which is pottery which is coated with a thin layer of glass will need tevila, but without a bracha. Even metal and wood only need tevila if they were owned by non-Jew. Melamine is a type of plastic and does not need tevila, according to most poskim.
Sources:
Y:D 120-1, Pischei Teshuva 120-2, Teshvos V’hanhagos 1-451 in the name of Chazon Ish that plastic doesn’t have to be toveked, This is also the opinion of Chelkas Yackov Y:D 45, Gevuras Eliyahu Y:D 38-39, Beer Moshe 2-85, Tzitz Eliezer 7-37, The Kosher Kitchen Chap. 12-6 in the name of R’ Eliyashiv zt”l, Nesivos Hahalacha 46 pg. 592 in the name of R’ Moshe Feinstein and R’ Vozner zt”l. On the other hand, Minchas Yitzchok 3- 77-79 how rules to tovel it without a bracha. The general minhag is to be lenient with this stringent on this matter.
