Heating uncooked foods to less than Yad Soledes:
A. Near a fire or other heat source [i.e. near an open flame, near a blech or electric plate, on top of a pot on fire, on top of water urn]:
The food can potentially reach Yad Soledes:[1] All foods that have a cooking prohibition [i.e. foods that are not fully cooked, or contain cold liquid] may not be placed near a fire or near another heat source [i.e. blech, electric plate], if the food can reach Yad Soledes in that area. This applies even if one plans to remove the food from the area prior to it reaching this temperature.[2] Likewise, one may not place such a food on top of a pot of food that is on the fire, or on top of another heat source, such as on top of a water urn, if the food can reach Yad Soledes in that area.
If the food will not be able to reach Yad Soledes:[3] The above prohibition only applies if the food can reach Yad Soledes in the area of heat that it is placed in. If, however, it will not reach Yad Soledes [even if it remains there the entire day[4]], then one may place it there. This is with exception to placing it inside a Keli Rishon. Thus, one may place any food over a pot or near a fire if the food cannot reach Yad Soledes even if left there for a long time.
B. On top of a hot pot that is off the fire:[5]
[It is permitted to place even uncooked food on top of a hot pot that is off the fire, so long as the uncooked food cannot reach Yad Soledes, as stated above in A.] Furthermore, if the uncooked food is already hot to the point of Yad Soledes [i.e. such as from before Shabbos] and will not become further cooked through placing it on top of the pot that is off the fire, then it may be placed on it even if the pot under it is Yad Soledes, as will be explained in Halacha 4A. If, however, the uncooked food is not hot to the point of Yad Soledes, then it is forbidden to place it on top of a hot pot if it can heat it to Yad Soledes.[6] However, if the food does not have a cooking prohibition [i.e. fully cooked and dry] then it is permitted to be placed on top of the hot pot even if the food will reach Yad Soledes.[7]
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Summary: It is forbidden to heat an uncooked food, or any food that contains a cooking prohibition, on Shabbos to even less than Yad Soledes, if it can reach Yad Soledes if it were to remain in that area until after Shabbos. Q&A If a food will be damaged if it is warmed to Yad Soledes, may it be warmed near a fire if one will remove it prior to it reaching Yad Soledes?[8] Many Poskim[9] rule it is permitted to leave it there with intent to remove it prior to reaching Yad Soledes.[10]
May one place a baby bottle into a Keli Rishon or near a fire, with intent to remove it prior to it reaching Yad Soledes?[11] One should not do so.[12] Although if one simply desires to thaw down the bottle and not heat it up, then if one is in a pressing situation this may be done on condition that one supervises that it does not begin to heat. [see next]
In a pressing situation may one be lenient to slightly thaw down the food in an area that it can reach Yad Soledes if left there for a long time?[13] In a pressing situation, such as for one who cold drinks are bad for his health [or a child that will not drink the cold drink], it is permitted to place a cold drink near the fire to simply thaw it down, and not to warm it up, even if it can reach Yad Soledes in that area, if leaving it in a different area will take a very long time to thaw it. One who is lenient in this fulfills the Mitzvah of Oneg Shabbos. It is however forbidden according to all to do so if one’s intent is to warm up the bottle.[14]
May one melt a frozen baby bottle in the sun or near heat in an area that it will not reach Yad Soledes? See Chapter 12 Halacha 2.
May one warm or dry his wet hands near a heater or fire? No. This applies even if the water on his hand will not reach Yad Soledes. See the laws of bathing Chapter 126.
May one defrost frozen Challah near a flame, such as on top of other pots? Yes, however one must verify that there is no liquid or ice on the bread in order to not transgress a cooking prohibition. |
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[1] Admur 318:15 “However one may not place a vessel which has in it [food that] is not hot to the point of Yad Soledes on top of [another] pot which is so hot that it can heat the upper [pot] to the point that it will become Yad Soledes. The same law applies to placing [a pot] on top of a kettle which is this hot. However, this only applies when the [food in the] upper [pot] has not yet fully cooked in which case it contains the cooking [prohibition] even when hot.”; 318:24 “However, it is forbidden to place it near the fire in an area where it can heat up to the point of Yad Soledes. [Furthermore] to even leave it there for a short amount of time so it merely thaws the coldness alone, is forbidden due to a decree that one may come to forget and leave it there to the point that it will reach Yad Soledes.”; 318:29 “It is forbidden to place cold [liquid] on top of a kettle even in order to just warm it up [as opposed to making it hot] so long as it’s hot water is so hot that if the cold [liquid] were to be left on top of it for a long time then it would be able to cook, which means that it would become Yad Soledes, as the law of placing [food] on top of a kettle is the same law as that of placing [food] near a bonfire.”; Michaber 318:14 and 17
[2] Admur ibid; Michaber ibid
The reason: Even leave it there for a short amount of time so it merely thaws the coldness alone, is forbidden due to a decree that one may come to forget and leave it there to the point that it will reach Yad Soledes. [Admur ibid]
Other opinions: Some Rishonim rule that the decree was only made in a case that one desires to warm the food. If however one, simply desires to thaw it down then it is permitted. Practically one may be lenient like these opinions in a case of need, and one who does so fulfill the Mitzvah of Oneg Shabbos. [Tzemach Tzedek Orach Chaim 37; Ketzos Hashulchan 124 footnote 36; Tehila Ledavid 318:29; Chayeh Adam 20:13; Shabbos Kehalacha 4:23 p. 211]
[3] 318:24 “It is permitted to place a bottle of water or of other liquids opposite a bonfire in order to thaw out its coldness, as long as that one places it a distance from the fire to the extent that it will not be able to heat up in that place to Yad Soledes even if it were to remain there for a long time.”; 318:29 “However, if [the water in the kettle] is not so hot [to the point that it can warm up the food to Yad Soledes even if left there for a long time] then it is allowed [even if the water has never been cooked- M”B 318:112].”; See also Admur 318:14-15; Michaber 318:14
[4] Tosefus Yesheinim Shabbos 37b; and so explains Shabbos Kehalacha 4:19 in Admur.
[5] Admur 318:14-15
[6] Admur 318:15 “However one may not place a vessel which has in it [food that] is not hot to the point of Yad Soledes on top of [another] pot which is so hot that it can heat the upper [pot] to the point that it will become Yad Soledes. The same law applies to placing [a pot] on top of a kettle which is this hot.”
[7] Admur 318:15 “However, this only applies when the [food in the] upper [pot] has not yet fully cooked in which case it contains the cooking [prohibition] even when hot.”
[8] Shabbos Kehalacha Vol. 1 p. 210
[9] Magen Avraham 318:37; Elya Raba 318:34; M”B 318:91 regarding a vessel. Vetzaruch Iyun why no mention of this is made in Admur.
[10] The reason: As here one can say that one will not come to forget to remove it prior to it reaching that point.
[11] Shabbos Kehalacha Vol. 1 p. 210
[12] Some, based on the above answer, have ruled that here too it is allowed being that one will not come to forget to remove the bottle since he does not want it to become Yad Soledes and burn the child. However practically one should not be lenient to do so being that no damage will come about if one heats it too much as it can always be cooled off. Thus, one may come to forget to remove it. [This can also be understood from the ruling that even when the Keli Rishon is not Yad Soledes one may not place food in it, hence certainly when it is Yad Soledes even though one for sure will remove it before it reaches Yad Soledes should this be forbidden.]
[13] Tzemach Tzedek Orach Chaim 37; Ketzos Hashulchan 124 footnote 36; Tehila Ledavid 318:29; Chayeh Adam 20:13; Shabbos Kehalacha 4:23 [p. 211]
[14] The reason: Some Rishonim rule that the decree was only made in a case that one desires to warm the food. If, however, one simply desires to thaw it down then it is permitted. Practically one may be lenient like these opinions in a case of need, and one who does so fulfill the Mitzvah of Oneg Shabbos. [ibid]
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