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1. Kashering:

The laws of Kashering vessels are complex and hence it should only be done by one who is expert in these laws.

One must be aware of the following details:

1. Is the vessel made of a Kasherable material?
2. How has the vessel been used? What form of Kashering is required for it? Libun? Hagalah?
3. What must one do if the vessel is rusty?
4. How does one do Libun?
5. How does one do Hagalah?
6. May the vessel be Ben Yomo?
7. Must the vessel one is Kashering in be itself Kashered?
8. How long must the vessels remain in the water by Hagalah?
9. May many vessels be Kashered simultaneously?
10. May one Kasher on Erev Pesach or Pesach?

A. What to do with Chametz vessels that one does not plan to Kasher:

• Cleaning: All Chametz vessels which one does not desire to Kasher for Pesach, or is unable to Kasher them, are to be cleaned from Chametz. One is to scrub them and slightly rinse them down from any recognizable Chametz.
• Putting them away: One is to hide the vessels in an area which he is not accustomed to enter into throughout the entire Pesach. Furthermore, it is proper to place the vessels in a room [or closet] which will be locked, and then hide the keys, in order to prevent any possibility of entering there during Pesach. Those which are accustomed to place the vessels in a very high area which is visible, have upon what to rely, although one who is stringent to hide them away from sight will be blessed.
• Un-cleanable Chametz vessels: All vessels that are difficult to clean from Chametz are to be sold to a gentile and stored away as written above.

B. Kashering new vessels:

• New vessels which are bought from a gentile do not need to be Kashered. Hence, all vessels which appear new may be bought from a gentile store or company. However, vessels sold by a gentile individual from his home are not to be purchased.
• Do new pots and pans need to be Kashered today due to suspicion of them having been smeared with non-Kosher fats? Many Poskim rule there is no need to Kasher new pots or aluminum which had non-kosher fats smeared on them during manufacturing. However, some are accustomed to be stringent. Practically, the worldwide custom is to not require them to be Kashered. However, in certain areas, such as Eretz Yisrael, many are accustomed to do so.

C. Forms of Kashering:

• The Torah taught us a great rule “Kebolo Kach Polto”; the same way the Issur entered that is the way it is removed. There are a thus number of different forms of Kashering that are done to Kasher a vessel. How each vessel is to be Kashered, and what level of Kashering it needs, is determined based on its past use.
• The following are the different levels:
  1. Libun Chamor
  2. Libun Kal
  3. Hagalah
  4. Iruiy with Even Meluban
  5. Hadacha

Libun Chamor/Gamur:

• Libun Chamor [also called Libbun Gamur] is defined as torching the vessel until sparks fly from it or alternatively, until a sheet of its metal peels off.

Libun Kal:

• Libun Kal is defined as torching the vessel until its opposite side becomes Yad Soledes. When burning Chametz from a rusty area or crack, the custom is to do so until the point that a piece of straw would burn if it were to be placed on other side.

Hagalah:

• Hagalah is defined as entering the vessel into a pot of boiling water.

Iruiy with Even Meluban:

• Iruiy with Even Meluban refers to pouring hot water from a Keli Rishon onto the item and then passing throughout the entire item a red-hot stone or metal, hence causing the water to boil.
• Using an iron: A hot iron which causes the water to boil may be used as an Even Meluban. Hence when Kashering through Iruiy with Even Meluban one is to pour hot water onto the item and then pass the hot iron throughout the entire surface of that item, hence causing the water to boil. When doing so one must observe when the iron has lost its power of heat to be able to boil the water, and consequently reheat the iron to its boiling power.
• Using a water boiler “Kumkum”: Water which is poured from a mini water boiler [“Kumkum”], while the boiler is still on and the water is boiling, is considered like both Iruiy and Even Meluban, and hence when pouring from such a vessel there is no need to pass over the surface using a red hot stone or metal.

Hadacha:

• This refers to Kashering through cleaning the vessel very well with even cold water.