Rabbi Mendel Agranovich
Shalom, dear readers!
We continue the topic of first and second vessels, which we began in the previous issue. As part of this topic, we need to discuss another interesting case that shows very clearly the difference between two ways of understanding what distinguishes a first vessel from a second.
Let us recall the definition given by the authors of Tosafot: “And it should be said of a first vessel that since it stood on the heat, its walls are hot and retain heat for a long time. But a second vessel, although it is at the same temperature, does not cook, because its walls are not hot and it cools down.”
We have already written that the words of Tosafot can be understood in two ways:
1) only a vessel that has been on the heat and has hot walls is considered “first”;
2) only cold walls give a vessel the status of “second.”
It follows from this that a stream flowing from a “first” vessel has no hot walls, yet it has no cold walls either. Not only the stream, but also a piece of solid food (for example, a hot potato), will have the same disputed status.
That is, in practical terms: any hot solid food can cook (at least partially) whatever comes into contact with it, and therefore you may not, even on a plate (which is either a second or even a third vessel), place fresh salad directly on hot cholent, but only in such a way that they do not touch each other.
Now, regarding a ladle: on the one hand, it has not been on the heat, but its walls are hot because it was immersed in hot soup. On the other hand, it was not on the heat for the entire time that the “first” vessel (the pot of soup) into which it was immersed was on the heat. What status does it have?
The Chafetz Chaim (“Mishnah Berurah,” section 318, subsection 87) writes that if the ladle was in the “first” vessel while it was on the heat or while its contents were boiling, then all opinions agree that the ladle is also “first.”
If it was merely dipped into the pot, however, its status remains disputed, and it must therefore be treated as “first” as a stringency. What does this mean in practice?
1) You may not pour from the ladle onto anything raw or uncooked.
2) You may (with a ladle) pour soup onto the cold drops of cooled soup that remain in the bowl after the first serving, because it is not certain that cooking after cooking applies to liquids (more on this in detail later), nor is it certain that the ladle is a “first” vessel, and you are merely pouring from it.
3) If you used a glass to scoop water from a pot of hot water standing on a hot plate or a properly covered stove, then you may not add cold tea concentrate to that same glass, but must pour the water into another glass, because it is considered to have been on the heat.
Now let us discuss another important group of foods, namely, foods that “cook easily.” The Talmud mentions certain kinds of fish (Spanish kolias and “old salted fish”) that cook even under a stream of water poured from a “second” vessel. In other words, because the flesh of these fish is very tender, it requires no prolonged or intensive heating at all; simply pouring a stream of hot water over it is enough to make it ready. Some hold that this is the ancient counterpart of our herring, and that all it needs is to be soaked to remove the salt, after which it is fit to eat. This is also why it cooks so easily.
In any event, the Rambam, and later the code “Mishnah Berurah,” state that any thin, soft material or food cooks even in a second vessel or under a stream poured from it. We, in turn, cannot determine what qualifies as thin and soft, and therefore may not place anything raw at all into a hot second vessel. However, it should be noted here that the Chazon Ish held that this stringency does not apply to everything, but only to food whose cooking is apparent even to an ordinary observer. For example, a raw egg, tea leaves, or bread, which cooks even though it has already been baked.
Summary. The “Second” Vessel.
1) Water and olive oil do not cook in a “second” vessel (Talmud, our article in the previous issue).
2) No raw food may be placed in a “second” vessel (according to some opinions, because of a rabbinic decree, and according to others, because of a concern involving Torah law).
3) The Chazon Ish limited point 2 to a few Talmudic and readily observable examples.
Let us discuss another important concept—the “third” vessel.
The Chafetz Chaim (“Mishnah Berurah”) held that no stringency at all is necessary with a “third” vessel—nothing cooks in it.
The Chazon Ish held that for anything that unquestionably cooks easily according to our understanding of cooking, there is no difference between a “second” and a “third” vessel (this is stated explicitly in “Sefer Yere’im”). But this applies only to things clearly known to “cook easily,” not to those treated as such only as a stringency.
Summary. The “Third” Vessel.
1) Uncooked food may not be placed in a “third” vessel (the opinion of the Chazon Ish).
2) Bread, whose cooking is only a matter of stringency (since it has already been baked), may be placed in a “third” vessel according to both the “Mishnah Berurah” and the Chazon Ish (but not according to the original text of “Sefer Yere’im”).
The following conclusions emerge:
1) You may crumble matzah or challah into a bowl of soup, or add croutons (the bowl is generally a “third” vessel, because the ladle was merely dipped into the pot, used to scoop out soup, and removed, rather than left in it for a long time or while it was on the fire; otherwise, the bowl is only a “second” vessel, and you may either wait for it to cool or refrain from putting bread into it at all, or, if this is necessary for a child, transfer the soup once more). We cite this ruling from the book “Orchot Shabbat,” whose author brought together the “Mishnah Berurah’s” opinions on the status of a ladle in two different passages and the opinion of the Chazon Ish.
2) Croutons may not be added to a soup tureen (a “second” vessel).
3) Black pepper (ground or whole peppercorns) and herbs may not be added to a bowl of hot soup (because we do not know which seasonings the sages of the Talmud permitted, but we do know that pepper and herbs are finely ground and may therefore be the thin, soft foods mentioned by the Chafetz Chaim and the Rambam).
4) Pasteurized milk may be poured into a “second” vessel (if the water in it does not burn the hand, according to the “Chayei Adam”), but freshly milked or raw milk may not.
5) Ground coffee may not be brewed even in a “third” vessel.
6) Instant coffee may be added to a “second” vessel, because it was already cooked during production.
7) According to the letter of the law, lemon and honey may be placed in a “third” vessel. A more stringent approach is possible, because the original text of “Sefer Yere’im” exists (our teachers did not have it, but we do), and it clearly states that there is no difference between “second” and “third” vessels. But the halachah has been established according to the opinions of the “Mishnah Berurah” and the Chazon Ish, because the Almighty transmitted His Torah to us through them, and their opinion is therefore decisive [The Chazon Ish himself equated the opinion of the Chafetz Chaim (“Mishnah Berurah”) with that of the Sanhedrin in the Temple, meaning that it is the principal opinion. On this basis, it is this opinion that we regard as fundamental.] However, this question requires a separate article.
We will discuss how to salt food in the next issue. For now, goodbye.