Sabbath food preparation refers to the preparation and handling of food before theSabbath, (also calledShabbat, or the seventh day of the week) beginning at sundown Friday concluding at sundown Saturday, theBible day of rest, when cooking, baking, and the kindling of a fire are prohibited by theJewish law.
One of the 39 prohibited activities on the Sabbath isbishul (Hebrew:בישול), or "cooking." However,bishul is not an exact equivalent of "cooking." The Hebrew termbishul as it relates toShabbat is the "use of heat to alter the quality of an item,"[1] and this applies whether the heat is applied throughbaking,boiling,frying,roasting and most other types of cooking.[2][3]
The prohibition ofbishul applies to all types of food and drink, even to foods and drinks which are edible when raw or cold.[4]
Kli RishonAkli rishon (כלי ראשון, "first vessel") is a vessel that was heated directly on a flame or other source of heat. Even when removed from the source of heat, this vessel maintains its status as akli rishon, and possesses the capacity to enactbishul on any type of food placed within it. This capacity remains until the pot and its contents cool below the temperature ofyad soledet bo (יד סולדת בו, the degree of heat "from which the hand recoils").
The prohibited activity ofbishul is separate and distinct from that ofhavarah (הבערה, "kindling afire"). Performingbishul with a pre-existing flame is forbidden on Shabbat The prohibition ofbishul, however, is not limited to the use of fire as a heat source; it is forbidden to performbishul with any source of heat, whether it be an actual flame, or an electricstove/range, ahot plate, anurn[5][6] or amicrowave oven.[7] Moreover, placing food into akli rishon may constitutebishul in certain instances. However using heat from the sun to cook is allowed on shabbat. (talmud shabbat 39a)
While it is prohibited in most instances to initially heat a food item to the temperature ofyad soledet bo, foods that have already been fully cooked may sometimes be reheated. In terms of reheating, a distinction is made between dry foods and liquids.
Dry food that has been completely cooked is no longer subject to the prohibition ofbishul; this is based on the principle ofain bishul achar bishul (אין בישול אחר בישול, "Cooking does not take effect after cooking"). Thus, a completely cooked, dry food item, such as a piece of chicken orpotato kugel, may be reheated once it has been fully cooked.
However, there is a great dispute as to whether this rule applies to liquids:Maimonides,[8] theRashba and theRan assert that liquids are in fact no different from solid dry foods, whereasRashi,[9] theRosh[10] andRabbeinu Yonah[11] assert that this rule does not apply and reheating of liquids is forbidden, applying the principle ofyeish bishul achar bishul (יש בישול אחר בישול, "Cooking does take effect after cooking") to liquids. This prohibition of reheating liquids only applies when the liquid has completely cooled. If the liquid has only partially cooled and still retains enough heat to be enjoyed as the warm liquid as it was intended to be,[12] it may be reheated by Ashkenazic Jews. For Sephardic Jews, it cannot be reheated if it has cooled beyondyad soledet bo.[13]
Kli rishon, literally the first utensil, refers to a utensil that is used for cooking, baking or roasting food or liquid, and contains that hot food or liquid. When hot food or liquid is transferred from the kli rishon into a second utensil, this utensil is called a kli sheni. A kli shlishi is the third utensil into which hot food or liquid is transferred. The idea of Kli shlishi being less stringent than a Kli Sheni is not clear in the talmud or rishonim. All vessels that are no longer a Kli Rishon have the status of kli sheni as the status of a kli sheni is based on the fact that the heat is generated by the liquid within the vessel rather than by the walls of the vessel. In that regard Kli sheni and Kli shlishi etc. are exactly the same .
The problem of preparing hot beverages on Shabbat revolves around the temperature of the water. If the water is hot enough to cook the tea leaves, it would constitutemalacha. Pouring straight from an urn (also considered a klei rishon) would cause the cooking of the substance. For a solid substance the outer and concrete layer will definitely be cooked (bishul kdai klipah), which would be malacha. For a liquid there is no concrete layer, and therefore no specific part that is being cooked. Therefore, it is ruled that a liquid is not considered cooked if it is not yad soledet bo or 113 °F (45 °C)[citation needed]. A kos sheini can be used to bypass this problem.
Using a Kos sheini is acceptable because when the liquid is poured (Erui kos sheini) some of the heat is transferred into the atmosphere, and therefore the liquid loses some heat. Most people hold that this will not cause enough heat to be emitted and therefore the tea leaves will still be cooked. To lower the temperature of the water further people rule that a klei shlishi must be used. Once again in the pouring process (erui klei sheini) more heat is emitted and therefore some people hold that the tea will not be cooked and it is therefore permissible to make tea with this water.[14] However, many other authorities hold that tea leaves fall under the category of items which cook easily (kalei habishul), even in the diminished heat of a kos shelishi. Consequently, those who are most scrupulous in their observance will prepare a concentrated tea extract before the Sabbath; as a liquid, water from a kos sheini can be added to the extract to heat it.
In addition to the Biblical prohibition of cooking on Shabbat, there exist several related rabbinical prohibitions on Shabbat.
In 2015, a house fire killed seven children in Brooklyn, New York. The 2015 fire was preceded by at least four otherShabbat fires in Brooklyn in the past 15 years caused by appliances for heating food being left on or candles burning during the Jewish Sabbath in order to comply withOrthodox interpretation of Jewish law.[15] In 2005, three children died in a fire in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, caused when stove burners were left on duringPassover.[16] After the 2015 fire, theNew York City Fire Department distributed a pamphlet titled "Fire Safety for Jewish Observances" to nearby homes.[17] In response to the fire, many Jews in Brooklyn purchased smoke detectors before the following Sabbath.[18][19]