Warming Food on Shabbos
< Intro and Lesson 1: Getting to Know Your Blech
Lesson 2: Zones of the Blech
IMPORTANT NOTE: Please see Tip! in the transcription below for halachic clarification on moving the cholent closer to the flame on Shabbos.
In this second lesson about warming food on Shabbos (Shabbat), Rabbi Rappaport discusses the three zones of the blech (see Lesson 1) and the laws pertaining to each. Zones revolve around how hot the area is, based on its proximity to the flame.
Zone A – The part of your blech directly over the flame:
- Do not add even fully-cooked food to the pot on Shabbos.
- Do not take the pot cover off even if the food is fully-cooked.
- Do not serve from the pot while on Zone A.
Zone B – Not directly over the flame, but too hot to touch (“yad soledes bo” – when you put your hand on it, you need to pull it back because of the heat). This area can still cook, if the food is left there long enough. Therefore:
- Do not add even fully-cooked cold food to the pot.
- You may serve from the pot on Zone B. Therefore, when ready to serve your soup, for example, you may move your pot from Zone A to Zone B, and serve from there.
Zone C – The part of your blech that is furthest from the flame, and is warm but not hot (not “yad soledes bo“):
- You may serve from the pot in this zone.
- You may put cold food there to take the chill out, even if it hasn’t been cooked, because the food will never cook in this area.
Tip! Place your fully-cooked cholent on Zone B before Shabbos (part of the pot may be in Zone C, but not the whole pot), where it will remain hot until the Friday Night food is served. Then, as long as it has remained hot, you may move the cholent closer to the flame once you have removed your other pots (either to Zone A or a section of Zone B that’s closer to the flame), so that it will remain hot until ready to be served the next day. (You’ll want to make sure it remains hot enough to avoid bacteria growth, but not too hot so that it doesn’t burn. Experience will help you figure out the best spot for the pot, and how high to set the flame before Shabbos.)
Lesson 3: Serving Food From the Blech >
Rabbi Pinchus Rappaport is a respected rabbi who received his Rabbinic ordination from Yeshiva of Staten Island, under the tutelage of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein. He currently serves as a rabbi in Brooklyn, NY.
Since halachic opinions vary among the rabbis of different communities, Oorah and Rabbi Rappaport encourage you to direct any questions to, and get halachic guidance from, your local Orthodox rabbi. You may, however, rely on this video and email Rabbi Rappaport with questions in the interim, at askrpr2@gmail.com.
Shared as a zechus l’iluy nishmas Moshe Zeev ben Aryeh Leib
