Answer by Rabbi Yitzchok Raskin – more horaa in Rechovot:
Although it is a mitzva to prepare warm food for the Shabbos meal, Chazal limited the forms of wrapping hot foods (hatmana). On Shabbos itself one may not wrap food in material without a heat source (davar she’eino mosif hevel) out of concern that one may find it cool and heat it up.
On erev Shabbos one may not wrap in materials which increase heat (davar hamosif hevel) since a person may use coals and increase the flame so that it cooks faster on Shabbos itself.
What about hot food submerged in other hot food? Many halachic authorities understand that according to the Alter Rebbe, food placed inside other foods can be considered hatmana.
However, if they are both part of the same dish it is not considered “wrapped.” For example, stuffed chicken or stuffed cabbage (an outside edible wrap with stuffing) is not hatmana.
What about placing a baby bottle in hot water to warm the bottle up? Some say that hot food off the flame is not a davar hamosif hevel since it cannot maintain the heat and is cooling down.4 The Alter Rebbe is lenient on this matter. Still, on Shabbos one should not submerge it fully.
Even when there is no problem of hatmana, one must ensure that the cold food cannot eventually reach yad soledes bo (above 110°F), for then there would be a prohibition of bishul, cooking on Shabbos.
Is there any permissibility to place some kugel inside foil inside the cholent before Shabbos? Some contemporary poskim hold that this is a classic case of hatmana (wrapped over a heat source).
Others argue that one is not wrapping the kugel to keep it warm, but only so that it will not mix with the cholent, and they are just sharing the same fire. With kishke, there is additional room to permit wrapping, since kishke is really part of the cholent, and the bag is only in order for it to remain held together. One should circumvent this issue by puncturing holes in the foil so that it should be considered one food with the cholent.
Wrapping food without a heat source is only considered hatmana when it is wrapped from all sides. If one side is exposed it is not considered hatmana. However, when wrapping over a heat source, the majority of the food should be exposed for it not to be considered hatmana. Thus, if the kugel is sitting above the cholent it is not a proper hatmana and is permissible.
I sometimes take for example, cold chicken and smother it on my plate at the meal, with hot cholent, for the purpose of both cooling the cholent down faster since I don’t like it so burning hot anyway, and also to warm up the chicken, so it too will taste better than if it stays cold.
I wonder if that is OK, Al Pi Halacha?
I wrap my kugel and kishka in parchment paper to avoid the affects of aluminium foil.
Does that make a difference since it doesn’t conduct heat, or make it hotter?
I agree with not using foil! Get rid of that and plastic as well.
That aluminum foil leeching into the cholent all night long gives me the chills!!!! Do your research, folks!!!
I wrap my kugel and kishka in parchment paper to avoid the affects of aluminium foil.
Does that make a difference since it doesn’t conduct heat, or make it hotter?
I agree with not using foil! Get rid of that and plastic as well.
Hatmana is dirabanan. So you could be linient
Although I respect everyone’s sincere effort to find out the bottom line on thi, I wanted to put something out there. Much research has been conducted about the effects of aluminum. Much of that research shows that there are harmful effects from using it, especially when heated. This goes for aluminum pots/pans as well as the foil. There is good reason to believe that Alzheimer’s disease can come about due to the effects of this metal in the brains. Excessive amounts have been found in those brains. (Unheated aluminum, as in canned foods is also not recommended?) So I think… Read more »
When in doubt –
1. Ask your local orthodox rabbi.
2. A doubt in an issur d’orayta (shabbos) – you must be stringent, so assume it is prohibited until you discover that it is allowed.
3. If you did chillul shabbos unintentionally (b’shogeg), then you must bring a korbon chatos in bais hamikdosh.
You’d better ask your local Rov. Collive isn’t manned by a team of expert rabbonim.
The Cholent Pot and the Water Urn on Shabbos: Got Them Covered? The melachah (the prohibition) of bishul (cooking) on Shabbos includes any act that aids the cooking process. Therefore, a pot sitting on the blech (metal sheet used on Shabbos to cover the flame or other heat source) containing food that is not fully cooked may not be covered or re-covered on Shabbos. (See Halachah #334 for how raw or partially cooked food may be set up for Shabbos with a blech or an alternative.) Even if the food in the pot is fully cooked, it may still be… Read more »
it seems to me
soup ok
urn must be a litle uncovered
thermos ok cuz off fire unlike your urn which plugged in is considered all ha’aish
chalas ok cuz they are baked not cooked and dry.
Please clarify rules of hatmana! After reading this I am totally confused. I heat up soup before shabbos and when boiling, I remove from fire and wrap it up before shabbos in an insulated cover to keep it hot till the meal – is that allowed? I also have an insulated cover over my hot water urn (which is left plugged in on shabbos) to keep water extra hot – is that allowed? I also sometimes place certain hot food in a thermos before shabbos to keep it hot (I heard Rebbe did it for hot water and for me,… Read more »
is there a problem if the wrapped food is cooked already since the hatama wont accomplish anything except kkep ot warm before shabbos?