HOW TO SERVE ICE CREAM AND A HOT CAKE ON SHABBOS

Selected Halachos from the  “One Minute Halacha” project 

By HaRav Yosef Yeshaya Braun, Shlita
Mara D’asra and member of the Badatz of Crown Heights

PAYING A MOHEL

A mohel (professional Jewish circumciser) should not request payment for the act of performing a circumcision, since he is performing a mitzvah. In fact, poskim tell us that we should reprimand a mohel who does so. If a mohel insists on being paid, it’s an indication that he is not a member of the Jewish nation whose trademark is compassion. However, despite the fact that he may not ask to be paid, the mohel should nevertheless be shown appreciation; in addition, he should be reimbursed for his expenses, such as the cost of the medication he administered and his transportation costs. He may even charge for his services if there was another mohel in the area who would have been willing to perform the bris in his stead. He is also entitled to s’char batalah (compensation for wages he would have earned had he not been occupied with performing the bris).

MAY I SERVE A SCOOP OF ICE CREAM OVER HOT CAKE ON SHABBOS?

Serving ice cream over hot cake poses a problem on Shabbos. If the cake is so hot that yad soledes bo (a hand recoils from the heat)—according to many opinions approximately 45C or 113F—it would be considered cooking the ice cream, which is in violation of the melachah of bishul (the forbidden act of cooking). Even if the cake is somewhat cooler, the fact that it could cause the ice cream to melt may be an issue of molid (creating a new entity on Shabbos). Although there might be room for leniency regarding molid, it’s best to serve the ice cream next to the cake; then if the ice cream melts it’s no longer a halachic concern.

DAVENING IN THE HALLWAY OF A SHUL

Davening in the hallway or foyer of a shul raises several issues:

The halacha is that one should walk into shul, “Shiur shnei psachim v’achar kach yispalel” (the equivalent of two doorways, and then daven). There are a number of interpretations to this halacha; one is that a shul should have two successive doors, with a foyer in between serving as an antechamber, so that one doesn’t walk directly into shul from the street. This indicates that the foyer is not intended for davening.

Moreover, having people davening in the foyer makes it difficult for others to enter and leave the shul and will inevitably lead to people passing k’neged hamispalel (entering the space of a person davening Shmoneh Esrei), which is forbidden because it disturbs their kavana (concentration). Clearly one shouldn’t be davening Shmoneh Esrei in a place which would cause others to violate this halacha. 

Of course, if it’s not possible to daven in the shul proper for whatever reason—such as a function taking place or overcrowding—one may daven in the foyer. However, if there’s an option of davening in an interior room instead, one should daven in that room.

MAY ONE RECITE T’FILLAS HADERECH ON BEHALF OF OTHERS?

It is important for all those who are traveling together to say T’fillas HaDerech (the Traveler’s Prayer) simultaneously. In case there are not enough siddurim available, an option is for one of the travelers to recite T’fillas HaDerech word by word, and for the others to repeat the words in unison.

Some have the practice of one person saying the t’filla and being motzi (fulfilling the obligation of) all the others in the group. In order for one person to be motzi others, the following conditions have to be met: 1) The one saying the t’filla must have in mind to be motzi all the others. 2) The listeners have to bear in mind that they are being yotzei through the reader. 3) They must hear every word. 4) They may not hear the t’filla through a microphone. After the conclusion of the t’filla they all should answer amen.

Even if all the above conditions are met, it is nevertheless not the preferred manner. The right way is for every person to say T’fillas HaDerech by themselves—but it should be said simultaneously.

COULD BRINGING MY KNIFE IN FOR SHARPENING CAUSE A KASHRUS PROBLEM?

Facilities that offer knife sharpening services will likely use the same sharpener for kosher and treif knives (or for milchigs and fleishigs), but that itself does not pose a kashrus problem as long as the knives are clean. This is because the sharpening process does not involve heat, and whatever warmth is caused by the friction is not a problem halachically. Similarly, one may use the same sharpener for milchig and fleishig knives in their own home as long as the knives are clean.

However, when bringing knives to a sharpening facility there’s the concern that one may inadvertently be given a non-kosher knife instead of the kosher one they had given in. This issue can be avoided by having a tvius ayin (being very familiar with the knife and its identifying marks), or by some other method of ensuring that one gets back the same knife.

Another concern is that many of these facilities wash the knives together in hot water prior to sharpening them, and the taste of non-kosher food may be absorbed by the kosher utensil at this point. Therefore, care must be taken that one’s own knife is clean when giving it in, so it isn’t washed at the sharpening facility. If one can’t be sure that it wasn’t washed by them, it should be kashered afterwards, prior to use.

WHAT IS THE CORRECT WAY TO MEASURE A K’ZAYIS?

We’ve previously addressed the question of what constitutes the shiur (halachic measurement) of a k’zayis (the size of an olive), and noted that there is a machlokes (difference of opinion among poskim) whether it’s the volume of half an egg or somewhat less than a third of an egg. (We always follow the more stringent measurement, which is usually the large one.)

It’s important to note that these shiurim are measurement of volume, not of weight. Contemporary s’farim that quote amounts by units of weight have converted the original shiur of volume into the approximate equivalent in weight to make measuring easier. Those who don’t wish to rely on those approximations and wish to measure the volume of an item should be aware of the following: if there is a large hollow space inside the item, it should not be included in the measurement, whereas puffiness, fluffiness and sponginess are considered part of the volume, and should be included.

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