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We are continuing in our introduction to hilchos bishul. We learned yesterday that the definition of yad soledes bo has a range, and one has to be machmir in both directions. Today, we clarify this halacha.
The lower limit is obvious, in that one cannot allow food or water to reach the minimal temperature of yad soledes bo, as we are concerned for bishul at that point. Thus, one must be machmir for the machmir temperatures of yad soledes bo of 110 and 113 degrees.
On the other end, once water is cooked, it is not considered bishul to add more heat. If the water is at 170 degrees, which is yad soledes bo according to all opinions, moving it to a heat source which is 180 degrees is muttar according to all opinions, because no melacha has been done. However, if the water is at 150 degrees, moving it to 170 degrees would be a concern of bishul, because there is a safeik whether 150 degrees is yad soledes bo.
An example of this case would be pots which are left on a blech. Imagine a case where the temperature of the pots which are directly over the fire is 180-190 degrees, and the pots which are further away from the source of fire are not as hot, and are only 150 degrees. If one removes the pots which are directly over the fire, it would be assur to move the other pots to be directly over the fire, since 150 degrees is potentially not yet yad soledes bo, while 180 degrees is certainly yad soledes bo. On the other hand, if the pots which are not directly over the fire are already 170 degrees, and the area directly over the fire is 200 degrees, it would be muttar to move the pots around, since they are already certainly yad soledes bo. ( If the food item is not fully cooked, moving it closer to the fire source will help it cook faster and may be a problem of bishul. There is an opinion which might disagree, and hold that taking an item which is yad soledes bo and raising it to a full boil may be considered bishul, but for our purposes, we will exclude this opinion.)
Going back to the point about skin temperature, Rabbi Reingold’s online research indicated that the average hand skin temperature of a woman is 82 degrees. If so, something which is 82 degrees touching something which is 110 degrees is almost 30 degrees hotter than one’s hand, so it is not surprising that 110 degrees could be considered yad soledes bo. The average hand skin temperature of a man is higher, so the gap will be less, but we can still gain a greater appreciation for the relatively low minimum temperature of yad soledes bo.
Summary
- Bishul is defined as creating irreversible change in an item using heat (shinui aichus), or creating a reversible change which is of significance (shinui tzura).
- “Heat” is defined as yad soledes bo, the point at which one instinctively pulls their hand away. The precise number is uncertain. Rav Moshe Feinstein writes that 110 is already a safeik, and 160 is certainly yad soledes bo.
- These numbers are followed lechumra in both directions, in that one cannot heat a food higher than 110, and unless something is 170, one can not move it to a higher temperature.
