Minhag for burying treif dishes

Jenmom

Thu, Jan 14 2021, 10:45 am

This is probably a silly question, as I have only seen 2 people ever bring it up - a minhag that supposedly exists to bury dishes in the back yard for 1 or 8 years (!) if they accidentally become treif. I am not sure if I should take it seriously because both times it has been in the context of "Why I don't want to keep kosher because it is too hard". I have never heard of a Rav tell anyone to do this but has someone on here been told to do this? Surely the idea comes from somewhere. What I was told was boil the dish/utensil and do not use it for a month.

cbsp

Thu, Jan 14 2021, 10:51 am

Not silly but maybe misunderstood.

There's something called ni'utz b'karka - a method of kashering (cleaning) off the grease from a knife by thrusting it into the ground (not leaving it there, it's the abrasive action of the thrusting that makes this work).

Here is a good description:

What’s the Truth about . . . “Planting” Knives to Kasher Them?
https://jewishaction.com/relig.....them/

Jenmom

Thu, Jan 14 2021, 10:55 am

cbsp wrote:

Thanks!

I have heard this mostly from younger less observant Jewish people critical of their older parents so it makes sense that it is a misunderstanding.

Chana Miriam S

Thu, Jan 14 2021, 11:54 am

cbsp wrote:

That’s actually neitza. For clarification steel wool is commonly used today and the knife still needs to be kosher Ed using hagala https://oukosher.org/halacha-y.....tza/.

Chana Miriam S

Thu, Jan 14 2021, 11:58 am

My rabbi suggests putting plates that were originally from a kiln ( China or other clay) in self cleaning oven. Proviso that if it’s going to wreck it, it’s not kosherable( like glass)

I’ve heard it from more than just my rabbi. I’m aimed as a COR mashgiach but you’d really need to ask either your rabbi ( or if it was under hashgacha the rav hamachshir ( like a restaurant who is using used teacups picked up at flea markets or something)

zaq

Thu, Jan 14 2021, 12:25 pm

There's also an inyan that if you happen to unearth dishes (I'm not sure if it's any tableware or only those of specific materials) that were buried in the ground by person or persons unknown--e.g. you're putting in a swimming pool and the excavator brings up some dishes--you can use them without having to kasher first.

SixOfWands

Thu, Jan 14 2021, 12:48 pm

andrea levy wrote:

That’s actually neitza. For clarification steel wool is commonly used today and the knife still needs to be kosher Ed using hagala https://oukosher.org/halacha-y.....tza/.

Just as an amusing story, my brother once had a roommate who claimed to keep kosher (now that I actually do keep kosher, I realize he didn't, although it was "kosher-style"), who used to set aside every piece of cutlery my brother "treifed," then shove it in a potted plant and call it kosher. The funny part is that it was my parents' old cutlery, which was anything but kosher to begin with.

I had to disabuse my brother of the notion that his ficus would make his kitchenware acceptable to us.

amother

Brunette

Thu, Jan 14 2021, 2:18 pm

Growing up if somebody pointed a knife at another purposely my mother would stick in into the ground to kosher it. What's that about?

zaq

Thu, Jan 14 2021, 3:21 pm

That flowerpot thing was a very widespread belief. In my inner-city nabe, plants didn't thrive, but, man, those flowerpots sprouted cutlery galore. Where do you think the name 'aluminum plant' came from? LOL

DrMom

Thu, Jan 14 2021, 4:42 pm

zaq wrote:

.
Unless you live near an archeological site, how often does this happen?