DS back from Yeshiva in Israel asking questions...

amother

Sapphire

Thu, Jul 26 2018, 4:31 pm

So DS just got back from a year of learning in israel and he is asking all kinds of kashrut questions- I'm a little worried he is becoming borderline OCD, but his questions make sense to ask and he is satisfied with my answers. The latest question threw me for a loop and he asked if he could ask our Rav- I am pretty sure he is over thinking things, but wanted to ask the ladies here.... Also, I wish the boys would learn practical halacha and not just esoteric stuff that gets them all confused with actual halacha- which rav was the one who said his wife is the mashgiach- he stays out of the kitchen...(smart guy).
Anyway- we have an instant hotwater next to our sink faucet. He asked if one has a bowl of dairy oatmeal flakes and uses the instant hot to add hot water to it- since there is smoke rising from the now owet oatmeal does the instant hot faucet becomes dairy or vice versa and if yes- then is everything now treif... Ahhhh- he threw in the word "boleah" but I am sure he is over thinking this- right???????

amother

Aubergine

Thu, Jul 26 2018, 4:37 pm

steam not smoke.

I posted here that I use same hot water urn for pessach as I do rest of year. I clean it with pesach vinegar.

similar response - can't do it - if pour directly from urn onto oatmeal, makes urn chametz. (I don't, but honestly never thought of that).

amother

Sapphire

Thu, Jul 26 2018, 4:59 pm

Miri7 wrote:

I think that even if it was an issue, you're unlikely to be told that *everything* is now trief, since this is after the fact. You may be told to kasher it and to use a special pareve kli to then transfer into the ultimate kli.

... how would one even kasher something attsched to a granite countertop. Hoping our rav says there is no issue , otherwise I am worried ds will start scrutinizing everything.

mommyhood

Thu, Jul 26 2018, 5:00 pm

amother wrote:

I’ve actually asked the same question myself. I believe in the end it was fine but it’s a reasonable shaila. It’s so normal (and annoying) for yeshiva bochurim to go through this kitchen analysis stage. Whether it’s bordering on OCD or chutzpah is something we can’t determine from the short examples.

simba

Thu, Jul 26 2018, 5:03 pm

That's actually a perfectly reasonable question. I have a hot water urn over my fleishig sink. I once poured a boiling hot chicken soup into the sink and fleishig steam went up everywhere. I called a Rav and he said the spout needs to be kashered after 24 hours of no use.

amother

Scarlet

Thu, Jul 26 2018, 5:05 pm

mommyhood wrote:

Or simply a new awareness of the complexity of halacha, combined with yiras shamayim.

amother

Sapphire

Thu, Jul 26 2018, 5:12 pm

mommyhood wrote:

bh it was not chutzpa or showing off his knowledge and he was very respectful when he asked if I minded him asking the shaila... whish I could get hold of our rav to give him a heads up...
Do u remember why it was ok?

amother

Tan

Fri, Jul 27 2018, 3:56 am

It's a valid question, but there is a halachic principle that if something is coming down, it can't be going up at the same time. So if I turn on my cold water tap to rinse pasta, as long as the water is on the tap can not absorb the steam coming up from the hot pasta. I have only one faucet that moves over 2 sinks (rented house, would never design my kitchen that way, but meanwhile this is what it is), so I turn on my tap before I start to drain the pasta and turn it off after I've moved the pasta away, so the water is coming down the whole time, and therefore it doesn't absorb either the milkiness or meatiness of whatever is below it.

Sorry, I don't know the details of the halacha, but my father is a dayan and for years my parents only had one faucet and one stove before they managed to make a second kitchen, and this is what we did.

amother

Copper

Fri, Jul 27 2018, 8:34 am

You should know that many hold that rising steam is only milchigs or fleishigs if it's from a pot on a flame. Once the food is no longer being cooked, the steam doesn't have the same status. Of course, ask your local Orthodox rabbi.

amother

Sapphire

Fri, Jul 27 2018, 9:25 am

amother wrote:

Thanks! Bh our rav told him that with our set up etc. it is fine, like u said as well. Ds said he tried to push our rav for more in depth reasoning why its ok, but our rav did not bite on that and just told him its fine. Glad our rav could see the more details he would give the more questions there would be and in ds case it would have spiraled into more worry about kashrut and questions. Thanks everyone for the chizuk.

Yoyo613

Fri, Jul 27 2018, 10:08 am

I think giving a heads up if you can is OK but more important is to encourage to ask. Later you can possibly ask the dayan if he thought OCD. It encourages them to ask and to connect to experienced caring people. And to hear and accept the answer. The worst is to leave him with doubts or implementing new chumras without asking. My kids had our dayan on speed dial and they only called when necessary. They did not become OCD. The one who does not want to ask Sheelot and just takes all chumrot is the one with a big issue nowadays. Officially diagnoses at 20+ with OCD and something more. And it shows in other things too. Like to call a doctor with a question is also a big deal.

Miri7

Fri, Jul 27 2018, 10:37 am

amother wrote:

This summarizes the situation in our house. My DS has come up with various kashrut questions and DH directs him to me....My husband does a LOT of cooking, but ultimately I'm the mashgiach.