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I just purchased an Electric Bread Making Machine and I need to know the proper way to Toivel. Do I need to immerse the Machine in Mikvah Water, or can I Toivel the parts that come in contact with food?
yankdownunder-
Hi.
Mixers have their bowls and blades toiveled.
I’ve never heard of anyone toiveling the machine itself.
Years ago we bought a George Foreman grill that had cooking surfaces that couldn’t be detached.
I asked a shaila about what to do, since toiveling would likely ruin it, and was told that I didn’t have to toivel it.
As this site’s disclaimer says, “One must ALWAYS ask a Rov a Shaila, and NEVER Pasken from the forum!”
When I bought my breadmaker, I was told to toivel only the metal container & the mixing blade (separately), not the machine itself.
yankdownunder-
My answer wasn’t very helpful, but you’re welcome.
(I wish I was more learned and/or knowledgeable so I could give you a mekor rather than just tell you what I was told).
ICOT and Yankdownunder – your replies remind me of a Rov who once told me “It is only because people come and ask Shielahs that people like me are employed”!
I learnt from this always ask your LOR!
Nobody-
Thank you – that’s a good way of looking at it.
I was once toveiling keilim when a young couple came in to do all their household stuff (newly engaged so they had a ton).
They took out a toaster and I gently asked them why they were toveiling it, as getting a toaster wet is NOT smart. They replied that they always did it, except the cord. I urged them to ask their rav, but they did not. They just dunked the toaster.
I said an extra tefila for them to prevent electrocution.
Ditto here, with a Foreman. Toiveled it, let it air dry, used it with no problems. That doesn’t mean that you have to do it that way, though.
ames-
squeak-
In gemoroh Rebbe Elazar is quoted several times as saying
Not that the gemoro needs a backup, but your tevila experience would seem to agree 🙂
I would assume the likelihood of damaging the appliance is:
ames, ot could be a problem come Pesach time…
Ames, you put your food ON the laptop? lol
Ames, I would have noticed a young sephardic couple 🙂
I just felt like they were doing something dangerous without halachic reason to. They had NOT asked their Rabbi about it. So, dunking an appliance is not very smart, unless your Rav says yes, do it. Even then I would be worried about plugging it in, but I would follow my Rav.
As a general rule, electricity and water do not mix well.
Mod72, we clean out our keyboard using those air canisters. Its amazing what gets blown out.
ames-
I mentioned what the Rov I asked told me, but if your Rov tells you differently you must follow him.
I am certainly not qualified to give a halachic opinion.
YW Moderator-72-
We also flip thru books and seforim used year-around that we plan on using on Pesach.
We are somewhat maikel on actually kashering the laptop 🙂
mepal, I think that shailoh has been addressed. I’ve seen bochurim stirring coffee with their glasses frame. I doubt any of them wore their glasses into the mikveh. There must be a heter for using kooky things without teviloh. Ditto the laptop.
ICOT, I’ve never tried dunking a kitchenaid (perhaps for obvious reasons) and certainly never a motherboard. I appreciate your concern for my safety, but I think the appliance was in danger and not me. So unless you can finagle it so that the appliance is the shliach mitzva, there’s really no protection.
The difference could be if you had an appliance with high voltage (such as requires a 240 outlet in the US), where the arc could present a problem to the one holding the plug in event of a short.
My father-in-law is a Rav and posek and he says that one SHOULD NOT toivel electrical items. Rather, if possible, one should unscrew a part of the machine, making it not usable, and then screw it back together. If that can’t be done without ruining the appliance, then it need not be toiveled.
But of course, each person should ask his own rav.
it is very easy for anybody to post My father-in-law is a Rav and posek and he says… everyone should follow the last line of the post. YW Moderator-72
squeak, you remind me of a book I once read called ‘Dirah Daze’. It addressed all such questions that frequently come up in dirrah’s (however you spell that). Like if your glasses would be considered treif if you stir your coffee with the left bar of your glasses and your chicken soup with the right bar. To put it mildly, the book was hysterical!
Electrical appliances that come in direct contact with the food must be toyveled. While Reb Shlomo Zalman said that something that only functions when plugged in may be considered mechbar l’karka and not require tevila, he did not rely on this Halacha l’Maase. Disassembling the appliance only works if it is done in a professional manner, something a layman could not do himself.Unscrewing a part is not sufficient.
The risk of electric shock is very great, should the toiveled item not be dried thoroughly (at least a couple of weeks) prior to attempting to use it. I was told that if it is an electric mixer or blender, only those parts that actually contact the food,i.e. the blades, beaters, and glass container or bowl, need tevila. If it is a toaster, the machine’s entire internal mechanism is touching the bread, so if tevila is done, it needs to dry extremely thoroughly. If tevila will ruin the machine altogether, another shailah needs to be asked as to how best to handle this. After tevila, a blow dryer can be used to dry the appliance to a degree where it will at least not be soaking wet inside and potentially rusting something.
squeak-
What about kugels, cakes and so on that you make for Shabbos on your mixer?
In Israel, Europe, and (I think) most of the world they have real 220-240 volt electricity on each phase, which greatly increases the danger of electrocution.
ames-
Nor can I.
PM-“Electrical appliances that come in direct contact with the food must be toyveled. While Reb Shlomo Zalman said that something that only functions when plugged in may be considered mechbar l’karka and not require tevila, he did not rely on this Halacha l’Maase.”
Please explain. Did Reb Shlomo Zalman paskin or not? I know that many Rabbonim today rely on this s’vara to paskin that electric appliances do not need t’vila. Years back my Rabbeim said that when it’s one piece, i.e. coofee urn, to toivel and let dry out.
Reb Shlomo Zalman paskened that one may NOT rely on an appliance being plugged in to avoid tevila. Only if there are additional reasons to take into account why the item may not need tevila can this be used as a tziruf. So a coffee urn would need either tevila or a Jewish professional to disassemble it.
The motor or digital features make no difference in Halacha, if tevila is required you may not use the item without. If the pieces that come in contact with the food are detachable, then only the need tevila and the rest may be kept dry and safe.
Here’s a great resource:
http://www.kof-k.org/articles/040108090413W-3%20Tevilas%20Keilim.pdf
i didn’t read all the responses, so i might be repeating someone.
it’s a machlakos, whatever you do, if you toivel any electrical product, Wait at least 48 hours before you use it!!
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