[Avodah] Office Coffee machine

[Micha Berger]

I spoke to two rabbanim about it: R' Chaim Davis (founder of the Toronto
Community Kollel, the Yeshiva Gedola of Passaic [where R' Meir Stern is
now RY] and Passaic's Beis Medrash laTorah) and R' Jack Love (who
teaches halakhah at YCT).

My first conversation with RCD focused on the question of whether there
is zei'ah (which I mis-called "hevel") without boiling. This was the key
issue to RJL as well.

My second conversation with RCD focused on whther the vapor would be
yad soledes bo (simple experiment shows it wouldn't -- hold your hand
a fraction of an inch above the cup) to treif-up the coffee maker anyway.

RJL pointed me to sources.

Rama 92:8 appears to limit the problem of zei'ah to a pot used as a lid,
and there the zei'ah is yad soledes.

The AhS (108) says the Rama is only writing about thick steam. (That being
the point of a lid.) This might be an issue with a microwave, though,
because the walls can get dripping wet. But I don't know of anyone who
still (now that their workings are better known) says microwaves don't
need kashering.

The coffee machine is okay.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             Today is the 43rd day, which is
micha at aishdas.org        6 weeks and 1 day in/toward the omer.
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