Chasamos - Cookware

Q. I asked a neighbor who is not kosher observant if I can store some pots and dishes in her house. I forgot to seal the boxes. Must I be concerned that she may have used some or all these utensils? Do they now need to be kashered or thrown out?

A. Shulchan Aruch (YD 122:9) writes that one should be careful not to leave one’s pots at the home of someone who does not keep kosher. Bidieved (after the fact), if the pots were left at the neighbor’s home for more than 24 hours, they may be used immediately. (For an explanation why this is so, see Rama YD 122:9.) If the pots were left for less than 24 hours, one must wait until 24 hours have elapsed. After 24 hours they may be used without kashering, because of a combination of factors; perhaps the pots were not used, and even if it they were used, after 24 hours the absorbed taste in the utensils will impart a bad taste (ta’am lifgam), and finally, it is unlikely that the pot was used with non-kosher. If one wanted to use the pot without waiting 24 hours, the pot would have to be kashered.

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The Gerald & Karin Feldhamer OU Kosher Halacha Yomis is dedicated to the memory of Rav Yisroel Belsky, zt"l, who served as halachic consultant for OU Kosher for more than 28 years; many of the responses in Halacha Yomis are based on the rulings of Rabbi Belsky. Subscribe to the Halacha Yomis daily email here.