Defrosting Challah or Meat on Yom Tov Day for the Night Meal

Is one permitted to take a challah from the freezer on the first day of Yom Tov, so that it will be defrosted in time for the nighttime meal?

In general, there is a prohibition to prepare on Yom Tov for after Yom Tov, or from the first day of Yom Tov to the next, even if the preparation does not involve any of the melachos (39 forbidden activities). This restriction is known as hachanah. For example, one is not permitted to wash dishes on the first day of Yom Tov, if one will not need those dishes until the evening. However, Rav Belsky, zt”l ruled that one may defrost challah or meat so that it can be used at night. This is because the removal of the challah from the freezer does not immediately prepare the food for the next day. For many hours the bread will remain frozen, and the thawing happens on its own. Since one does not actively thaw the food, but rather it defrosts on its own, this is not a prohibited form of hachanah.

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.