Asking a Non-Jew to Turn on the Oven to Bake Challah

I have to go out for a few minutes; can I ask my non-Jewish cleaning help to turn on the oven and bake the challahs?

No. Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh De’ah 112:11) writes that if a non-Jew baked bread that belongs to a Yisroel, it becomes forbidden, unless there was Jewish involvement in the turning on of the fire, adjustment of the flame, or the placement of the dough in the oven. If a Yisroel was not involved in the baking, even though the dough belongs to a Yisroel, it will not be Pas Yisroel. Furthermore, Taz (Yoreh De’ah 112:7) writes that Jewish owned dough baked by a non-Jew has the halachic equivalence of bishul akum, for various reasons. Although pas akum is permitted under certain extenuating circumstances, this bread, like bishul akum, is always forbidden. The same rule would apply to cookies, cakes and homemade pizza. Therefore, if one has non-Jewish help in the kitchen, they must make sure that a Yisroel turns on the oven, places the pan into the oven, or in some way assists in the actual baking of the bread. If the oven had a pilot light which was originally lit by a Yisroel, one can be lenient bedieved (after the fact).

See our Pas Yisroel List – 5779 at OUKosher.org for OU certified Pas Yisroel brands and products.

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.