Spraying Whipped Cream on Shabbos

Q. Is it permissible to spray whipped cream from a can on Shabbos?

A. Whipped cream when it is still inside the can is a liquid. As it is expelled from the can it foams up with gas and takes on a semi solid appearance. Is one is permitted to cause this change in form, or is this included in the prohibition of molid (creating something new)? This is a matter of dispute among Poskim. Rav Belsky zt”l and many other poskim have said that this may not be done on Shabbos. Rav Belsky ruled that one may not even ask a non-Jew to spray whipped cream. However, Rav Schachter and others rule that even a Jew may spray whipped cream. Rav Schachter explained that if the whipped cream is left to sit around for a few minutes it will melt back into a liquid. Since the change is very temporary, it is not considered molid.

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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.