Q&A: Utensils in a Café and Lego
Utensils in a Café and Lego
Question
Hello Rabbi,
- Until now I have been accustomed to drinking latte-style coffee based on milk even abroad, in non-kosher places, when the drink is served in a plastic or glass cup, on the assumption that coffee and milk are always kosher. In a conversation with a friend, the possibility came up that the utensil in which the milk is heated may go into a dishwasher in which utensils used for milk and meat, and even non-kosher utensils, are washed, and therefore it is possible that the utensil itself is not kosher.
What is the Rabbi's opinion on this?
- My son plays with Lego on the Sabbath, and according to the book Shemirat Shabbat Kehilchatah I understood that there is no problem with this. However, in the book Peninei Halakha by Rabbi Melamed, I found an instruction that one should avoid erecting a temporary tent, even when it comes to Lego. This is what is written:
"And it is likewise forbidden to build from Lego blocks a house or garage that contains a hollow space of a handbreadth by a handbreadth."
Here is the link to Rabbi Melamed's words
https://ph.yhb.org.il/01-24-07/
Rabbi Melamed's words are unclear to me in two respects:
– Does "a handbreadth by a handbreadth" mean a height of a handbreadth and a width of a handbreadth—that is, that the height of the Lego structure exceeds a handbreadth (four fingerbreadths) and the length at that point is also four fingerbreadths?
– In addition, I have come across opinions of other rabbis who permit playing with Lego on the Sabbath without mentioning this qualification. Is one required to take this qualification into account according to all opinions, or only according to those who state it explicitly?
My child is simply building a "house" for play and placing the Lego figures inside it; it is hard for me to see this as actually building a real tent.
I would greatly appreciate clarification on the matter.
Answer
Even with milk, this is only in places with reasonable regulation, where there is no concern about mixing in other products. I do not know the reality there. If the utensils are boiled in a non-kosher place, that is indeed problematic.
I had not thought about this issue regarding Lego. But it seems to me that there is room to be lenient when this is in the clearly defined context of play, especially when it is meant to be taken apart immediately.
Discussion on Answer
A handbreadth by a handbreadth, with a height of a handbreadth.
As I wrote, there is room to be lenient because of the very fact that it is designated for play. And there is more room if it is taken apart that same day.
Isn't the fact that there is soap in the dishwasher a reason to be lenient, because it gives an unpleasant taste?
Most opinions say that meat and dairy utensils cannot be washed together; I assume that if there are non-kosher utensils there too, that is even more severe.
So I do not know whether one can rely on the issue of unpleasant taste.
There is room to be lenient under the conditions specified here: https://www.kosharot.co.il/index2.php?id=70958&lang=HEB
Regarding a dishwasher in a café abroad, I have no control over how they use the dishwasher or even which dishwasher they use.
Therefore it will be difficult to know whether the conditions listed in the link were met and whether the utensil is not non-kosher.
So what do you expect from me? If you do not investigate, then I have nothing to say.
I thought that maybe there is some general guidance for a person who wants to drink in a café abroad.
I think it is not practical to check with every café which dishwasher it uses; most likely they will not even give an answer.
A reasonable and sensible thing is to see how they pour the cup of coffee for the customer before me and on that basis decide what the halakhic risk is, but if there is this dishwasher issue, then it is impossible to assess the risk without asking, and so there is a problem here.
As it happens, today I was at a gas station and I asked the person making the coffee how he washes the utensil, and he said in the sink.
In your opinion, in such a case would it be possible?
(It was easier for me to ask because he was religious and I explained my hesitation to him.)
I dug a bit into Rabbi Melamed's discussion of building a tent in the context of play,
and he writes that:
"The law regarding children's games: Children who have reached the age of education may not spread a blanket over chairs in order to create a tent to sit inside, but they may first stretch the blanket in the air and afterward place the chairs under it. Likewise, it is forbidden to build from Lego blocks a house or garage that contains a hollow space with a height of a handbreadth, but if they first hold the roof and afterward attach the walls beneath it—it is permitted."
Source for the responsum
https://ph.yhb.org.il/01-15-05/
Would the Rabbi still say that it is permitted because it is a children's game?
Would the Rabbi distinguish in children's play between an actual play tent and a tent made of Lego?
Why does Rabbi Melamed specifically mention a handbreadth by a handbreadth—what is the source for that?
If you do not want to investigate, then live with the consequences. I did not say that you have to investigate. But you want both not to investigate and to act as though you did investigate. If you have good estimates about what happens there, there is no problem. You can rely on them.
The measure of a handbreadth is the halakhic measure of a tent.
In my opinion, any children's game that is clearly a game should be treated as I wrote. Spreading a blanket over chairs is a real tent. The fact that children made it into a game is a different matter. A Lego house is not a real tent.
Regarding the Lego,
it is not clear to me what Peninei Halakha means by a handbreadth and a width of a handbreadth.
Could the Rabbi explain it to me?
I try not to get into when and how my son takes apart the Lego, because it is a game.
With Lego, I understood that there are opinions that even if it is not for immediate dismantling, as long as it is for play and enjoyment and it is obvious to everyone that the Lego is temporary, then it is permitted to play on the Sabbath.
For example, if my son were to build a Lego play structure on the Sabbath in which there is a tent for his Lego figures, and he would only take it apart on Saturday night,
would the Rabbi think that even in such a case one should be concerned about the tent issue, or is it obvious to everyone that this is a game and therefore this concern does not apply?