Can I tell my non-Jewish aid to change the crockpot setting on Yom Tov?
Question:
Is a goyah allowed to change the setting on my crockpot on Shabbos or Yom Tov from High to Low or from Low to “keep-warm”? Is turning it up a problem? Like from “keep-warm” to the “low” setting?
Also can I tell her these instructions in advance? For example, on Friday I tell her “on Monday morning (day 1 of Yom Tov) please change the crockpot setting from high to low.”
What about adding more water into the hot water urn? Shabbos/Yom Tov?
Answer:
1. A non-Jew may be told on Yom Tov to change the setting in either direction, in case of necessity, where it can’t be set in advance before Yom Tov to the right temperature. These instructions may be said in advance. In fact, that is preferable. This only applies to Yom Tov, not Shabbos.
2. Although one is allowed to cook on Yom Tov there is still an issue of turning on a new fire or turning on an electric circuit. Although I’m not totally familiar with how these urns work, my understanding is they are boiled when the sensor reaches a certain temperature, and by adding cold water you cause that sensor to activate the boiling process which is done electronically. Hence it would be forbidden according to many opinions to refill a regular urn on Yom Tov. There are urns (although I can’t vouch for any in particular) that “auto reboil” every certain amount of time, no matter if the water is already hot or if you just put in cold water and by using these you are not turning on any circuits or lighting a new fire, by thus eliminating this issue.
Water may be added to the urn on Yom Tov but not Shabbos.
Sources:
אנן קייל״ן – ראה שו״ע אדה״ז סתק״ב – שהוצאת אש מיו״ט היא דרבנן. וא״כ ה״ז שבד״ש לצו״ג. וגם בשו״ת מגידות סי׳ קי שחשש להט״ז – כתב שהמיקל אין לגעור בו.
אלא שילה״ע מקו״א סש״ג, שאין להתיר שבד״ש לכתחילה רק אם איקלע מילתא. ולא מבעו״י. ובדאא״פ בל״ז אכן יש להקל, ודלא כמחזה אברהם א, קכב שהחמיר יתירה מזו כשלא עשה מבעו״י. ומפורש דלא כוותי׳ בשו״ת כת״ס מט. ודלא כיד אליהו צז. והו״ע כתב שבש״ך יו״ד קצח מפורש להיפך. ולפענ״ד בדאא״פ מבעו״י נמי מותר. ולהעיר בכעי״ז לגבי מכשירי או״נ שבמקום הפסד עצים נק׳ שאא״פ מבעו״י – שו״ת ארץ צבי ב, ל.
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