✦ ❖ ✦ D A A T · L E V E L 3 — S Y N T H E S I S / R E V I E W ✦ ❖ ✦
Siman 107 — Cooking Eggs (and the Order of Removal), and a Repulsive Creature Found in Food
דין המבשל ביצים ודבר מאוס הנמצא בתבשיל
The forbidden item left last without 60 (נשאר באחרונה), cooling or pouring all at once, the מחלוקת לא מחזקינן איסורא, the eggs / fish asymmetry, the utensils kept on their חזקה, the fly (נ״ט לפגם) and the spoon (כף)
Structured review, master grid, fast memorization
Source: Shulchan Aroukh, Yoreh De'ah ק״ז — 2 seifim
Nossei kelim: ש״ך (Shach) · ט״ז (Taz) · פר״מ (Pri Megadim) · פתחי תשובה (Pithei Teshuva)
Compiled by: הרב יוסף חיים סממה · DAAT
For students who have mastered Levels 1 and 2
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📑 Outline of the synthesis
- The axiom: the order of removal and the forbidden item left last without 60
- The 3 reflex questions: did one cool · pour at once · do we presume the prohibition
- The master grid: the remedy, the מחלוקת and the eggs / fish asymmetry
- The 5 golden rules
- Mnemonic — the "BEITSA" memory aid
- The 4 classic pitfalls
- Recap of the 2 seifim — one line each
- Final flashcard
1. The axiom: the order of removal and the forbidden item left last without 60
The starting point:
Siman 107 deals with several items cooked together of which only one is forbidden (an egg with a chick / blood, a treif / impure fish). The danger is not the mixture itself, but the order in which one removes them: as the items are taken out one by one, the good number shrinks, and the forbidden one may be left last without 60 to nullify it — "דְּחַיְישִׁינַן שֶׁמָּא יִמָּצֵא בְּאַחַת מֵהֶן אֶפְרוֹחַ". The remedy (Mehaber, seif 1): let the eggs cool, or pour cold water over them, and only then remove them.
| Path | Lenient (R. Shimshon, primary for the Rama) | Strict (R. Baroukh / סה״ת) |
|---|
| Do we presume the forbidden item remained? | No: לא מחזקינן איסורא; the prohibition is in the majority | Real concern it remained without 60 |
| The cooking utensils | Permitted (חזקה) — even per the strict view | Permitted (we keep the utensil on its presumption) |
| The contents of the dish (בדיעבד) | Permitted — "this is primary" (B"Y / R. Shimshon) | יש אוסרין everything, lacking 60 |
💡 The marker: this siman does not pose "cold / hot / salted" but the order of removal. As long as 60 remains against the forbidden item, all is well; the risk is that by removing too early and one by one, the forbidden item ends up alone at the end and re-forbids. Hence the Mehaber's two remedies: cool first, or pour everything at once (פעם אחת).
2. The 3 reflex questions
■ DID ONE COOL? (עד שיצטננו / מים צוננים) — for eggs in their shell: let them cool, or pour cold water over them, before removing. While they are hot and one takes them out one by one → the egg with the chick may be left last without 60 (seif 1).
↓ we look at the mode of pouring
■ DID ONE POUR AT ONCE? (בבת אחת / פעם אחת) — for small fish poured into a dish where an impure one is found: pour everything at once → the forbidden item is never left alone. Poured in stages → we fear it remained last without 60 (Rama, seif 1).
↓ we look at the presumption
■ DO WE PRESUME THE PROHIBITION? (לא מחזקינן איסורא) — בדיעבד, the lenient view does not presume that the forbidden item remained in the minority without 60; it is reckoned in the majority (איסורא ברובא איתא). "This is primary" for the Rama (B"Y in the name of R. Shimshon, seif 1).
⚖ What remains permitted in every case (seif 1)
Even per the strict view that would forbid the contents בדיעבד, one does not forbid the utensils in which one cooked: one keeps the utensil on its presumption (מעמידין הכלי על חזקתו). We do not re-presume the prohibition in the כלי, for there is neither salting nor a new cooking there to re-fix it. This is the point of agreement of both views.
3. The master grid: the remedy, the מחלוקת and the eggs / fish asymmetry
An absolute must to memorize. Basis: Mehaber + Rama seif 1, read with the Taz (s.k. 1-5) and the Shach (s.k. 1-2).
| Situation | Decisive criterion | Result |
|---|
| Eggs cooked in the shell, cooled before removing (Mehaber) |
Cooling / cold water |
🟢 Permitted: the forbidden item is never left alone |
| Hot eggs removed one by one, without cooling |
נשאר באחרונה without 60 |
🔴 Risk: the egg with the chick re-forbids |
| Small fish poured all at once |
בבת אחת |
🟢 Permitted: the impure one is not left alone |
| Poured in stages, an impure one in the dish (בדיעבד) |
לא מחזקינן איסורא |
🟡 יש מתירין (primary); יש אוסרין lacking 60 |
| Asymmetry: the forbidden fish (Taz / Shach) |
בטל ברוב (יבש ביבש) |
🟢 Nullified in the majority of the large number |
| Asymmetry: the forbidden eggs (Maharshal) |
No רוב (one does not cook 20-30) |
🔴 Strict: no majority to nullify |
| The cooking utensils |
מעמידין הכלי על חזקתו |
🟢 Permitted in every case (חזקה) |
| עירוי (pouring off) of the boiling water |
כדי קליפה (= כלי ראשון) |
🟡 Forbids the thickness of a peel (siman 105) |
📌 Key reading: in the order of removal, first ask did one cool / pour at once (else risk the forbidden item is left alone). בדיעבד, the lenient view (לא מחזקינן) is primary for the Rama. And do not forget the asymmetry: for fish there is בטל ברוב (Taz/Shach), for eggs there is not (Maharshal — strict).
4. The 5 golden rules
- "עַד שֶׁיִּצְטַנְּנוּ". Eggs in the shell: cool, or pour cold water, before removing — lest the one with the chick be left last without 60 (Mehaber seif 1).
- Pour everything "בבת אחת". Small fish: poured all at once, the forbidden item is never left alone at the end (Rama seif 1).
- "לא מחזקינן איסורא". בדיעבד, we do not presume the forbidden item remained without 60; it is in the majority — "this is primary" (Rama, B"Y in the name of R. Shimshon, seif 1).
- "מעמידין הכלי על חזקתו". Even the strict do not forbid the cooking utensils: we keep them on their presumption (Rama seif 1).
- נ״ט לפגם → discard it, the dish stays permitted. The repulsive creature (fly) gives only a spoiled taste: one removes it and the dish is permitted; lenient custom (Mehaber seif 2, cross-ref siman 104).
5. Mnemonic — the "BEITSA" memory aid
"B-E-I-S" — after the בֵּיצָה (the egg) of seif 1
- Bring down the heat: cool the eggs (or cold water) before removing.
- Everything at once: pour all the fish in one go (בבת אחת).
- Item not presumed: בדיעבד, לא מחזקינן איסורא — it is in the majority.
- Save the utensil: we keep it on its חזקה even per the strict.
The ladder of the spoon (seif 2)
- scoop the forbidden item → do not put the spoon back into the pot
- if one put it back → 60 against the forbidden item (not the whole spoon: no חנ״נ for a utensil)
- a little of the dish on the spoon → 60 also against that dish (which became נבילה)
- the fly / creature → נ״ט לפגם: discard it, dish permitted
6. The 4 classic pitfalls
❌ Pitfall 1 — Thinking the prohibition is the mixture: here the issue is not that a forbidden egg got mixed in (it is nullified as long as there is 60), but the order of removal: by taking the items out one by one and hot, the forbidden item may be left last without 60 and re-forbid. The remedy is not a calculation but a method: cool, or pour everything at once (Mehaber + Rama seif 1).
❌ Pitfall 2 — Confusing eggs and fish: R. Baroukh's leniency for fish holds because the few forbidden fish are nullified in the majority (יבש ביבש) of the large number. But for eggs — one does not cook 20-30 eggs together → no majority → strict (Taz s.k. 4, Maharshal: eggs forbidden, fish permitted). Never transpose the leniency from one case to the other.
❌ Pitfall 3 — Extending the leniency of the fly everywhere: the repulsive creature gives only a spoiled taste (נ״ט לפגם) → one discards it, the dish stays permitted; this is the widespread custom (Mehaber seif 2, cross-ref siman 104). But many Rishonim/Acharonim are strict (Maharam Padua, Maharshal: strict except in הפסד מרובה), and in vinegar or beer, all forbid (siman 104). The leniency holds only for ordinary cooking.
❌ Pitfall 4 — The spoon and חנ״נ: one scooped a forbidden item with the spoon (כף) and put it back → one needs 60 against the forbidden item, not against the whole spoon, for one does not say חתיכה נעשית נבילה for a utensil. But if there was a little of the dish with the forbidden item on the spoon → one needs 60 also against that bit of dish, which became נבילה on the spoon (או"ה כלל כ״ז).
For the halacha le-ma'aseh, consult your Rav.
7. Recap of the 2 seifim — one line each
| Seif | Topic | The essential |
|---|
| 1 | The order of removal (נשאר באחרונה) | Cooking many eggs in the shell: do not remove them hot one by one, lest the one with the chick be left last without 60 → cool, or pour cold water. Rama: poured into a dish and one is treif (or small fish + an impure one) without pouring all at once → יש אוסרין (fear it remained without 60), but יש מתירין since לא מחזקינן איסורא — and this is primary. Even the strict do not forbid the utensils (מעמידין הכלי על חזקתו). |
| 2 | The repulsive creature; the spoon | A fly and repulsive things (from which the soul recoils) in a dish: one discards it, the dish is permitted — their spoiled פליטה does not forbid (נ״ט לפגם). Rama: such is the widespread custom (though some are strict), one does not change it. And if one scooped a forbidden item with the spoon: do not put it back; if put back → 60 against the forbidden item (not the whole spoon: no חנ״נ for a utensil); a little dish on the spoon → 60 also against that dish (which became נבילה — או"ה כלל כ״ז). |
8. Final flashcard
| Question | Reflex answer | Source |
|---|
| Eggs in the shell to remove? | Cool, or cold water, before removing | Mehaber seif 1 |
| Small fish + an impure one? | Pour everything at once (בבת אחת) | Rama seif 1 |
| בדיעבד, do we presume it remained? | No: לא מחזקינן איסורא (primary); יש אוסרין | Rama seif 1; B"Y / R. Shimshon |
| Eggs vs fish: which is nullified? | Fish בטל ברוב; eggs not (no רוב) → strict | Taz s.k. 4; Shach s.k. 1; Maharshal |
| The cooking utensils? | Permitted: מעמידין הכלי על חזקתו | Rama seif 1; Shach s.k. 2 |
| A fly fallen into the dish? | Discard it, dish permitted (נ״ט לפגם) | Mehaber seif 2; siman 104 |
| Strict custom for the creature? | Many are strict; vinegar/beer → all | Shach s.k. 7; siman 104 |
| Spoon that scooped the item, put back? | 60 against the forbidden item (not the whole spoon) | Rama seif 2; או"ה כלל כ״ז |
| A little dish with the item on the spoon? | 60 also against that dish (which became נבילה) | Rama seif 2; או"ה כלל כ״ז |
⚖ The reflex in 3 questions
- Did one cool / pour at once? Eggs: cool or cold water; fish: pour everything at once, so the forbidden item is not left alone without 60.
- בדיעבד, do we presume the prohibition? No — לא מחזקינן איסורא (primary); and the utensils stay permitted (חזקה). Mind the eggs / fish asymmetry.
- Fly or spoon? Fly = נ״ט לפגם, discard it, dish permitted. Spoon = 60 against the forbidden item alone (no חנ״נ for a utensil), plus 60 against the bit of dish if there is one.
For the halacha le-ma'aseh, consult your Rav.
🎓 Recap of the study path
| Level | Content | Acquired |
|---|
| 🌱 Level 1 — Base |
Text of the 2 seifim, translation, clear tables |
Overall understanding |
| ⚡ Level 2 — Lamdan |
Yesod of נשאר באחרונה, the מחלוקת לא מחזקינן איסורא vs בטל ברוב, the eggs / fish asymmetry, חנ״נ for a utensil |
In-depth study |
| ✨ Level 3 — Synthesis |
Master grid, golden rules, mnemonic, pitfalls, recap of the seifim |
Practical mastery + review |
💡 Suggested next steps:
- Re-read Siman ק״ז in the original Choulhan Aroukh (Hebrew) with the Shach and the Taz
- Study the adjacent Simanim: 66 (דם ביצים), 83 (ציר דגים טמאים), 86 (eggs and what is in them), 92 / 98 (חתיכה נעשית נבילה, the measure of 60), 104 (דברים המאוסים, נ״ט לפגם), 105 (עירוי, כדי קליפה), 109 / 111 (יבש ביבש and the doubt)
- Delve into the yesod of לא מחזקינן איסורא and of איסורא ברובא איתא
- Discuss personal cases with a Rav (removing hard-boiled eggs one by one, an insect fallen into the soup, a spoon used for non-kosher put back into the pot) — the halacha le-ma'aseh is decided with a Rav
📖 Sources of this siman on Sefaria:
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
DAAT · הרב יוסף חיים סממה
תלמיד חכם · מעביר שיעורים בהלכה ובחסידות
סימן ק״ז · Level 3 — Synthesis / Review · דין המבשל ביצים ודבר מאוס הנמצא בתבשיל
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