The bones of the prohibition that combine (or not) with the permitted to nullify it, the rule אין מבטלין איסור לכתחילה
(שוגג / מזיד), the חוזר וניעור, how to evaluate (רוטב, קיפה, מין במינו), and the trace absorbed in a utensil used in abundance
Subject:
שולחן ערוך יורה דעה סימן צ״ט (ז' סעיפים)
עם נושאי הכלים: ש״ך, ט״ז, פרי מגדים, פתחי תשובה
⚠ Level disclaimer:
This level is not "Da'at HaRav": the Shulchan Aruch HaRav
(the Admur HaZaken) does not cover Yoreh De'ah, hence not Siman 99.
It is a level of practical psika: what one does, and whom to ask.
Writing and iyun:
הרב יוסף חיים סממה · DAAT
How to read this level. Every statement is anchored either in the text of the Shulchan Aruch and its nossei kelim (Shach, Taz, Pri Megadim, Pitchei Teshuva), or in a named responsum of the contemporary poskim. On Yoreh De'ah there is neither a Mishnah Berurah (which comments only on Orach Chaim), nor a Shulchan Aruch HaRav / Da'at HaRav (the Admur HaZaken did not write the YD). Every concrete application (le-ma'asse) concludes with the referral to your Rav: real cases blend factual details (how much permitted and prohibited, tender or dry bones, raw or cooked, dry-in-dry or liquid, שוגג or מזיד) that only a posek who sees your situation can decide.
אֵין מְבַטְּלִין אִסּוּר לְכַתְּחִלָּה ; וַאֲפִלּוּ נָפַל לְתוֹךְ הֶתֵּר שֶׁאֵין בּוֹ שִׁעוּר לְבַטְּלוֹ, אֵין מוֹסִיפִין עָלָיו הֶתֵּר כְּדֵי לְבַטְּלוֹ.
עָבַר וּבִטְּלוֹ אוֹ שֶׁרִבָּה עָלָיו — אִם בְּשׁוֹגֵג, מֻתָּר ; וְאִם בְּמֵזִיד, אָסוּר.
One may not nullify deliberately (אין מבטלין). One may not nullify a prohibition deliberately; even if it fell into permitted matter that lacks the measure to nullify it, one does not add permitted matter in order to nullify it.
If one transgressed and nullified it, or added to it: by mistake (שוגג) → permitted; deliberately (מזיד) → forbidden.
— Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De'ah 99:5 · talmudic basis: the sugyot of Betza and Chullin (אין מבטלין איסור לכתחילה) · Sefaria YD 99:5
The body of the pot (גוף הקדירה) that is cooking right now a prohibition together with the permitted combines with neither: one does not count its walls. The Taz (s.k. 2) reports the two לשונות of the gemara (חרסית / בלוע); and he specifies that a pot already forbidden that then cooks permitted food, its body combines with the prohibition (cf. siman 98).
Siman 99 contains 7 seifim. The Mehaber lays the framework (the bones that combine, how to evaluate, אין מבטלין, the trace in a utensil); the Rama (הגה) glosses, and above all establishes חתיכה נעשית נבילה for all prohibitions (referring to siman 92) and the חוזר וניעור. Here is the overall map, as it emerges from the text itself.
| Seif | Subject | Psak (anchored in the text) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | עצמות מצטרפין | A piece of נבילה (meat + bones) fallen into a pot of permitted: the bones of the prohibition combine with the permitted to nullify the prohibition (and a fortiori the bones of the permitted). But the marrow (מוח) combines with the prohibition; and the body of the pot combines with neither. Rama: some are stringent not to combine the prohibition's bones; in הפסד one relies on the lenient. |
| 2 | raw / cooked | All this (the prohibition's bones combining with the permitted) when the piece of נבילה fell in raw (חי); but if it was cooked first on its own and then fell → its bones combine with the prohibition, for they absorbed נבילה meat during that solitary cooking. |
| 3 | other prohibitions; חנ״נ | For other prohibitions (outside bassar be-halav), a piece imbued with prohibition combines to nullify the prohibition. Rama: we do not act so, for we hold חתיכה נעשית נבילה for all prohibitions (see siman 92). |
| 4 | כמו שבא לפנינו | One evaluates with the broth (רוטב), the קיפה (sediment) and the pieces; permitted and prohibited כמו שבא לפנינו (as they are before us now), even if there was more permitted at first. And this in מין בשאינו מינו; but in מין במינו, one also evaluates what is absorbed in the walls (כאילו הוא בעין). What is כלה ואבד מחמת האור does not combine. |
| 5 | אין מבטלין; שוגג / מזיד | One does not nullify a prohibition לכתחילה; one does not add permitted to nullify it. Transgressed: בשוגג → permitted; במזיד → forbidden for the one who nullified and for the one for whom it was nullified (and forbidden to sell it to another Jew); for any other person → permitted. Rama: only in יבש ביבש (or לח בלח for the view that does not say חנ״נ); a piece that absorbed a prohibition → adding does not help (חנ״נ, Rashba). We do not follow the נודע / לא נודע distinction. |
| 6 | דרבנן; חוזר וניעור | A rabbinic prohibition: one does not mix it away by hand; במזיד → forbidden; if it fell on its own with nothing to nullify it → one adds (מרבה עליו) and nullifies it. Rama: some say one does not nullify even a דרבנן (and so is the custom). חוזר וניעור: a later addition of the first prohibition → it "reawakens" and becomes forbidden again. But milk nullified by 60 in water, then the water into a meat pot → permitted (already nullified). |
| 7 | משהו בכלי בשפע | A trace of prohibition absorbed in a utensil whose use is to serve with abundance (בשפע) of permitted → permitted לכתחילה even ben yomo (it cannot come to impart taste). So a pot, jugs (קנקנים). But a utensil sometimes used with a small amount (כקערה, a bowl) → forbidden even in abundance, גזירה שמא ישתמש בה בדבר מועט. |
| Situation | The bones count with… | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Piece of נבילה fallen in raw (חי) | The prohibition's bones → with the permitted (they absorbed nothing) | Mehaber s.1-2 |
| Piece cooked first on its own then fallen | The bones → with the prohibition (they absorbed נבילה meat) | Mehaber s.2 |
| The marrow (מוח) in the bones | With the prohibition (it is substance) | Mehaber s.1 |
| Dry bones / eggshells | With the permitted (even though of the prohibition) | Shach s.k. 1 (Raah, Ran, Or Zaroua, Bach) |
| Tender bones (with marrow / moisture) | With the prohibition | Shach s.k. 1; Ran |
The Rama reports "יש מחמירין" not to combine the prohibition's bones with the permitted. But he concludes: in a case of הפסד (financial loss), one relies on the lenient who permit — "for that is the essential view" (כי כן עיקר). This is an important practical leniency: the stringency is only a מנהג, and it yields before a loss.
Le-ma'asse (the bones). Retain: non-edible bones (dry, shells) strengthen the permitted in the count of 60; marrow and tender, moist bones go with the prohibition; a piece fallen in raw keeps its bones "on the permitted side," but cooked first on its own, its bones absorbed and pass to the prohibition's side. In הפסד one is lenient (Rama). Classifying "tender or dry bone," "raw or cooked," and estimating the volume are questions of fact. For the application to your precise situation, consult your Rav (or a competent Dayan).
Le-ma'asse (חנ״נ). A piece of permitted that absorbed prohibition no longer "rejoins" the permitted to nullify: by our custom it has itself become נבילה. Distinguishing what each piece absorbed, and which prohibition is involved, is a question of fact. For the application to your precise situation, consult your Rav (or a competent Dayan).
| What does one count? | מין בשאינו מינו | מין במינו |
|---|---|---|
| Broth (רוטב), קיפה, pieces | Yes — as they are (כמו שבא לפנינו) | Yes — as they are |
| What the pot absorbed / in its walls | No | Yes — כאילו הוא בעין (well estimated) |
| What diminished in the cooking | One counts what remains, not the initial | Same |
| כלה ואבד מחמת האור (consumed by the fire) | Does not combine (entirely gone) | Does not combine |
Le-ma'asse (evaluating). One evaluates the dish as it is before us now — broth, קיפה, pieces — without adding presumed prohibition (מין בשאינו מינו); but in מין במינו one integrates also what the walls absorbed. What the fire consumed no longer counts. Distinguishing מין במינו / שאינו מינו and measuring the real volumes is a question of fact. For the application to your precise situation, consult your Rav (or a competent Dayan).
Le-ma'asse (אין מבטלין). Golden rule: one never deliberately dilutes a prohibition to reach the 60. If it happened by mistake (שוגג) → the mixture is permitted; deliberately (מזיד) → forbidden for the one who did it and for the one for whom he did it, forbidden to sell it to a Jew, permitted to others. The exception (intent to repair something else, with no other way) is not decided alone. Classifying שוגג / מזיד, and the question of sale, are sensitive points. For the application to your precise situation, consult your Rav (or a competent Dayan).
Le-ma'asse (דרבנן, חוזר וניעור). By our custom (Rama), one also does not nullify a rabbinic prohibition deliberately. And a prohibition already nullified by 60 reawakens if one adds to it of the first prohibition — one then needs 60 again against the sum. By contrast, the nullified that passes into a new permitted (milk→water→meat) does not reawaken. Recognizing "first prohibition" or "new prohibition," rabbinic or deoraita, is delicate. For the application to your precise situation, consult your Rav (or a competent Dayan).
Le-ma'asse (utensils). A trace of prohibition in a utensil always used in large volume (pot, jug, bottle) → one uses it לכתחילה, even ben yomo, since it can never impart taste. A utensil sometimes used with a small dose (bowl, small vessel) → forbidden, גזירה. Classifying a utensil "בשפע" or "בדבר מועט" depends on its real use. For the application to your precise situation, consult your Rav (or a competent Dayan).
Note on method. The responsa that follow (Yabia Omer, Yehaveh Da'at, Yalkut Yossef, Or LeTzion) extend the principles of siman 99 above to modern cases. They do not appear in the corpus of the siman; they are cited as recognized streams of psika, to be confirmed with a Rav before any application.
| Concrete case | Sephardic orientation (to be verified) |
|---|---|
| The prohibition's bones in a permitted dish | One combines the non-edible bones with the permitted (Mehaber's din); marrow and tender bones with the prohibition; in הפסד, broad leniency (Rama, seif 1). |
| חנ״נ for another prohibition (outside bb"h) | One more readily relies on the din (the imbued piece counts on the permitted side), especially in הפסד גדול; in bassar be-halav, חנ״נ fully (siman 92). |
| Evaluating a cooked dish | כמו שבא לפנינו; one does not "add" presumed prohibition (Taz s.k. 5, אחזוקי איסורא לא מחזקינן). |
| Non-kosher product diluted deliberately | Forbidden (מזיד) for the one who did it and for the one for whom; permitted to others; forbidden to sell it to a Jew. |
Note on method. The same remark applies: these streams extend the Rama and the nossei kelim; they are cited as landmarks of psika, to be confirmed with a Rav.
| Concrete case | Ashkenazi orientation (to be verified) |
|---|---|
| A piece that absorbed a prohibition | חתיכה נעשית נבילה for every issur (Rama, seif 3; referral to siman 92); it does not combine to nullify. |
| A rabbinic prohibition with nothing to nullify it | One does not מרבה עליו and does not nullify (Rama, seif 6, "ואין לזוז"); one follows the deoraita. |
| Adding first prohibition to a nullified mixture | חוזר וניעור — the whole becomes forbidden again; one needs 60 again against the sum (Rama, seif 6). |
| שוגג / מזיד | Only this criterion decides (Shach); not the נודע / לא נודע distinction. |
| Modern case | Tool of the siman | Orientation (to be confirmed with the Rav) |
|---|---|---|
| "Diluting" a non-kosher product to render it permitted | Seif 5 (אין מבטלין) | Forbidden לכתחילה; done deliberately (מזיד) → forbidden for the one who did it and for the one for whom, forbidden to sell it to a Jew; by mistake (שוגג) → permitted. |
| Food industry: a forbidden ingredient drowned in a large volume | Seif 4-5 (כמו שבא לפנינו; nullification) | One evaluates 60 on what is before us; but adding permitted on purpose to nullify is מבטל לכתחילה. The טעם (rabbinic) / ממשות יבש ביבש (deoraita) distinction of the Noda BiYhouda is decisive. |
| A nullified prohibition, to which one adds of the same prohibition | Seif 6 (חוזר וניעור) | It reawakens → one needs 60 again against the sum; but the nullified that passes into a new heter (milk→water→meat) does not reawaken. |
| A utensil that absorbed a trace of prohibition | Seif 7 (כלי בשפע) | Pot / jug / bottle (always בשפע) → permitted לכתחילה even ben yomo; bowl or small vessel → forbidden, גזירה. |
| The prohibition's bones in a large permitted pot | Seif 1-2 (עצמות) | Dry non-edible bones → count with the permitted; marrow and tender bones → with the prohibition; raw vs cooked-alone changes the count; in הפסד, leniency (Rama). |
Le-ma'asse. These situations blend questions of fact — nullified deliberately or by mistake, the real volume before us, first or new prohibition, the nature of the utensil, tender or dry bones — that only your Rav can decide upon seeing the case. The golden rule: never dilute a prohibition to reach the 60, and reconstruct precisely what fell, into what, and what was added. For the application to your precise situation, consult your Rav (or a competent Dayan).
| Case | Measure (for us) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| The prohibition's bones (dry / shells) | Count with the permitted | Not food; marrow and tender bones → with the prohibition |
| Bones of a piece cooked alone first | Count with the prohibition | They absorbed נבילה meat (seif 2) |
| A piece that absorbed a prohibition | חנ״נ — does not combine (Rama) | Din (Mehaber): would count on the permitted side |
| Evaluating the dish | כמו שבא לפנינו | מין במינו: also the absorbed; כלה מחמת האור does not count |
| Nullifying a prohibition deliberately | Forbidden (אין מבטלין) | שוגג → permitted; מזיד → forbidden for the מבטל and the one for whom |
| Rabbinic prohibition with nothing to nullify it | One does not nullify (Rama) | "ואין לזוז"; Mehaber: מרבה עליו |
| Adding first prohibition to a nullified mixture | חוזר וניעור — becomes forbidden again | Migration to a new heter → does not reawaken |
| Trace in a pot / jug (בשפע) | Permitted לכתחילה even ben yomo | Bowl (sometimes בדבר מועט) → forbidden, גזירה |
| Posek | Decisive contribution (anchored in the corpus) |
|---|---|
| Mehaber (seifim 1-7) | עצמות מצטרפין and the marrow / the body of the pot; raw / cooked; the imbued piece that counts (other prohibitions); כמו שבא לפנינו, רוטב / קיפה / מין במינו; אין מבטלין and שוגג / מזיד; מרבה עליו דרבנן; the trace in a utensil in שפע. |
| Rama (הגה) | יש מחמירין not to combine the bones, but הפסד → one is lenient (seif 1); חתיכה נעשית נבילה for every issur, referral to 92 (seif 3); one does not nullify even a דרבנן — "ואין לזוז" (seif 6); חוזר וניעור, and the milk→water→meat limit (seif 6); "ואין נוהגין כן" on נודע / לא נודע (seif 5). |
| Shach (Siftei Kohen) | s.k. 1: tender bones → prohibition, dry bones / shells → permitted (Raah, Ran, Or Zaroua, Bach); אין מבטלין is rabbinic; disputes the נודע / לא נודע distinction, only שוגג / מזיד counts (with Pri Hadash, Minchat Yaakov). |
| Taz (Turei Zahav) | s.k. 1 (non-edible bones + moisture; Bach's question); s.k. 2 (גוף הקדירה, חרסית / בלוע; pot already forbidden, 98); s.k. 4 (כמו שבא לפנינו: Rashba/Ran vs Rash"al); s.k. 5 (מין בשאינו מינו deoraita; אחזוקי איסורא לא מחזקינן); s.k. 7 (אין מבטלין except other intent, 84:13); s.k. 8-10 (שוגג / מזיד; למי שנתבטל בשבילו if he knew and was pleased); s.k. 12-14 (מרבה עליו דרבנן; מן האיסור הראשון, 98; חוזר וניעור ≠ ladle 94, איסור חדש); s.k. 15 (the trace in a utensil, קנקנים, Rashba T"H 126). |
| Pri Megadim (פר״מ) | Refines the parameters of the evaluation (מין במינו / שאינו מינו, what combines) and of nullification לכתחילה, in line with the Taz and the Shach. |
| Pitchei Teshuva (פתחי תשובה) | s.k. 1 (Shach like the Ran on the bones; Mahari Halevi disputes; בישול / מליחה, כחוש / שמן); s.k. 3 (אין מבטלין is rabbinic — Shach; Noda BiYhouda: טעם rabbinic, ממשות יבש ביבש ברוב deoraita); s.k. 5 (מזיד: asking "lomdim" ≠ שוגג — Tzemach Tzedek); s.k. 6 (Shach disputes נודע / לא נודע); s.k. 7 (מרבה עליו: Magen Avraham, Rabbi Akiva Eiger). |
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