Laws of Kli Rishon

We've begun the final installment in our Hilchot Shabbat (Laws of Shabbat) unit - the laws of a kli rishon, sheini and shlishi.

Simply put, these descriptions refer to the degree to which something comes into contact with a source of heat. A kli rishon comes into direct contact with the heat source (e.g. a hot water urn, a pot). A kli sheini is once removed from the heat source, and a kli shlishi is twice removed from the heat source.

Example: Water is heated in an urn (kli rishon) and then transfered to a tea cup (kli sheini). It is then poured into a third cup (kli shlishi).

The contents of a kli rishon and kli sheini are considered to be hot enough to effect a bishul problem, whereby any raw item that comes into contact with those keilim is considered to be "cooked."

Practical applications: Making tea on Shabbat. We'll learn more about this tomorrow with a hands-on activity.