The  Basur  IS  Asur

Bishul Akum

by Davidah Moradi and Penny Rubin

Bishul Akum can be defined as a non-Jew cooking for a Jew. This has been an ongoing  debate throughout many years  deciding weather or not it is mutar and there have been many different responses. We will present the argument here.

The Gemara says : that this idea is asur for they are scared that there will be intermarriage between the non-Jewish cook and the Jewish person who lives there. Their reasoning isn't based on a fear of violating a Halacha of kashrus but rather fear of assimilation. We should learn from this that intermarriage is very  looked down upon in yiddishkiet that our rabbanim go to all extents to try to avoid it and so should we.

The Rambam says : that this idea is mutar as long as there is action within the cooking. For example, you have to move the coals, putting the chicken in the pot. The Jew is obligated to do the action for that is the essence of making the food, but if it was a matter of just needing to stir something then it is allowed. This pertains to our life in many different situations. If we have a housekeeper who is a gentile then we are allowed to tell them to go stir something or add something in as long as we y put the actual ingredients in the food.

The Shulchan Orech states: Sif Daled  siman kuf yud gimel quotes the Rama saying "yesh mi she-matir b'shifachot shelanu v'yesh mi she'asur vafilu b'dieeved." In English that translates to  some people say you are allowed to have servants and other people say you are not. The Shulchan Orech says this here because some say you are allowed to eat from your non-Jewish slaves and those who don't believe in the non-Jew slavery  believe we can't eat the food they cook.

Bdieved - you can't rely on the servant because then it would be asur.
But lichatchila it would be mutar because it would be impossible for some Jew not to participate in some sort of action with in the cooking such as moving the coals, moving the pot, moving the food inside the pot etc. 

The Ramban brings down a very interesting perush that is in support of having non-Jewish workers because the says they are not full non-Jews. Being that the Jewish owners don't allow their workers to work on shabbos so it is mutar.

Shulchan Orech , Sif Zayin siman kuf yud gimel " ein shagirat hatanur muulat elah bi pot aval bshaar hamiba shelim. Ein gira litanur vlo hadlaakat haasih meelah oo morid elah ha'hanach doka lifichach harotzhe livashel b'machaveh b'tanur shel oved kochavim tzarich sheyitain yisroel hamechaveh l'toch htanur. Limakom, haaraoy litvashel bo."

This can be explained as: For baking, as long as the Jew put the fire on as opposed to the non Jew turning on the fire then it is mutar, but regarding different methods of cooking such as cooking, broiling, etc…. By the Jew turning on the fire is not enough! We need more! In order for it to be mutar we must take part in the action of the cooking, for instance we can put the pan in the oven and the non-Jew can add the finishing touches….We gain form this knowledge the Halacha in what to do in our own homes if a non-Jew is cooking for us. We know that we must turn on the oven and we also must participate in the cooking process.

The shach says that we can eat form their cooking because we know that they wont be doing all the work and a Jew is bound to participate in the cooking at some point in the process. Therefore he agrees with the Shulchan Orech seif daled.