Cooked by a Mechalel Shabbos

Food Cooked by a Mechalel Shabbos B’farhesyah

 

The issur of bishul akum (the prohibition of eating food cooked by a non-Jew) pertains to food that cannot be eaten raw and is fit to be served at a king’s table. There are two reasons for this issur: 1) mishum chasnus (fear that eating their food may lead to friendship and then to intermarriage, chas v’shalom) and 2) because of the possibility that the non-Jew may exchange our kosher food for non-kosher food. Since a mechalel Shabbos b’farhesyah (one who desecrates Shabbos publicly) is regarded like a non-Jew in matters of issur v’heter (the halachos of kashrus), the question arises whether the issur of bishul akum applies to food cooked by a Jew who is mechalel Shabbos b’farhesyah, since the concern of exchanging non-kosher food for kosher can equally apply to a mechalel Shabbos. The consensus among poskim is that l’chatchilah (preferably) one should not allow someone who is a mechalel Shabbos b’farhesyah to light our fires (gas or electric) for cooking; however, b’dieved (after the fact), if a mechalel Shabbos b’farhesyah cooked for us, the food may be eaten and the utensils need not be koshered—providing that the person in question would be embarrassed to desecrate Shabbos in the presence of a gadol b’Yisroel (a great Jewish sage).  #313?1

https://halacha2go.com?number=313

Practical Halacha: One minute a day. By Horav Yosef Yeshaya Braun, shlita, Mara D'asra and member of the Badatz of Crown Heights.