The Rema (YD 115:1) writes that we are required to
kasher utensils that were used with hot
gevinas akum, just as is the case with any non-kosher food. The Shach (115:17) elaborates that although certain Rabbinic prohibitions such as
Bishul Akum and
Pas Akum (certain foods made without Jewish involvement) are treated more leniently than Biblical prohibitions and are
batel b’rov (nullified with a simple majority),
gevinas Akum is treated more strictly and is only
batel bishishim (a one to sixty ratio). The Shach explains why there is this distinction. The Rabbis prohibited
gevinas Akum because it may be produced with non-kosher rennet. Non-kosher rennet is Biblically prohibited. Since
gevinas Akum may be Biblically prohibited, the laws of
bitul for
gevinas akum are stringent as well and a sixty to one ratio is required. On the other hand, the prohibitions of
Bishul Akum and
Pas Akum were enacted not for reasons of
kashrus, but rather for social considerations, and therefore the rules of
bitul for these items are more lenient.
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