Many people prepare Hamin ("cholent") in a crock pot or other utensil before Shabbat, and the Hamin cooks throughout the night and is served at Shabbat lunch. It occasionally happens that a person notices on Shabbat morning that the Hamin has begun to dry, because not enough water had been added before Shabbat. If the pot is taken off the fire or heating element, it will cool off by the time lunch is served. What one would want to do in such a case is add hot water to the pot in order to keep the Hamin moist so that it does not burn. For example, if one has a kettle of hot water on the stove, he might want to pour boiling water from the kettle into the pot of Hamin. Is this permissible, or does this violate the prohibition of cooking on Shabbat?
Ashkenazim and Sepharadim follow different customs in this regard. The Rama (Rabbi Moshe Isserles of Cracow, 1525-1572) ruled that one may pour hot water from a Keli Rishon (the original pot in which the water was boiled) into a pot of hot, cooked food on Shabbat to keep it moist. Since both the water and the food have already been cooked and are still hot, nothing is being cooked when the hot water is poured into the pot of food, and thus, according to the Rama, no Shabbat prohibition is entailed. Ashkenazim, who generally follow the rulings of the Rama, may therefore pour hot water from a kettle into a pot of Hamin on Shabbat.
The Shulhan Aruch (Orah Haim 253:4), however, disapproves of this practice. He writes (listen to audio recording for precise citation) that those who pour water from a kettle into a pot of food on Shabbat "must be reprimanded" as this violates the prohibition against cooking on Shabbat. The reason is that as the water leaves the kettle it briefly passes through the air, where it is cooled, albeit slightly. Then, when it enters the pot of hot food, it becomes reheated. Halacha follows the view that re-cooking a liquid is forbidden on Shabbat ("Yesh Bishul Ahar Bishul Be’lah"), and therefore, according to the Shulhan Aruch, one may not pour hot water from a kettle into a pot of Hamin on Shabbat, as he thereby reheats the water that had momentarily cooled after it left the kettle. Hence, Sepharadim, who follow the rulings of the Shulhan Aruch, may not pour hot water into a pot of Hamin on Shabbat.
If, however, one mistakenly poured hot water into the pot, the Hamin is nevertheless permissible for consumption. For example, if a person is a guest at somebody’s home for lunch, and the host told of how the Hamin had dried out and he poured hot water into it so it wouldn’t burn, thinking that this was permissible, the guest may eat the Hamin, even though the host acted incorrectly. Food that was cooked on Shabbat in violation of Halacha is forbidden for consumption only "Miderabbanan" (by force of Rabbinic enactment), and there is a famous Halachic rule of "Safek De’rabbanan Le’hakel" – we may act leniently in situations of halachic uncertainty concerning laws enacted by the Sages. Therefore, given the debate between the Shulhan Aruch and Rama on this issue, we may follow the lenient ruling with respect to the Rabbinic prohibition of eating food prepared on Shabbat. Accordingly, even though a Sepharadi may not pour hot water into a pot of Hamin on Shabbat, if this was done the Hamin is nevertheless permissible. This is the ruling of Hacham Ovadia Yosef.
What, then, should a person do if he notices on Shabbat morning that the Hamin is drying out?
In truth, the only option in such a case is to remove the food from the fire, and serve it cold. However, one can avoid this situation before Shabbat by filling a food bag with water, tying it, and placing it in the pot of Hamin. If he notices on Shabbat morning that the Hamin has begun to dry, then he can simply pierce the bag of water inside the pot to release the water. In this case, the hot water enters the Hamin pot without first passing through the air, and this is therefore permissible even according to the Shulhan Aruch. If the Hamin does not dry out, then one simply removes the bag from the pot on Shabbat before he serves the Hamin.
Summary: If a person notices on Shabbat morning that the Hamin (cholent) has begun to dry, and he is concerned that it might burn before lunch, then according to Ashkenazic custom, he may pour hot water from a kettle into the pot. According to Sephardic custom, however, this is forbidden. It is therefore advisable before Shabbat to fill a food bag with water and place it in the pot together with the Hamin, so that if the Hamin dries one can pierce the bag inside the pot to release the water.
