“All the fountains of the deep opened” (Bereishit 7:1). This is how the Torah describes the beginning of the flood. However, at the conclusion of the flood the Torah states: “And the fountains of the deep closed” (8:2), omitting the word “all.” Our Sages derive from this that not all the fountains of the deep were closed. Those which benefit humanity, such as the hot springs of Tiberias (Chamei Teverya), were left open (Rashi).
When Jewish law speaks of cooking, it is limited to cooking over a fire or any derivative thereof. This is true whether the subject is cooking on Shabbat, roasting the Paschal lamb, or cooking milk with meat.
Since the Torah prohibition of cooking on Shabbat is limited to cooking with fire, one is not liable for cooking with the hot springs of Teverya or the sun (Rashi on Shabbat 39a). If we could harness the sun’s heat to cook on Shabbat, normative halacha might permit it (Shemirat Shabbat Kehilchetah, chapter 1, note 127).
Some say that if a non-Jew uses Chamei Teverya to cook food, it may still be eaten by a Jew. Since the heat source is not fire, the food is not considered to have been cooked by the non-Jew (and thus it is not forbidden on the grounds of bishul akum). Nevertheless, all agree that if non-kosher food is cooked in a pot using Chamei Teverya as the heat source, both the pot and the food become forbidden. Does this mean that the people of Teverya can save on their electric bills by using Chamei Teverya to kasher their kitchen items before Pesach? Not necessarily. Some maintain that if a pot absorbed the taste of prohibited food while on the fire, it can be rid of it only by fire, following the principle of “Kebol’o kach polto” (“An item ‘spits out’ absorbed food in the same way that it absorbed it”). If so, Chamei Teverya would not count for kashering purposes.
Another interesting tidbit: women may use Chamei Teverya for purification purposes, but it may not be used for netilat yadayim (hand-washing before a meal). This is because hot water may be used for netilat yadayim only if the water started out cold and was later heated up. In contrast, water which was always hot (as is the case with Chamei Teverya) cannot be used for netilat yadayim. Some say that Chamei Teverya cannot be used for netilat yadayim because of its sulfur content, which makes it unfit to drink.
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