Q. When G’d forbid someone dies at home, one is suppose to throw away all uncovered liquids. Does that include also the ice-cubes therein?
A. On question 2284 regarding drinks kept in a hospital room when the patient died there, we wrote: “Poskim also permit water that carries an added commercial name, such as soda-water or mineral-water or has been changed by boiling or mixed with flavoring agents. (Beis Yitzchok Y.D. 150, Maharsham 3: 375, Divrei Malkiel 2: 94 and others).
Ice cubes should be similar.
However, Horav Shlomo Miller’s Shlit’a pointed that since the main reason mentioned for discarding the uncovered water is, that the Angel of Death may have poisoned the water when cleaning his sword after taking the life of the one who died. As is the case with other poisons, one would discard the ice that had contact with the water, as it may have been also contaminated.
Rabbi A. Bartfeld as revised by Horav Dovid Pam, Horav Aharon Miller and Horav Chanoch Ehrentreu Shlit'a
Important Numbers
