11. Subject to careful observance of the conditions contained in paragraph 12 below, one may tear open seals of the following kinds:
a. the paper seal covering the top of a bottle;
b. the paper wrapping around chocolate;
c. the internal seal under the lid of a box or jar of instant coffee* (whether made of paper or other material);
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*It should be noted in passing that there is a rule whereby, with certain exceptions, vessels made by or purchased from a non-Jew must be immersed in a mikveh (a pool of water conforming to strict religious requirements) before they are used. Thus:
a. a container
1) which is made by or bought from a non-Jew, as is usually the case outside Israel,
2) which, if sealed, is sealed by means of a lid or top which can be removed, without permanently altering its shape, and replaced, as can the lids of boxes or jars normally used for instant coffee or milk powder, and
3) which one wishes to re-use for food should be immersed before being re-used in this way, whereas
b. cans containing food, even if made outside Israel, need not be immersed, since they are converted into vessels only in the course of being opened for the first time.
Vessels should not be immersed in a mikveh on Shabbath or Yom Tov. (See Chapter 12, paragraph 29.)
