TOPIC KOSHER MEAT AND MILK

TOPIC KOSHER MEAT AND MILK

2 KOSHER MEAT AND MILK Where in the Torah does it prohibit eating milk and meat together? How is it derived? After eating meat, how long must you wait until eating dairy, and how long after dairy can you eat meat? Why are these waiting periods so different? Why do people who keep kosher have two sets of dishes? What is the reason for this mitzvah? What do meat and milk signify according to Kabbalah? SECTION 1 - TALMUDIC BACKGROUND The prohibition against eating milk and meat is not stated explicitly in the Torah. Instead it is derived from a phrase repeated across the Torah in identical form three times, You shall not cook a kid in its mother s milk. This is understood by all Talmudic sages to include three separate prohibitions: eating, benefiting from, and cooking. Text 1 שמות פרק כג, יט ר אשׁ ית בּ כּוּר י אַד מ ת ך תּ ב יא בּ ית ה א לק י ך לא ת ב שּׁ ל גּ ד י בּ ח ל ב א מּוֹ: שמות פרק לד, כו ר אשׁ ית בּ כּוּר י אַד מ ת ך תּ ב יא בּ ית ה א לק י ך לא ת ב שּׁ ל גּ ד י בּ ח ל ב א מּוֹ: דברים פרק יד, כא לא ת אכ לוּ כ ל נ ב ל ה ל גּ ר א שׁ ר בּ שׁ ע ר י ך תּ תּ נ נּ ה ו א כ ל הּ אוֹ מ כ ר ל נ כ ר י כּ י ע ם ק דוֹשׁ א תּ ה ל ה א לק י ך לא ת ב שּׁ ל גּ ד י בּ ח ל ב א מּוֹ: Shemos 23:19 19. The choicest of the first fruits of your soil you shall bring to the house of the L-rd, your G-d. You shall not cook a kid in its mother s milk. Shemos 34:26 26. The choicest of the first fruits of your soil you shall bring to the house of the L-rd, your G-d. You shall not cook a kid in its mother s milk. What do you think is this verse means, and what would you guess is the reason? We will soon see how these verses were interpreted by the Oral Tradition. Devarim 14:21 21. You shall not eat any carcass. You may give it to the stranger who is in your cities, that he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner; for you are a holy people to the Lord, your G-d. You shall not cook a kid in its mother s milk. KOSHER MEAT AND MILK

3 Text 2 תלמוד חולין קטו, ב דבי רבי ישמעאל תנא: לא תבשל גדי בחלב אמו ג פעמים, אחד לאיסור אכילה, ואחד לאיסור הנאה, ואחד לאיסור בשול. Talmud Chullin 115b The school of R. Yishmael taught: You shall not cook a kid in its mother s milk is stated three times: one is a prohibition against eating it, one a prohibition against deriving benefit from it, and one a prohibition against cooking it. Text 3 רמבם הלכות מאכלות אסורות, פרק תשיעי א. בשר בחלב אסור לבשלו ואסור לאכלו מן התורה ואסור בהנאה... ב. לא שתק הכתוב מלאסור האכילה אלא מפני שאסר הבשול כלומר ואפילו בשולו אסור ואין צריך לומר אכילתו כמו ששתק מלאסור הבת מאחר שאסר בת הבת. ג. אין אסור מן התורה אלא בשר בהמה טהורה בחלב בהמה טהורה שנאמר לא תבשל גדי בחלב אמו וגדי הוא כולל ולד השור ולד השה ולד העז עד שיפרוט ויאמר גדי עזים ולא נאמר גדי בחלב אמו אלא שדיבר הכתוב בהווה אבל בשר בהמה טהורה (שבשלו) בחלב בהמה טמאה או בשר בהמה טמאה (שבשלו) בחלב בהמה טהורה מותר לבשל ומותרת בהנייה ואין חייבין על אכילתו משום בשר בחלב. Maimonides Laws of Forbidden Foods, Ch. 9 1. It is forbidden to cook meat and milk together and to partake of them according to Torah law. It is forbidden to benefit from [such a mixture] 2. The Torah does not explicitly forbid eating [meat and milk together] only because it forbade cooking them. This is as if to say: if even cooking is forbidden, how much more so eating it. [To cite a parallel:] The Torah did not mention the prohibition against relations with one s daughter, because it forbade those with the daughter of one s daughter. TOPIC 8

4 3. According to Torah law, the prohibition involves only [a mixture of] meat from a kosher domesticated animal and milk from a kosher domesticated animal, as implied by the verse: Do not cook a kid in its mother s milk. The term a kid,,גדי includes the offspring of an ox, sheep, and goat unless the.גדי עיזים goat-kid, verse states explicitly, a The term a kid in its mother s milk [does not permit meat with other types of milk], instead, the Torah is just giving a commonplace circumstance. With regard to the meat of a kosher animal which was cooked in the milk of a non-kosher animal or the meat of a non-kosher animal which was cooked in the milk of a kosher animal, by contrast, cooking is permitted, and deriving benefit is permitted. One is not liable for [transgressing the prohibition against partaking of] meat and milk if one partakes of it (although obviously they are forbidden simply since they are not kosher in and of themselves). The Rambam argues that once the Torah forbids cooking, and there are two extra identical verses, it is obvious that they are coming to forbid eating and benefiting too which are more basic than cooking. After all, there are many other foods prohibited to eat (like un-slaughtered meat, pork, shrimp) which a Jew can still cook for a non-jew. Why does the Torah talk specifically about a baby goat and its mother s milk? According to Rambam, it is merely choosing the most practical case: if you own a young goat, chances are you own its mother too, which gives milk. Another interesting point: this unique prohibition against even cooking only applies to meat and milk that are both from a kosher animal. While you cannot eat ham with cheese because the ham is not kosher, there is no prohibition against cooking them together. KOSHER MEAT AND MILK

5 Text 4 תלמוד חולין קה, א אמר רב חסדא: אכל בשר, אסור לאכול גבינה. גבינה, מותר לאכול בשר. אמר ליה רב אחא בר יוסף לרב חסדא: בשר שבין השינים מהו? קרי עליה, (במדבר יא, לג) הבשר עודנו בין שיניהם. אמר מר עוקבא: אנא להא מלתא חלא בר חמרא לגבי אבא. דאילו אבא, כי הוה אכיל בשרא האידנא, לא הוה אכל גבינה עד למחר עד השתא. ואילו אנא, בהא סעודתא הוא דלא אכילנא, לסעודתא אחריתא, אכילנא. Talmud Chullin Rav Chisda stated: One who ate meat is forbidden to eat cheese. One who ate cheese may eat meat. R. Acha b. Yoseph asked R. Chisda: What about the flesh that is between the teeth? (Is it considered meat, and must it be removed before one eats cheese, or is it insignificant?) He quoted [in reply] the verse (Bamidbar 11:33): While the flesh was yet between their teeth. (This shows that it is still called meat and must be removed.) Mar Ukva said: In this manner I resemble vinegar the son of wine when compared to my father. Father would wait twentyfour hours after eating meat, before partaking of cheese. But I, although I would not eat cheese in the same meal as meat, I would eat [cheese] in the next meal. This Talmudic passage states that while you must wait after eating meat, you do not have to wait after eating cheese. Later, in sources 8 and 10, we will see that we, too, follow the example of Mar Ukva who waited the time period between meals, and we will define exactly how long that is. Also, since meat between the teeth is still called meat, even if one chews meat to soften for a baby and doesn t swallow it, he still must wait. Summary: The Torah writes three times, You shall not cook a kid in its mother s milk. The Talmud, and all later commentaries, define this as a threefold prohibition: not to eat, not to cook, and not to benefit. They also understand that this is not limited to a baby and its mother s milk, nor is it limited to a goat; rather it includes all domestic kosher animals. The Talmud also adds that one must wait a period of time after eating meat, until the next meal. TOPIC 8

6 SECTION 2 - CODE OF JEWISH LAW This is a basic guide to keeping the mitzvah of not mixing milk and meat. Text 5 קיצור שולחן ערוך סימן מו, סעיף ה -י א ה. ב ש ר ב ח ל ב אָסוּר ב א כ יל ה וּב ב שּׁוּל וּב ה נ אָה, ו ל כ ן א ם נ א ס ר א יז ה ד ב ר מ ת ע ר ב ת ב ש ר ב ח ל ב, צ ר יכ ין ל ע שׂוֹת ש א ל ה מ ה ל ע שׂוֹת בּוֹ... Kitzur Shulchan Aruch Chapter 46, Laws 5-11 5. Meat and milk together are prohibited to eat, cook, and benefit from. Therefore, if anything (i.e., a pot, dish, or food) becomes forbidden because of a mixture of milk and meat, a rabbi must be consulted. Even if a pot is clean, if meat was cooked in it previously, it is deemed fleishig or a meaty pot since pots, pans, and dishes absorb their contents to some extent when heat is applied. Text 6 ש נ י י ש ר א ל ים ה מ כ יר ים ז ה א ת ז ה, א פ לּוּ ה ם מ ק פ יד ים ז ה ע ל ז ה, אָסוּר ל ה ם ל א כ ל ע ל ש ל ח ן א ח ד ז ה ב ש ר ו ז ה מ א כ ל ח ל ב, ע ד ש י ע שׂוּ א יז ה ה כ ר, כ גוֹן, ש י אכ ל כ ל א ח ד ע ל מ פ ה ש לּוֹ, אוֹ ש י נ יחוּ ע ל ה ש ל ח ן ב ין ה מ א כ ל ים א יז ה ד ב ר ש א ין ד ר כּוֹ ל ה יוֹת ש ם. ו י ה יוּ ז ה יר ים ש ל א ל ש תּוֹת מ כ ל י א ח ד, מ פ נ י ש ה מ א כ ל נ ד ב ק ב כ ל י. Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 6. Two Jews who know each other, even if they are not friends, should not eat at the same table if one is eating meat and the other dairy (because they may come to share food), unless they make a distinction - e.g., each will eat on his own placemat, or if they place an unusual article on the table (as a separator) between the food. An interesting side point from this law: we suspect that two Jews, even if they don t consider themselves friends, will come to share their food with each other, since Jews share! They therefore need a physical reminder to separate them. They should also take care not to drink from the same cup because (bits of) food may become stuck to the container. KOSHER MEAT AND MILK

7 Text 7 ח. נוֹה ג ין ל ר ש ם א ת ה ס כ ין ה מ י ח ד ל מ אַכ ל י ח ל ב, ו כ ן כ ל כ ל י ח ל ב ש ל א י ב אוּ ל יד י ח לּוּף. Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 8. It is customary to mark the knives used for milk products and, similarly, other utensils used for dairy, so they do not get interchanged (with those used for meat). Even a knife can become meat or dairy. A kosher home requires two sets of dishes. Text 8 ט. אָכ ל ב ש ר אוֹ א פ לּוּ ר ק ת ב ש יל ש ל ב ש ר, לא י אכ ל מ אַכ ל י ח ל ב ע ד ש י ש ה ה ש שׁ ש עוֹת. ו ה לּוֹע ס ל ת ינוֹק, צ ר י ך ג ם כ ן ל ה מ ת ין. ו אַף- ע ל- פ י ש ש ה ה כ ש עוּר, א ם מ צ א ב ש ר ב ין ה ש נ י ם, צ ר י ך ל ה ס ירוֹ. א ב ל א ינוֹ צ ר י ך ל ה מ ת ין אַח ר כ ך, ר ק י ק נ ח א ת פ יו ו יד יחוֹ, ד ה י נוּ ש י אכ ל מ ע ט פ ת ו יק נ ח בּוֹ פ יו, ו ג ם מ ד יחוֹ ב מ י ם אוֹ ב ש אָר מ ש ק ה. 9. One who ate meat, or even just a food cooked with meat derivatives, should not eat dairy products until six hours have passed. One who chews (meat) for a baby (without swallowing) must also wait. Even after this period, if (you still feel particles of) meat between your teeth, you must remove them before dairy can be eaten. However, one doesn t need to wait (any longer) afterwards, just clean the mouth and rinse it. This can be done by eating some bread to clean the mouth, and washing it down with water or any other beverage. The reason you must wait after meat is because meat is fatty, and the taste may linger in one s mouth for a long time. With the passing of six hours, however, the taste dissipates. The Talmud told us (source 4 above) that Mar Ukva would wait, after eating meat, until his next meal before eating dairy products. Most commentaries understand this to mean that he would wait six hours, as written here. In those days they ate only two meals a day, and this was the average amount of time between the morning meal and the evening meal. There are minority opinions that hold that it s sufficient to wait one hour or three hours. If one belongs to a community that follows those opinions (German and Dutch), he may rely on those leniencies. Otherwise, one should wait a full six hours. TOPIC 8

8 Text 9 י. א ם לא ה י ה ב ת ב ש יל לא ב ש ר ו לא ש מ ן ש ל ב ש ר, א ל א ש נ ת ב ש ל ב ק ד ר ה ש ל ב ש ר, א פ לּוּ לא ה י ת ה מוּד ח ת י פ ה, מ ת ר ל א כ ל אַח ר יו [מ אַכ ל י] ח ל ב. Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 10. If you did not eat meat, but your food was cooked in a fleishig pot i.e. a pot used for meat, even if the pot was not thoroughly clean, you may eat dairy afterwards (without waiting. Similarly, after eating meat, one may eat food that has been cooked in a dairy pot.). Although a pot may have been deemed fleishig or meaty since it was used to cook meat in the past, if you cook in it a parve or neutral food, you do not have to wait six hours. Text 10 יא. אָכ ל ג ב ינ ה, מ ת ר ל א כוֹל אַח ר יה ב ש ר מ י ד ב ס עוּד ה אַח ר ת, וּב ל ב ד ש י ב ד ק י ד יו א ם א ין שׁוּם ד ב ר מ ה ג ב ינ ה נ ד ב ק ב ה ם, אוֹ י ר ח צ ם ב מ י ם, ו ג ם י נ ק ר ש נ יו ו י ד יח פ יו. ו א ם ה י ת ה ה ג ב ינ ה ק ש ה, ד ה י נוּ ש ה ע מ ד ה ב ק ב ה, ו יש נ ה ש ש ה ח ד ש ים אוֹ ש ה יא מ ת ל ע ת, א ם רוֹצ ה ל א כוֹל אַח ר כ ך מ אַכ ל י ב ש ר, צ ר י ך ג ם כ ן ל ה מ ת ין ש שׁ ש עוֹת. Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 11. If you ate dairy products, one can eat meat immediately as part of another meal, as long as you check your hands that no cheese is stuck to them, or you wash them with water, and also rinse your teeth and mouth. After eating hard cheese, i.e., cheese that has been aged for six months or is very strong tasting, you must wait six hours before eating meat foods. Although the Talmud (above source 4) and Code of Jewish Law here say that no wait is necessary after dairy, the Zohar states that one should not eat milk and meat in the same hour. For this reason, it is the Chabad custom to refrain from eating meat for a full hour after eating dairy. One who does this need not eat or drink something else in between. Many other communities have a custom of waiting only a half hour before eating meat. They understand the Zohar to mean a time period, not a literal hour. Two examples of hard cheese are Swiss cheese and Parmesan cheese. KOSHER MEAT AND MILK

9 Text 11 יב. מ י ש אָכ ל ג ב ינ ה ו רוֹצ ה ל א כוֹל ב ש ר, צ ר י ך ל ב ע ר מ ע ל ה ש ל ח ן ש יוּר י פ ת ש אָכ ל ע ם ה ג ב ינ ה. ו אָסוּר ל א כוֹל ג ב ינ ה ע ל מ פ ה ש אָכ לוּ ב ש ר. ו כ ן ל ה פּוּ ך. 10. Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 12. If you ate cheese and now want to eat meat, remove all the bread used with dairy from the table. It is forbidden to eat cheese on the (same) tablecloth upon which you ate meat, and vice versa. Summary: This mitzvah includes cooking and serving meat and milk with the same pots and dishes. If two people are eating meat and milk at the same table, a separation should be made at the table to remind us not to share. The Talmudic statement of Mar Ukva was understood to mean to wait six hours after eating meat. The reason is because the meat lingers in one s mouth and stomach, and we do not want to mix the tastes. Although the Talmud and Code of Jewish Law do not require any wait after dairy, based on the Zohar, some wait a half hour, or an hour. Some cheeses also require six hours. TOPIC 8

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