המתנה בין בשר לחלב
Waiting between Meat and Milk
Introduction
The purpose of this section is to examine the basis for the different customs of waiting a certain number of hours after eating meat and before eating/drinking milk. A related issue – must one wait after milk and before meat? Why is there a difference?
Sources
Before being able to tackle these questions, we first have to examine the basic prohibitions concerning the combination of milk and meat. Our sources are devoted to this very issue.
1. שמות פרק כג
(יד) שָׁלֹשׁ רְגָלִים תָּחֹג לִי בַּשָּׁנָה:
(טו) אֶת חַג הַמַּצּוֹת תִּשְׁמֹר שִׁבְעַת יָמִים תֹּאכַל מַצּוֹת כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתִךָ לְמוֹעֵד חֹדֶשׁ הָאָבִיב כִּי בוֹ יָצָאתָ מִמִּצְרָיִם וְלֹא יֵרָאוּ פָנַי רֵיקָם:
(טז) וְחַג הַקָּצִיר בִּכּוּרֵי מַעֲשֶׂיךָ אֲשֶׁר תִּזְרַע בַּשָּׂדֶה וְחַג הָאָסִף בְּצֵאת הַשָּׁנָה בְּאָסְפְּךָ אֶת מַעֲשֶׂיךָ מִן הַשָּׂדֶה:
(יז) שָׁלֹשׁ פְּעָמִים בַּשָּׁנָה יֵרָאֶה כָּל זְכוּרְךָ אֶל פְּנֵי הָאָדֹן יְקֹוָק:
(יח) לֹא תִזְבַּח עַל חָמֵץ דַּם זִבְחִי וְלֹא יָלִין חֵלֶב חַגִּי עַד בֹּקֶר:
(יט) רֵאשִׁית בִּכּוּרֵי אַדְמָתְךָ תָּבִיא בֵּית יְקֹוָק אֱלֹהֶיךָ לֹא תְבַשֵּׁל גְּדִי בַּחֲלֵב אִמּוֹ:
1. Exodus Chapter 23
14) Three times a year you shall hold a festival for Me.
15) You shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread; seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month of Aviv–for in it you went forth from Egypt; and none shall appear before Me empty-handed;
16) and the Feast of the Harvest, the first-fruits of your labors, which you sow in the field; and the Feast of Ingathering, at the end of the year, when you gather in your labors out of the field.
17) Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Sovereign, the Lord.
18) You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with anything leavened; neither shall the fat of My feast remain all night until the morning.
19) The choicest first-fruits of your soil you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God. You shall not boil a kid in its mother’s milk.
2. רשב”ם שמות פרק כג:יט
לא תבשל גדי בחלב אמו – דרך העזים ללדת שני גדיים יחד, ורגילים היו לשחוט אחד מהם, ומתוך שרוב חלב בעזים כדכת’ ודי חלב עזים ללחמך וגו’, היו רגילים לבשלו בחלב האם, ולפי ההוה דבר הכתוב. וגנאי הוא הדבר ובליעה ורעבתנות לאכול חלב האם עם הבנים. ודוגמא זו באותו ואת בנו ושילוח הקן. וללמדך דרך תרבות צוה הכתוב. ולפי שברגל היו אוכלין בהמות הרבה, הזהיר בפרשת הרגלים שלא לבשל ולא לאכול גדי בחלב אמו והוא הדין לכל בשר בחלב כמו שפירשו רבותינו בשחיטת חולין:
2. Rashbam on Exodus chapter 23:19
“You shall not boil a kid in its mother’s milk” – It is the way of goats to give birth to two kids together, and they used to slaughter one of them, and since goats have a high yield of milk, as it is written, “The goats’ milk will suffice for your food” (Proverbs 27:27), and the were used to boiling it in its mother’s milk, and the verse spoke according to that contemporary situation. This matter is a disgrace and it is gluttonous and voracious to eat the milk’s mother with the children. This example is in “Whether it be a cow or ewe, you shall not kill it and its young both in one day”(Levitivus 22:28) and in “sending away the mother bird before taking her young” (see Deuteronomy 17:6-7). The verse instructed in order to teach you a way of civilization. Since on the festival they would eat many animals, this portion of Festivals (in the Torah) cautioned not to boil and not to cook a kid in its mother’s milk. . .
Background: Shmuel ben Meir (1085–1158), also known as Rashbam after his Hebrew acronym, was a leading French Tosafist born in the vicinity of Troyes. His father was Meir ben Shmuel and his mother was Yocheved, the daughter of Rashi. Like his grandfather Rashi, Rashbam was a biblical commentator and Talmudist. He was the teacher of his younger brother, Rabbeinu Tam. His commentary on the Torah is renowned for its stress on the plain meaning (peshat) of the text. This approach often led him to state views that were somewhat controversial.
Questions: The injunction, “You shall not boil a kid in its mother’s milk” appears here as well as in sources #3 and #4. In source #4 the prohibition appears in the context of the dietary laws (have a look in your own TaNaKh for the verses), but sources #1 and #3 indicate that its origin lies in the overall context of the festivals. Rashbam reasons along these lines. Is his commentary convincing? Other scholars follow the suggestion of Maimonides that this law prohibits some pagan rite – although no such rite is presently known. The rule remains somewhat of an enigma.
3. שמות פרק לד
(יח) אֶת חַג הַמַּצּוֹת תִּשְׁמֹר שִׁבְעַת יָמִים תֹּאכַל מַצּוֹת אֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתִךָ לְמוֹעֵד חֹדֶשׁ הָאָבִיב כִּי בְּחֹדֶשׁ הָאָבִיב יָצָאתָ מִמִּצְרָיִם:
(יט) כָּל פֶּטֶר רֶחֶם לִי וְכָל מִקְנְךָ תִּזָּכָר פֶּטֶר שׁוֹר וָשֶׂה:
(כ) וּפֶטֶר חֲמוֹר תִּפְדֶּה בְשֶׂה וְאִם לֹא תִפְדֶּה וַעֲרַפְתּוֹ כֹּל בְּכוֹר בָּנֶיךָ תִּפְדֶּה וְלֹא יֵרָאוּ פָנַי רֵיקָם:
(כא) שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים תַּעֲבֹד וּבַיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי תִּשְׁבֹּת בֶּחָרִישׁ וּבַקָּצִיר תִּשְׁבֹּת:
(כב) וְחַג שָׁבֻעֹת תַּעֲשֶׂה לְךָ בִּכּוּרֵי קְצִיר חִטִּים וְחַג הָאָסִיף תְּקוּפַת הַשָּׁנָה:
(כג) שָׁלֹשׁ פְּעָמִים בַּשָּׁנָה יֵרָאֶה כָּל זְכוּרְךָ אֶת פְּנֵי הָאָדֹן יְקֹוָק אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל:
(כד) כִּי אוֹרִישׁ גּוֹיִם מִפָּנֶיךָ וְהִרְחַבְתִּי אֶת גְּבוּלֶךָ וְלֹא יַחְמֹד אִישׁ אֶת אַרְצְךָ בַּעֲלֹתְךָ לֵרָאוֹת אֶת פְּנֵי יְקֹוָק אֱלֹהֶיךָ שָׁלֹשׁ פְּעָמִים בַּשָּׁנָה:
(כה) לֹא תִשְׁחַט עַל חָמֵץ דַּם זִבְחִי וְלֹא יָלִין לַבֹּקֶר זֶבַח חַג הַפָּסַח:
(כו) רֵאשִׁית בִּכּוּרֵי אַדְמָתְךָ תָּבִיא בֵּית יְקֹוָק אֱלֹהֶיךָ לֹא תְבַשֵּׁל גְּדִי בַּחֲלֵב אִמּוֹ:
3. Exodus Chapter 34
18) The feast of unleavened bread you shall observe. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I have commanded you, at the time appointed in the month Aviv, for in the month Aviv you came out from Egypt.
19) All that opens the womb is mine; and of all your cattle you shall sanctify the males, the firstlings of ox and sheep.
20) But the firstling of an ass you shall redeem with a lamb; and if you will not redeem it, then you shall break its neck. All the first-born of thy sons you shall redeem. And none shall appear before Me empty-handed.
21) Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; in plowing time and in harvest you shall rest.
22) And you shall observe the Feast of Weeks, of the first-fruits of wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year.
23) Three times in the year shall all your males appear before the Sovereign Lord, the God of Israel.
24) For I will cast out nations before you, and enlarge your borders; no one will covet your land, when you go up to appear before the Lord your God three times in the year.
25) You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with anything leavened; neither shall the sacrifice of the Feast of the Passover be left unto the morning.
26) The choicest first-fruits of your land you shall bring unto the house of the LORD your God. You shall not boil a kid in its mother’s milk.
4. דברים פרק יד
(ג) לֹא תֹאכַל כָּל תּוֹעֵבָה . .
(כא) לֹא תֹאכְלוּ כָל נְבֵלָה לַגֵּר אֲשֶׁר בִּשְׁעָרֶיךָ תִּתְּנֶנָּה וַאֲכָלָהּ אוֹ מָכֹר לְנָכְרִי כִּי עַם קָדוֹשׁ אַתָּה לַיקֹוָק אֱלֹהֶיךָ לֹא תְבַשֵּׁל גְּדִי בַּחֲלֵב אִמּוֹ:
4. Deutoronomy 14
3) You shall not eat any abominable thing . . .
21) You shall not eat anything that has died a natural death; give it to the stranger in your community to eat, or you may sell it to a foreigner. For you are a people consecrated to the Lord your God. You shall not boil a kid in its mother’s milk.
5. תלמוד בבלי מסכת חולין דף קטו עמוד ב
דבי רבי ישמעאל תנא: (שמות כ”ג), (שמות ל”ד), (דברים י”ד), “לא תבשל גדי בחלב אמו” ג’ פעמים, אחד – לאיסור אכילה, ואחד – לאיסור הנאה, ואחד – לאיסור בשול.
5. Talmud Hulin 115b
The school of R. Ishmael taught: “You shall not boil 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.
Question: Since the prohibition is repeated three separate times in the Torah, each time must be teaching about a different aspect. What does it mean to “derive benefit”? Can you think of an example?
6. משנה מסכת חולין פרק ח:ד
בשר בהמה טהורה בחלב בהמה טהורה אסור לבשל ואסור בהנאה
בשר בהמה טהורה בחלב בהמה טמאה בשר בהמה טמאה בחלב בהמה טהורה מותר לבשל ומותר בהנאה . . .
6. Mishna Hulin 8:4
The flesh of a clean domesticated animal in the milk of a clean domesticated animal; it is forbidden to cook and to derive benefit.
The flesh of a clean domesticated animal in the milk of a domesticated unclean animal; the flesh of a domesticated unclean animal in the milk of a domesticated clean animal it is permissible to cook and it is permissible to derive benefit.
Question: The prohibition is expanded (here and elsewhere) to include not only a kid in its mother’s milk but a more general mixing of meat with milk. According to this mishna, is it permitted to cook a hamburger (cow meat) together with camel’s milk? Can I eat the mixture? Can I cook cow’s milk together with turkey? Can I own a company and profit from the sale of cheeseburgers (milk and meat from cows)?
7. משנה מסכת חולין פרק ח משנה א
כל הבשר אסור לבשל בחלב חוץ מבשר דגים וחגבים
ואסור להעלותו עם הגבינה על השלחן חוץ מבשר דגים וחגבים
7. Hulin 8:1
Every kind of flesh is forbidden to be cooked in milk except for the flesh of fish and locusts; and it is also forbidden to place it upon the table with cheese except for the flesh of fish and locusts.
Question:
Why do you think it is forbidden to place meat together on the table with cheese?
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תלמוד בבלי מסכת חולין דף קד עמוד ב – קה עמוד א
תנא אגרא חמוה דרבי אבא: עוף וגבינה נאכלין באפיקורן, הוא תני לה והוא אמר לה: בלא נטילת ידים ובלא קינוח הפה.
רב יצחק בריה דרב משרשיא איקלע לבי רב אשי, אייתו ליה גבינה – אכל, אייתו ליה בשרא אכל, ולא משא ידיה;
אמרי ליה: והא תאני אגרא חמוה דרבי אבא עוף וגבינה נאכלין באפיקורן, עוף וגבינה – אין, בשר וגבינה לא!
אמר להו: הני מילי – בליליא, אבל ביממא – הא חזינא.
תניא, בית שמאי אומרים: מקנח,
ובית הלל אומרים: מדיח;
מאי מקנח ומאי מדיח? . . .
אלא, בית שמאי אומרים: מקנח והוא הדין למדיח,
וב”ה אומרים: מדיח – והוא הדין למקנח,
מר אמר חדא, ומר אמר חדא, ולא פליגי.
8. Talmud Hulin 104b-105a
Agra, the father-in-law of Rebbe Abba, taught: Fowl and cheese may be eaten in a carefree manner. He taught and he elucidated it: without washing the hands and without wiping the mouth.
Rav Yitzhak the son of Rav Mesharshiya visited Rav Ashi’s home. They brought cheese for him and he ate. They then brought [domestic animal] meat for him and he ate, and he did not wash his hands.
They said to him: But Agra, the father-in-law of R. Abba, taught in a baraita: fowl and cheese may be eaten [one after the other] in a carefree manner. Fowl and cheese yes, [domestic animal] meat and cheese no.
He said to them: This applies only at night, but by day, why, I can see.
Beit Shammai says: He must wipe.
Beit Hillel says; He must rinse.
What is “wipe” and what is “rinse”? . . .
Beit Shammai says “he wipes” and likewise he must also rinse.
Beit Hillel says “He rinses” and likewise he must also wipe.
This master said one thing and this master said one thing and they do not disagree.
9. רש”י מסכת חולין דף קד עמוד ב
הא קא חזינן – ידים ריקניות שאין דבוק בהם כלום.
9. Rashi
Why, I can see – the hands are empty as nothing is stuck in them.
Questions: Why didn’t Rav Ashi feel it was necessary to wash his hands after eating cheese and before eating meat? Why would Agra’s teaching apply to fowl but not to meat? Do the schools of Shammai and Hillel agree with the actions of Rav Ashi? According to the Schools of Shammai and Hillel, how much time must one between meat and milk?