24 May Shavuous Kashrus Questions
Is one allowed to eat meat after milk?
What is the halacha if one makes Kiddush and eats dairy foods, planning to later eat a meat Seudas Yom Tov? What if one partakes of a dairy Yom Tov seudah at midday and plans to eat a meat seudah shlishis later? How does one transition from milk to meat?
The Gemara in Chullin (105a) quotes Rav Chisda, who states that one need not wait at all after eating cheese before consuming meat. However, if one consumes cheese and then plans to eat meat (as opposed to poultry), one must ascertain that his hands are clean, and he must cleanse and rinse his mouth. The Gemara’s discussion there elaborates on what constitutes proper kinuach (cleaning of the mouth) and hadachah (rinsing of the mouth). The Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh Deah 89:2) invokes the Gemara’s discourse on this topic.
One must cleanse his mouth (kinuach) and rinse it (hadachah); kinuach [4] involves chewing bread, thereby cleansing the mouth very well. One may perform kinuach with anything that he desires, except for flour, dates and vegetables, since they adhere to the gums and do not cleanse well. And then one must rinse his mouth with water or wine. This is only for basar behemah or chayah, but for poultry, there is no need for any cleaning or washing of hands.
The above procedures appear pretty simple. However, the commentaries of the Shulchan Aruch add a few noteworthy caveats.
The Shach (s.k.9) quotes the Rif’s position that one should always wash his hands after eating cheese before partaking of meat and not rely on visual inspection of the hands, as one cannot really tell if his hands are truly free of residue by merely looking at them; the Shach further quotes the Iturei Zahav, who states that this is the common custom. In practice, one should conduct himself according to this position and always be sure to wash his hands after eating dairy foods before consuming meat.
The Be’er Hetev (s.k.5) notes that the Pri Chodosh maintains that one need not wash his hands before meat if he ate cheese with a fork; it appears that the Be’er Hetev rules this way as a matter of practical halachah. The Aruch HaShulchan (89:8) concurs with the Pri Chodosh in this matter, and this is the accepted halachah.[5]
Although the Shulchan Aruch rules that one must first perform kinuach and then do hadachah, the Shach (s.k.13) and Be’er Hetev (s.k.7) contend that the order does not matter. The Shach invokes the position of the Beis Yosef (Tur 89:11) that one may perform kinuach and hadachah in whichever order he prefers. The halachah is according to the Shach on this point, and one may perform kinuach and hadachah in the order of preference or convenience.
Once one has finished eating dairy food and has performed kinuach and hadachah and has cleansed his hands, may he eat meat right away? The Gemara does not stipulate any waiting period. In fact, the Shulchan Aruch (YD 89:2) notes that one may eat meat miyad – immediately – and the Rif, Rambam and Tur also do not record any requirement for a waiting period. However, the Zohar in Parshas Mishpatim (155a) indicates that one must recite the bracha acharonah after a dairy meal and then wait before being permitted to consume meat. Many conduct themselves as such and wait half an hour or an hour in light of the Zohar’s position, although the bottom-line halachah is not to require any such waiting period.
The above pertains only to one who ate a dairy meal and then wishes to eat ”meat” in the true sense of the word, such as beef, veal or venison. Poultry requires no washing of hands nor cleansing and rinsing of the mouth when eaten after dairy foods.Seudas Yom Tov, irrespective of the choice of foods he decides to serve.)
Is one allowed to have dairy meals on
Yom Tov?
When the Beis Hamikdash stood, the mitzvah of Simchas Yom Tov (Rejoicing on Yom Tov) was fulfilled by partaking of the Korban Shelamim. However, when there is no Beis Hamikdash, the mitzvah of Simchas Yom Tov is expressed in alternative forms. (See Pesachim 109a.)
The Rambam (Hil. Yom Tov 6:18) states that – in addition to eating the Korban Shelamim – the mitzvah of Simchas Yom Tov is fulfilled by men partaking of meat and wine, women wearing fine clothing and jewelry, and children partaking of treats. The Tur (OC 529) quotes the Rambam’s requirement to eat meat, but the Beis Yosef and Shulchan Aruch (OC 529:2) have difficulty with the Rambam’s ruling and opine that there is no mitzvah to eat meat on Yom Tov in the absence of the Beis Hamikdash, for the Gemara (Pesachim 109A) states that once the Beis Hamikdash was destroyed, simcha is only with wine. The Beis Yosef explains that since eating meat for Simchas Yom Tov is only mandated when one brings and consumes a Korban Shelamim, and that in the absence of the Beis Hamikdash, the mitzvah of eating meat thus should not pertain. The Bach (ibid. d.h. Kasav HaRambam) and others disagree and maintain that one should eat meat, even though it is not from a Korban Shelamim, as there is nonetheless a secondary concept of simcha that is obtained by eating meat, notwithstanding that it is not from a Korban and that the simcha obtained by eating meat is not the primary Simchas Yom Tov in the absence of a Korban Shelamim.
The Mishnah Berurah concurs with the Bach and advises to eat meat on Yom Tov. (See Biur Halacha ibid. d.h. Keitzad.) The Bach and Mishnah Berurah hold that although one technically fulfills the mitzvah of Simchas Yom Tov even without eating meat, there is an enhancement of the mitzvah when meat is consumed.
When applied to Shavuos, one who follows the Bach and Mishnah Berurah should ideally eat a meat meal rather than a dairy meal on Yom Tov day, despite the fact that he technically fulfills the mitvzah of Simchas Yom Tov with a dairy seudah. One who goes according to Beis Yosef and Shulchan Aruch would be advised to eat whatever type of meal he most prefers. According to the Beis Yosef and Shulchan Aruch, one can lechatchilah eat poultry as his main course, whereas the Bach and Mishnah Berurah seem to hold that beef is preferred, as they note the idea of simcha being identified with basar, meaning “meat” proper.
(There is an alternative interpretation of the Rambam, as submitted by some Torah authorities, including Rav Chaim Brisker zt”l, who explain that the Rambam mandates two levels of Simchas Yom Tov: an objective one, consisting of eating Korban Shelamim, as well as a subjective level, such that all people should experience the simcha of the festival as they personally prefer. This is why the Rambam writes that women should fulfill the mitzvah of Simchas Yom Tov by wearing fine clothing and jewelry, and that children should partake of treats – as this level of the mitzvah of Simchas Yom Tov is subjective according to the individual, and there is no one uniform rule for all people. This approach maintains that eating meat is merely an illustration of that which generally engenders simcha, but that there no mitzvah to partake of meat per se according to the Rambam. Hence, the mitzvah of Simchas Yom Tov can be fulfilled by engaging in any act that brings one to simcha, according to this interpretation of the Rambam, although one must of course fulfill the mitzvah of Seudas Yom Tov, irrespective of the choice of foods he decides to serve.)