19 Jun Kasruth Questions of the Week with Rabbi Moshe Elefant

May one barbecue on a grill that has been used for both fish and meat?

Technically one may use a barbecue that was used for fish and meat as long as the grill is cleaned of residue of the fish and meat. There are people who are careful because the Gemarah says that the mixing of fish and meat, although not Halachically prohibited, is considered dangerous for one’s health and therefore we separate fish and meat as much as possible. There are those who are even more careful and won’t use the same grill and even have separate pots for fish and meat. According to the letter of the law, it is permissible.

However: If you fry chicken in oil, you should not use the same oil to fry fish, and vice versa.

May two people eat at the same table if one is eating meat and the other is eating dairy?

If the two people don’t know each other, such as if they are eating in a public area and there are tables to eat at, they may eat at the same table. But if the two people know each other, the Halacha is concerned that they may take a taste of the other person’s food which is an issue. There should be a Heker on the table which will remind them of this issue. The conditions for something to be a valid Heker are: A) It has to be something not normally on the table.

Therefore, if someone wants to use a flower pot, but they normally have a flower pot on the table, it would not be permissible. B) It has to be something big and tall so a salt shaker would not be permissible because a salt shaker is normally on a table and it is small.