15 Jun HALACHICALLY SPEAKING: AVOIDING DANGER IN OUR DAILY LIVES

Many people do dangerous activities thinking that it is permitted even though it is dangerous. However, as will be discussed below this is not the case.

If something is dangerous a person has a mitzvah to remove himself from it. Many poskim say that if one does not guard himself from danger, he has transgressed a mitzvah d’oraisa, while other poskim say it is a d’rabbonon. The Mesillas Yeshorim writes that if one does not treat his body with the appropriate respect he is a shotah. The Sefer Chassidim says one who places himself in a dangerous situation will have to give a din and chesbon to Hashem why he did so. The Ritvah says one should not eat any food that is bad for him. The Chinuch says the reason why one may not bring danger to himself is because Hashem gave you a nefesh which resides within your body. To protect your nefesh you are commanded to protect your body. The Be’er Hagolah says Hashem created the world with kindness for the purpose of doing good to his creations. If one puts himself in danger he is implying that he does not want the good that Hashem gave him. There is no greater apikores than such a person. Many people will not do something which is ossur, but Chazal tell us that something which involves danger is greater than something which is ossur. Whoever does dangerous things to himself and destroys himself has no olom haba. A person may not say “I will go to a place or do something dangerous and a miracle will happen,” because maybe a miracle will not happen to him. Although many dangers mentioned in Shas are not brought in halacha the Stiepler zt”l was careful with all of them.

Fish and Meat

One who eats fish and meat that were cooked together is putting himself in danger. Some say that one should not roast the two together either. There is no difference if the meat is of chicken or of an animal. B’dieved if the food only has reich (one of the pots were covered) it is permitted, but even b’dieved the food is forbidden if they were cooked or roasted together in the same pot. One should not deep fry chicken and fish in the same oil.

Sixty Times

There is a big dispute in the poskim if bitel b’shishim in other foods. Some poskim say bitel b’shishim does not help by things which are dangerous, while most say it does help. The custom seems to be like the second opinion. This has ramifications in Worcestershire sauce. Therefore, when placing this barbeque sauce over meat one should be stringent, however when placing it on chicken one may be lenient. (The OU gives a hechsher on this sauce because it can be used for many things, and not exclusively for meat. If it is not butel in 60 then they require the word “fish” to be on the bottle, if there is 60 then they just leave anchovies on the ingredient panel because of the poskim who are machmir). The same applies to Marshmallows which are fish based that is put onto meat which has a hechsher from the OU. One who is preparing the fish for Shabbos, and a piece of meat falls into the pot, if one takes out the meat right away and there is shishim it may help to permit the fish.

Two People eating Meat and Fish on the Same Table

A heker must be placed between two people when one eats meat and the other dairy in situations where there would be a tendency to share food. No such heker is required by meat and fish.

Fish cooked With Meat- What’s With the Utensil?

Many women do not have separate pots for fish and meat. Sometimes one cooks fish in a meat pot or meat in a fish pot that was used with heat within twenty-four hours. The question arises what the din is with the pot. Most poskim say that the food is permitted if the pot was washed out well. Some poskim say a minhag of some women to have a separate fish pot, obviates this question. One does not have to keep separate utensils for both meat and fish. Some say if one used a fork for fish and wants to use it for meat he should wash off the fork beforehand.

Cooked Fish and Meat in a Pot

If one cooked fish and meat together in one pot and one min was not butel in the other you should kasher the pot. Some say that no kashering is needed, but one should wait twenty-four hours before using the pot again. One should be careful and not place fish and meat in a grinder (at separate times) if a sharp food was used in the grinder. One is permitted to eat fish with something else cooked in a fleshig pot if that food itself is considered pareve.

Cutting a Sharp Food with a Meat Knife

Some say one may cut a sharp food with a meat knife and place that sharp food in a pot of fish. Others are stringent with this. Ideally, one should keep separate knives.

Washing Hands/Mouth

One who wants to eat fish after eating meat should wash his hands and clean out his mouth. In order to be considered “cleaning one’s mouth” (kenuach) he should eat and drink something. A person can do whichever one he wants first. If one eats fish first like is common today then one should still do the above. One should remove any meat that might be between his teeth as well.

Some say there is no need to wash one’s hands today, because one does not eat with his hands, rather with a fork. This seems to be the custom.

If one wants to eat and drink something at the same time he may do so. Some have the custom to soak the bread in wine and eat both, and this is considered kenuach (cleaning out the mouth) and hadacha. One has to swallow the food used for kenuach spitting it out is not good enough.

Drinking Water after Fish

Some say it is a danger to drink water after eating fish; therefore, one must be careful with this. Soda is not considered like water whereas coffee and tea are. Many people have the custom to drink schnapps between fish and meat.

Those who have the custom to wash their hands after eating fish (before the meat) should only do so after drinking whiskey. The reason is because the yud and shin of the name of Shakay is represented by the name of whiskey in Hebrew that being yayin saref, and the Daled of Shakay is represented by the daled of the fish. In order not to separate the name of Hashem one should drink the whiskey immediately after the fish.

Fish and Milk

Some say that just as one has to be concerned about eating fish with meat one should not eat fish with milk, or cheese. This is the custom of some Sefardim. However, the custom amongst the Ashkenazim is that one may indeed eat fish with milk. The Sefardim are lenient with eating fish and butter. According to the Sefardim they would not be able to eat a lox and cream cheese sandwich. B’dieved if one ate milk with fish it was fine.