19 May SHAVUOS KASHRUS QUESTIONS WITH RABBI MOSHE ELEFANT FROM THE OU

If someone has only
one oven at home
and it is used for
fleishigs, how can
they bake milchig foods for Shavuos?
The easiest option is to double-wrap the
dairy food and make sure nothing leaks
out during baking. In that case, the oven
may remain fleishig and does not need to
be kashered.
If the dairy food needs to be baked
uncovered, first kasher the oven by: 1-
Cleaning it thoroughly and removing any
visible meat residue or drippings.
2- Waiting 24 hours from the oven’s last
meat use.
3- Heating the oven at its highest setting
(about 500–550°F) for one hour.
The oven may then be used for milchigs.
Afterward, to switch the oven back to
fleishig use, the same process should be
repeated:
1- Make sure the oven is clean.
2- Wait another 24 hours.
3- Heat the oven again at the highest
temperature for one hour.
Since this process can be time-consuming,
especially on Erev Shavuos, many people
prefer the double-wrapping method when
possible.

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.)
Must one wait six hours to eat meat (for
those who wait six hours after meat to
eat dairy) after eating aged cheese?
One must wait six hours to eat meat after
eating cheese that is aged for six months or
longer. The following are a few of the more
popular aged cheeses that are aged for six
months: Dry Monterey Jack, Cheddar
(Medium, Sharp and Aged), Marble
Cheese, Parmesan, and Picante Provolone.
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.
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.)