Q & A
Every Day Family Questions & Answers
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Page 6 B - Keeping Kosher
Milk & Meat
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Some people wait past 5 or 5 & a half hours between meat & milk.
What is the basis for this?
- Shulchan Aruch (YD 89:1) writes that one must wait 6 hours between meat & milk &
many poskim understand this to be a precise measure of time (see Ginas Veradim –
Gan Hamelech 154). - However, others point out that the Rambam (Hilchos Maachalos Assuros 9:28) writes
that one must wait 'approximately 6 hours,' which implies that 6 hours is not an exact time. - Furthermore,the Meiri (Magen Avos, siman 9; p. 47) writes that one must wait 5 or 6
hours. - Rav Ovadya Yosef, zt'l (Yabia Omer YD 1:4:13) cites these last two points & also notes
that before the advent of clocks, people would estimate the 6 hours.Now that we have
clocks it is best to wait 6 complete hours, but in cases of necessity, Rav Ovadya allows
being lenient after 5 & a half hours. - Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, zt'l is quoted in the journal Moriah (Teves 5756, p. 79)
that one should wait the full 6 hours, but those who have the practice of waiting into the 6th
hour (past 5hours) have what to rely on. - It is also well known that Rav Aharon Kotler, zt'l allowed dairy meals to be served in
Beth Medrash Govoha after 5 hours & 31 minutes (cited in Shu't Ohr Yitzchak vol. 1
Yoreh Deah 4).
What is the basis for the minhag of waiting three hours?
- The Pri Chadash (YD 89:6) writes that the 6 hours between meat & milk are computed as sha’os zmaniyos(halachic hours—each hour is one twelfth of the total daytime). According
to the Pri Chadash, in the winter, when the day is much shorter, it is sufficient to wait 4 hours
between meals. - Rav Dovid Pardo (Mizmor L’Dovid, p. 61) writes that he has seen many places where
the custom is to wait only 3 hours between meals even in the summer. He explains that in
these places the winter days are very short & there is only 3 hours of daylight between
meals. Once we see that meat can be digested in the winter in 3 hours, we can apply this
all year round as well.(See Sefer Ohr HaOros, simonei Gimmel & Daled for further elaboration on the source of the minhag to wait three hours.)
There is a pill I take every evening. I noticed that the pill contains lactose.
Is there a problem for me to take the pill if I just ate meat?
- Rav Belsky, zt'l & yb'l Rav Schachter are both of the opinion that non-chewable pills
which are bitter have the halachic status of nifsal meiachila (not edible). - Such pills may be swallowed if one has a medical need, even if the pill contains non-kosher
ingredients. The same allowance applies to pills that contain lactose. Although lactose is a
pleasant tasting food, when it is part of a bitter pill the lactose is treated as a non-edible
entity & one may swallow the pill immediately after eating meat. - This discussion does not apply to chewable pills which often have a sweet, pleasant taste.
In that case, even if taken for medical reasons, one must first bentch & wait an hour before consuming dairy. - For medical necessity, one may consume dairy after meat following a one-hour interval.
Can I feed a baby a bottle of mother’s milk together with meat?
- Poskim write that an infant (under the age of 3 or possibly under the age 6) may be fed milk immediately after meat & there is no need to wait.
- However, one may not feed meat & milk to an infant simultaneously (Be’er Moshe 8:36:4).
- Nevertheless, mother’s milk is not actually dairy.
- The Torah only forbids cooking the meat of a cow, goat or sheep together with the milk
from a cow,goat or sheep. - Although one may not cook meat together with mother’s milk because of maris ayin
(i.e., something which gives the impression that one is committing a sin) the Shach
(YD 87:7) writes that there is no concern of maris ayin when the activity is done for refuah (medicinal) purposes. - Poskim write that every baby has the status of a choleh (a person who is ill) & milk for a
baby is considered a necessity. - Therefore, if there is special need, it is permitted to feed a baby a bottle of mother’s milk
together with meat.
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