Waiting Between Milk and Meat: Halakhah and Identity

You shall not boil a kid in its mother’s milk.

Igra, the father-in-law of Rabbi Aba, taught: fowl and cheese may be eaten freely.

He explained what he taught [to mean] without handwashing and without wiping the mouth. Rav Yitzchok the son or Rav Mesharshia visited the home of Rav Ashi. They brought cheese for him and he ate. They brought meat for him and he ate, [even though] he didn't wash his hands. They said to him: But Igra, the father-in-law of Rabbe Aba, taught: 'fowl and cheese may be eaten freely'. [This indicates that this teaching is] true for fowl and cheese but not for meat and cheese.

He said to them: that is true at night but by day we can see [that our hands are clean].

It was taught that Beit Shammai say: [one must] wipe And Beit Hillel say: wash...

Rather, Beit Shammai say: wipe and the same is true for rinse and Beit Hillel say: rinse and the same is true for wipe. one said this and one said that but they don't disagree.

Rav Asi asked Rabbi Yochanan How long should one wait between [eating] meat and cheese? He said, "Not at all."

Really? But Rav Chisda said, One who eats meat isn't allowed to eat cheese, [one who eats] cheese is allowed to eat meat.

Rather [Rav Asi must have asked] How long should one wait between [eating] cheese and meat?... He said, "Not at all."

Regarding what we quoted above "Rav Chisda said, One who eats meat isn't allowed to eat cheese, [one who eats] cheese is allowed to eat meat."

Rav Aha bar Yosef said to Rav Chisda, "The meat this is between the teeth, what do we make of it?" We reference the verse, "The meat was still between their teeth" (Numbers 11:33)

Mar Ukva says, In comparison to my father, regarding this matter, I am vinegar the son of wine. My father, when he ate meat, would not eat cheese until the same time the next day. But I, even if I won't eat it at this meal, I'll eat it at the next meal.

Washing before eating and washing after eating is obligatory, whereas washing in the middle of the meal is optional.

§ The baraita states that middle waters are optional.

Rav Naḥman says: They taught this only with regard to washing the hands between one cooked dish and another cooked dish served at a meal. But between a cooked dish and cheese there is an obligation to wash one’s hands.

"At the next meal I'll eat": Not just at the meal that is customary - one in the morning and one in the evening - rather even immediately, if you clear the table and make the concluding blessing, it's permissible, since the Rabbis didn't differentiate.

26 One who ate cheese or milk first, may eat afterwards meat immediately. But he needs to wash his hand and rinse out his mouth between milk and meat.

27 To what does this refer? To the flesh of a domesticated animal or wild animal. But if he eats fowl after cheese or milk he need not rinse his mouth or wash his hands.

28 One who ate meat first, whether it is a domesticated animal or fowl, may not eat milk until there is a separation of the length between one meal and another, and this is about six hours, because the meat between his teeth is not easily removed by rinsing.

(1) One who eats meat, even of a wild animal or fowl, does not eat cheese afterwards until he waits six hours. Even if he waits that period, if he has meat between his teeth he has to remove it. One who chews food for a child has to wait. If afterwards he finds meat between his teeth and removes it, he has to wipe his mouth out before eating cheese (Ran chapter 25). There are those that says that he doesn't have to wait six hours, but rather immediately if he finishes the meal and says the concluding blessing, it is permissible after wiping and rinsing his mouth (Tosafot Hullin 105a - "At the next meal", Mordechai chapter 25, Haga'ot Ashri, Haga'ot Maimoniot chapter 9 of forbidden foods, and Ravya). The simple custom in our countries is to wait after eating meat one hour and to eat cheese afterwards, but you have to say the concluding blessing after the meat (HaAruch, Haga'ot Shaarei Dura) because then it's like a new meal and permissible to eat according to the lenient view. But with no blessing, waiting alone does not good. It doesn't matter if you waited before the blessing or afterwards (his own reasoning, from the Mahari, as opposed to the Issur v'Heter). If he finds meat between his teeth after the hour, he has to pull it out (his own reasoning, from the Ran above). And there are those that say not to say the concluding blessing in order to eat cheese (Aruch in the name of Maharach) but we're not careful about this. And some are careful to wait six hours after eating meat before eating cheese, and it's proper to do so.

(3) If one ate a cooked dish made with meat, it is permitted to eat afterward a cooked dish made with cheese, and washing between them is only optional. And there are those that require washing. But if one comes to eat cheese itself after a cooked dish made with meat or [to eat] meat itself after a cooked dish made with cheese, it is an obligation to wash his hands [between the foods]. Rema: And fat of meat has the law of meat itself. And our custom now is to be stringent to not eat cheese after a cooked dish made with meat just like after eating meat itself, and one should not change this and break this fence. However, if there is no meat in the cooked dish, only that it was cooked in a pot used for meat, it is permitted to eat cheese afterward, and there is no custom to be stringent. And so too is the custom to eat meat after a cooked dish that has cheese or milk in it. However, there is [reason] to wash one's hands between them, and this is even [in a case where] one didn't eat actual meat but rather only a cooked dish made with meat after a cooked dish made with cheese if he touched them with his hands. A servant that prepares the meal and touches the food is not required to wash because we only require washing for those eating.​​​​​​​