No Waiting Between Meat and Milk?

Intro

In order to answer the Kosher Kiss questions, we must also answer the question of how long must one wait between meat and milk.

The predominant practices are 6 hours, into the 6th hour (meaning a fraction of a second past 5 hours), 3 hours and 1 hour.

What the sources actually say, however, is quite varied. Some say one needn't wait at all - though others indicate we should wait 24 hours! Read the rest of this post to learn the details.

Sources

1 hour and 6 hours traditionally are viewed as the most halachic valild - but if you look at the gemarra in chullin 105a, Mar Ukva says his father waited 24 hours after eating meat before eating dairy. I've never heard of someone alive anyone holding 24 hours.

In fact, that gemarra is the source of our waiting. Mar Ukva informs us that "compared to his father, he was like vinegar compared to wine. When my father would eat meat today at this time, he would not eat cheese until tomorrow at this time. I, though, wait only until the next meal."

The problem is, he didn't say when his next meal would be, leaving our halachic decisors the trouble of trying to legislate it for us.

Lots of people held the time should be six hours. Their logic was that the first meal of the day was eaten at six hours into the day and the final meal of the day was eaten at the end of the day (12 hours into the day) - or six hours later. Maimonides, or the Rambam, explains this in the Mishne Torah (Hilchos Ma'achalos Asuros 9:28).

Of course, that would mean the notion of waiting six hours doesn't give time for the first meal to be eaten (so they would wait six hours from the start of the first meal, but not from the end of the first meal), and it implies six solar hours, which may be shorter or longer than six of our modern hours.

The Rosh explains similar logic for arriving at six hours. Their (Rambam & Rosh's) proposal is the basis for the six hour opinion adopted by Hagahos Ashiri, the Rif, the Ran, the Rashba, and others.

Waiting Less than 6 Hours

However, we 'liberal' orthodox jews have some hope for waiting less than six hours - even if it is only six solar hours from when we started our meal and not six modern hours from when we finish eating meat or finish bentsching.

Tosefos on Chullin 105a and Rabbeinu Tam (cited in Tosefos on Chullin 104a) hold that one need not wait a specific amount of time, but only until their next meal. Tosofos says that the restriction for not eating dairy right after eating meat applies only when one hasn't cleaned and rinsed one's mouth (kinuach v'hadacha).

The Rema (on Shulchan Aruch Yoreh Deah 89:1) says there are those who say that "one need not wait six hours, rather immediately after clearing the table and reciting birkat ha-mazon one may eat cheese after cleaning and rinsing one's mouth. The common custom in these areas is to wait one hour after eating meat and then to eat cheese, as long as one recites birkat ha-mazon, as it is considered as new meal."

Hence we have the "Dutch" halacha of waiting 1 hour. Technically the Rema didn't even say you need to wait an hour - he brings proofs for simply waching one's mouth, saying your after bracha and following the tosefot by digging into If you want to be a 'frummie' then perhaps you will accept the minhag prevelant in his time and space, which was to wait one hour, or you can be scrupulous (which admittedly the Rema himself recommends) and wait six hours. However, the Rema holds that you no waiting is needed, just an after bracha, and a mouth rinse and wash.

Wrap Up

Halachically, the Rema (an acharon) holds that one needs not wait at all after eating meat before eating dairy. He says that rinsing/washing one's mouth and saying the after blessing preps us to move on to the next meal, which may be dairy if we desire.

Granted, he says it is best to wait six hours, but hes says that is for those who are scrupulous, and not what God asks for as the basic law.

So, back to our initial kiss question, you will see that even if one's mouth obtains the kashrut status of their food, you could simply say the after bracho and then rinse and kiss.

Coming up next post... Does food leave a residue in your mouth, or is the waiting based upon food in your stomach or caught between your teeth - all in the name of kosher make out sessions!