20) INSERTING A MILK SPOON INTO A MEAT POT (Continued)

If one inserted a SHE’EINO BAT YOMO[1] milk spoon into a meat pot that had meat cooking in it, the meat will remain unaffected by the spoon, because the TAAM (taste) of milk in the spoon is PAGUM (ineffective). This would be true even if there is not 60 times more meat than the volume of the spoon.

However the milk spoon itself would require HAGALAH (kashering by boiling), because it now absorbed a TAAM (taste) of meat[2]. 

[Daf 32, Seif 7,8]

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[1] A spoon that was last used more than 24 hours ago.

[2] Until the milk spoon is kashered, we would not be allowed to use it further for either;

1)       milk, because is just absorbed a fresh taste of meat, or

2)       meat, because under Rabbinical law, we may not LECHATCHILAH (at the outset) use a milk implement (even if it was last used more than 24 hours ago) for meat.

19) INSERTING A MILK SPOON INTO A MEAT POT

If one inadvertently inserted a BAT YUMA [1] milk spoon into a meat pot that had meat cooking in it, the cooking process causes the active TAAM (taste) of the milk that was already absorbed within the spoon, to get expelled from the spoon and enter into the meat.

Since we are not sure exactly how much milk TAAM (taste) from the spoon gets expelled and absorbed into the meat – we err on the side of caution and assume that there is milk in the volume of the metal of the spoon in the section that entered into the pot.[2]

                              

So now we need to measure the volume of meat and ascertain if there is 60 times more meat against the volume of (a section of) the milk spoon.

If there is, the meat is permitted, but the milk spoon would need to be KASHERED by boiling, because it now absorbed a TAAM (taste) of meat.

If there is not, the entire quantity of meat is prohibited – and the meat pot would also become prohibited since it has now absorbed a TAAM (taste) of BASAR BECHALAV (meat and milk), and would also need to be KASHERED by boiling.

[Daf 31,32. Seif 5,6.]

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[1] A utensil used within the last 24 hours.

[2] There is, however, some debate over exactly which section of the spoon we reference for the calculation of SHISHIM (60). Imagine a cross-section of a spoon inserted into a pot containing, say, meat soup. There would clearly be three distinct areas: 

1) The section above the brim of the pot which is exposed entirely to the air. 

2) The section below the brim but above the surface of the soup.

3) The section in, and below the surface of, the soup.

According to all views, the first section exposed entirely to the air, need not be brought into the calculation, because it is unaffected by the heat of the cooking process.

According to most views, the second and third sections are to be measured, because they are the sections affected by the cooking process (either by the liquid or the steam).

According to one view (that of the Chochmas Adam), it is only the third section which is in the actual soup, that need to be measured. This last view is obviously the most lenient view since with a smaller volume of spoon we are more likely to find 60 times more meat.