kosher products
Question
you may have answered this already so I apologize for asking again- why is it that we do not have to worry about other products being used on the same equipment as lets say a pop- tart or some other baked good? If I cut an onion with my meat knife is the onion only useable for meat meals? thank you.
Answer
Answered by Aaron AbadiSorry for taking longer to respond. I wanted to get my Shulchan Aruch near my computer, so that I can quote it correctly. The Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh Deah Siman #96 Seif # 1 & #2) says that something sharp like onion cut with a meat knife cannot be eaten with milk. It brings an opinion that is more Machmir to say that even if it is not Ben Yomo. This you feel can create serious problems in our stand on relying only on ingredients and not caring about the machines and the Keilim, since if the item is a Davar Charif, like an onion, it would not help the fact that it is not considered Ben Yomo (Stam Keilim Ainum Beney Yomam). The reality is that this is not a problem at all. Number 1, the Shulchan Aruch clearly holds like the first opinion mentioned that it's only a problem when it is Ben Yomo. That is the standard rule for Shulchan Aruch that when he brings a second opinion with the prefix of "VeYesh Omrim," he holds like the first opinion. Number 2, he gives another solution where you can taste it and see if the flavor exists. In our scenario the flavor would never exist from product to product or the company would be out of business real quick. It's just plain prepostorous. Number 3, the Rama clearly states that if you have a Safek it is permitted. You certainly don't have much more than a Safek here. There is more to this process, but I wanted to bring a little light to the topic so that we can all go back to our lives and follow Gods Mitzvot. Aaron Abadi