[Avodah] Avraham A Cooked, Angels Ate - Bassar BeChalav

Rabbi Meir G. Rabi meirabi at gmail.com
Thu Nov 2 22:38:08 PDT 2017


Avraham Avinu entertained three angels masquerading as human visitors;
feeding them goat flesh cooked with milk. Generations later, due to this
meal, the angels’ protest, that the Torah ought not be given to the Jews,
was quashed.

There are 3 issues that require clarification:
++ Let’s say the angels sinned by eating flesh cooked with milk [which
seems to be the plain meaning of the Medrash] how does that silence their
protest?
++ Furthermore, flesh cooked with milk would not have been served to the
guests:
++ Avraham Avinu did not cook goat with milk since he adhered to all
Mitzvos of the Torah.
++ Even if it was cooked inadvertently, he would not have offered it to the
visitors since no benefit may be derived from it.

Reb Meir Simcha of Dvinsk explains in Meshech Chochmah, that no sin was
transgressed since it was BP flesh, which may be cooked with milk.

The angels’ protests were silenced because they accepted that Avraham Avinu
was Jewish and therefore able to Shecht. Had they considered him not
Jewish, they would not have eaten because Shechita cannot be performed by a
non-Jew. Thus, the angels had already conceded that Avraham Avinu had an
inalienable connection to the Torah and therefore was able to Shecht and
create a Kosher BP. That being the case, they could not question nor
protest his chosen children’s rights to that heritage.

Of all aspects of BP this particular Halacha is so counter-intuitive, and
such a shock to our expectations, that even when Reb Chaim Kanievsky said
that cooking BP flesh with milk, is "Kosher VeYosher" (more than 100%)
Rabbanim who were with me and heard him say this, will not publicly admit
to it. Rav Moshe Sternbuch responded upon being asked if this was a DaAs
Yachid (a lone opinion), "Who argues?" - R Moshe quotes this Meshech
Chochmah MoAdim UzManim [ח"ד סי' שי"ט] and thereby suggests another reason
for eating dairy on Shavuos - after all, it was via dairy that we succeeded
to silence the angels’ protests. However, my son Yehudah, argues - in that
case, we really ought to be eating BBPbCh [Basar BP beChalav] on Shavuos.

That the BP may be cooked with milk is so obvious to Reb Meir Simcha, that
he does not bother to bring proof or expand upon the point.

Clearly, BP is utterly unlike any regular cow sheep or goat that may not be
cooked with dairy.


= = =
According to our traditions, Avraham Avinu maintained all the laws of the
Torah and also all the Rabbinic enactments. Rashi, Genesis 26:5; Yevamos
21. Accordingly, our Sages explain that Avraham did not offer the bread
[Rashi, Genesis 18:8; BMetzia 87] to his guests because Sara had
miraculously rejuvenated and become ritually unclean, making the bread
unclean. Although no more than a stringency Avraham Avinu would not serve
it to his non Jewish guests - presumably, if Avraham Avinu would not eat it
himself, he would not serve it to his guests - makes one pause and
contemplate about those who Kosher certify various foods and establishments
but will not eat that food themselves.

= = =
There are some who try to squeeze into the words of the MChochmah that it
is the milk which is not dairy because meat may be cooked with milk
collected from a Shechted beast, Chalav Shechuta,  and a BP is deemed to be
a Shechuta.

There is a contrary argument however - some propose that Chalav Shechuta is
not “mother’s milk”, meaning milk from a beast that can potentially be a
mother, whereas a BP can certainly be a mother, so its milk is not Chalav
Shechuta and may not be cooked with meat.

Either way, the argument collapses completely because Avraham Avinu would
not violate the Rabbinic law that prohibits cooking with Chalav Shechuta
[or deer or giraffe milk]




Best,

Meir G. Rabi

0423 207 837
+61 423 207 837
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