ABSTRACT
One of the most prominent characteristics of kashrut as practiced by modern observant Jews is the systematic separation of all things “dairy” from all things “meat”—at the very least, separate dishes, cutlery, pots and pans, utensils and cabinets. In some cases, this separation extends to sinks, counter-tops and even refrigerators. But nowhere in our conversation of the history of Jewish eating practices to this point have we encountered such a practice. This is not due to neglect or selective reading. In fact, when one examines the literature of the rabbis who, as we saw, instituted the meat-dairy prohibition, one finds little evidence of such a practice. Nowhere in all of talmudic literature is there a hint that the rabbis demanded a systematic separation of dairy and meat utensils. Nor do we find such a requirement in the vast medieval literature that interprets and codifies talmudic precedents. In fact, not until modernity does a rabbinic authority explicitly require such a comprehensive separation. This is not to say that no separation was demanded. Authorities clearly required that certain utensils, having been used in certain ways, must be kept apart. But the comprehensive, systematic separation we take for granted is a relatively late development. When and why this practice arose is the subject of this chapter.
