Question:
What are ways that It is permitted to eat the bread at the same table with meat and dairy?
Answer:
If they set an item to remind them not to share food then it is permitted for them to eat together on the same table. This only works for two people sitting together but not for one person eating at a table with food of the other type. Similarly, a child doesn’t count as a second person since he won’t realize to remind the adult not to share.Similarly, if they eat on separate table clothes or mats that is considered like a reminder.For example, a watch can serve as a reminder.Placing a whole loaf of bread that they don’t eat from is considered a reminder.The reminder needs to have some height like a pitcher that they usually don’t have on the table or a lantern.The reminder should be placed between those eating and not on the side.
Some say that if those eating purchased the funds for the meal from the same funds or bank account a reminder doesn’t work to eat at the same table,Many reject this stringency.
If the people are sitting so far from each other that they can’t reach each other’s food it is permitted for one to eat meat and one to eat milk at the same table. This solution might not work for one person eating meat at a table where there is dairy or vice versa. Others allow this even for one person eating by himself.
It is permitted to leave a meat dish and a dairy dish next to one another on a serving table or the kitchen counter, from where people aren’t eating. One should still be careful to leave the meat and milk apart so that they don’t spill on one another.
It is permitted to eat at the same table as someone who is eating something which is forbidden, such as non-kosher, except for Chametz or forbidden bread.For example, it is permitted for a Jew to eat meat at the same table that a non-Jew is eating something dairy that is non-kosher.It is permitted for one person to eat fish at the same table as someone eating meat.It is permitted for one person to eat fish at the same table as someone eating dairy.If one friend is eating meat and another dairy on two airplane trays one next to the other since perhaps it is two trays it is like two tables. On the other hand, it is technically two tables but it is a normal way for people on an airplane to eat together since that is the only convenient way that they can make the table. Therefore, for friends there’s the same concern that they’ll share food as they would when eating together at the same table.The same would apply to a bus or train with friends sitting next to each other eating milk and meat.A person should have separate meat and dairy salt containers if he leaves them open on the table and people dip food in because meat and dairy might get into the container and back onto food. However, if it is a covered salt shaker it can be used for meat and dairy, though still some have the practice to have separate salt shakers.Bread crumbs left on the table after you ate meat shouldn’t be eaten with dairy and vice versa. However, a large piece of bread left on the table is still parve and you don’t have to be concerned that it was touched by meat or dairy.Sliced bread that was on the table during a meat meal should be treated as meat and can’t be eaten with milk since meat residue may have touched it.Some question how it is permitted to save that bread for another meat meal since one might forget and eat it with milk. However, the minhag is to save the cut up bread on the table to save that bread for another meat meal.
Salads or parve foods on the table during a meat meal if you take with your silverware that you ate with, the food is now meat and shouldn’t be eaten with dairy. However, if they are taken with a serving utensil then one can eat them with a dairy meal unless there’s children at the table who might be not careful not to touch the foods on the table. |