The prohibition against eating meat cooked with milk, including its practical prohibition and broader educational rationale.
שֶׁלֹּא לֶאֱכֹל בָּשָׂר בְּחָלָב – שֶׁלֹּא לֶאֱכֹל בָּשָׂר וְחָלָב שֶׁנִּתְבַּשְּׁלוּ בְּיַחַד, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות לד כו) לֹא תְבַשֵּׁל גְּדִי בַּחֲלֵב אִמּוֹ. וְזֶה הַכָּתוּב בָּא לֶאֱסֹר הָאֲכִילָה וְהַהֲנָאָה בְּבָשָׂר בְּחָלָב. וְאַל יִקְשֶׁה עָלֶיךָ, אִם כֵּן לָמָּה לֹא נֹאמַר בְּפֵרוּשׁ אִסּוּרוֹ בְּלֹא תֹּאכַל. וְהוֹצִיאוֹ בִּלְשׁוֹן בִּשּׁוּל שֶׁהַתְּשׁוּבָה בָּזֶה, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁנִּתְחַדְּשָׁה אִסּוּר אֲכִילָתוֹ מֵאִסּוּר שְׁאָר אֲכִילַת אִסּוּרִין, שֶׁשְּׁאָר אִסּוּרִין אֵין חִיּוּבָן אֶלָּא אִם כֵּן נֶהֱנָה בַּאֲכִילָתָן, וְכָאן אֲפִלּוּ לֹא נֶהֱנָה בַּאֲכִילָתָן מִכֵּיוָן שֶׁבְּלָעוֹ וַאֲפִלּוּ יִבְלָעֶנּוּ חַם וְשׂוֹרֵף גְּרוֹנוֹ בּוֹ וְכַיּוֹצֵא בוֹ שֶׁאֵין לוֹ הֲנָאָה בּוֹ מִכָּל מָקוֹם לוֹקֶה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה בְּפֶרֶק שֵׁנִי מִפְּסָחִים (כה א) לְהָכִי לָא כְּתַב רַחֲמָנָא אֲכִילָה בְּגוּפֵהּ לְמֵימְרָא שֶׁלּוֹקִין עָלָיו שֶׁלֹּא כְּדֶרֶךְ הֲנָאָתוֹ. וּמִכָּל מָקוֹם אֵין לוֹקִין עָלָיו (חולין קח א) אֶלָּא דֶּרֶךְ בִּשּׁוּל כַּלָּשׁוֹן שֶׁהוֹצִיא הַכָּתוּב אִסּוּרוֹ. מִדִּינֵי הַמִּצְוָה. מָה שֶׁאָמְרוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (חולין קיג א) שֶׁאֵין אִסּוּר בָּשָׂר בְּחָלָב מִן הַתּוֹרָה אֶלָּא בִּבְשַׂר בְּהֵמָה טְהוֹרָה, אֲבָל לֹא בִּבְהֵמָה טְמֵאָה וְלֹא בְּחַיָּה אֲפִלּוּ טְהוֹרָה, וְלֹא בְּעוֹף, בֵּין טָהוֹר בֵּין טָמֵא, וְנִסְמְכוּ בְּזוֹ בַּמֶּה שֶׁכָּתוּב שָׁלֹשׁ פְּעָמִים בַּתּוֹרָה גְּדִי שֶׁהוּא לְשׁוֹן מִעוּט, שֶׁהָיָה לוֹ לִכְתֹּב בָּשָׂר, וּבָא הַפֵּרוּשׁ עַל זֶה (חולין קיג א) גְּדִי וְלֹא בְּהֵמָה טְמֵאָה, גְּדִי וְלֹא חַיָּה, גְּדִי וְלֹא עוֹף. וּלְפִיכָךְ אָמְרוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה כִּי שְׁלֹשָׁה אֵלֶּה מֻתָּר לְבַשְּׁלָם בְּחָלָב וּמֻתָּרִין בַּהֲנָאָה, אֲבָל בַּאֲכִילָה אֲסָרוּם זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה לְגֶדֶר בְּשַׂר בְּהֵמָה שֶׁאָסוּר דְּבַר תּוֹרָה, כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יִתְחַלֵּף לִבְנֵי אָדָם בָּשָׂר בְּבָשָׂר, וּלְפִיכָךְ מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהַדָּבָר קָרוֹב שֶׁבָּשָׂר בְּבָשָׂר מִתְחַלֵּף, הֶחְמִירוּ גַּם בְּגֶדֶר זֶה כְּמוֹ שֶׁהֶחְמִירוּ בִּבְשַׂר הַבְּהֵמָה מַמָּשׁ בִּקְצָת עִנְיָנִים. שֶׁאָסְרוּ בָּהֶם שֶׁלֹּא לְהַעֲלוֹתָם עַל הַשֻּׁלְחָן כְּלָל. וּלְפִי דַּעַת קְצָת הַמְּפָרְשִׁים חִיְּבוּ בָּהֶם גַּם כֵּן שְׁהִיָּה בֵּין אֲכִילָתָם לַאֲכִילַת הַגְּבִינָה כְּמוֹ בְּעִקָּר הָאִסּוּר דְּהַיְנוּ בְּשַׂר בְּהֵמָה, אֲבָל בִּבְשַׂר דָּגִים וַחֲגָבִים לֹא גָּדְרוּ בָּהֶם כְּלָל, שֶׁאֵין בְּשָׂרָם דּוֹמֶה כְּלָל לִבְשַׂר בְּהֵמָה וְלֹא יָבוֹאוּ בְּנֵי אָדָם לִטְעוֹת בָּזֶה.
To not eat meat with milk: To not eat meat with milk that has been cooked together, as it is stated (Exodus 34:26), “you shall not cook a kid in its mother’s milk.” And this verse comes to forbid eating and deriving benefit (pleasure) from the meat with milk. And let it not be difficult to you — [that] if so, why is its prohibition not stated explicitly, as “you shall not eat,” and [instead] expressed with an expression of cooking. As the answer to this [is] because there is a novelty in the prohibition of its eating above the eating of the other prohibitions. As with other prohibitions, the liability is only if he enjoys his eating. But here even if he does not enjoy his eating, once he swallows it — and even if he swallows it hot and he burns his throat with it, and similar to it — he is lashed nonetheless. [It is] as they, may their memory be blessed, said in Pesachim 25a, “For this reason did [the Torah] not write, ‘eating’ in [the verse] itself: To say that one is lashed [even when consumed] not in the way of its enjoyment.” And nonetheless, we do not administer lashes for it unless it is by way of cooking (Chullin 108a), according to the language that the verse expressed its prohibition. From the laws of the commandment: That which they, may their memory be blessed, said (Chullin 113a), that the prohibition of meat with milk from Torah writ is only with meat of a beast (domesticated animal) that is pure (kosher); but not from an impure beast, not from a [wild] animal — even a pure [one] — and not from a bird, whether pure or impure. And they relied for this upon that which it is written, “kid” three times in the Torah, which is an expression of exclusion, as it should have [otherwise] written, “meat.” And the explanation about this came (Chullin 113a), “‘A kid’ and not an impure beast, ‘a kid’ and not a [wild] animal, ‘a kid’ and not a bird.” And therefore, they, may their memory be blessed, said that it is permitted to cook these three with milk, and they are permitted in benefit. But they, may their memory be blessed, prohibited them in eating to make a fence for the meat of a beast, which is forbidden by Torah writ, so that people do not switch [one] meat for [another] meat. And hence since the thing is [plausible] that [one] meat will be switched with [another] meat, they were also stringent with this fence, exactly like they were with the meat of beast in some matters, such that they forbade that they be brought up [together] on a table at all. And according to the opinion of some commentators, they obligated about them that there be a pause between their eating and the eating of cheese, like with the main prohibition, which is the meat of a beast. But with the meat of fish and locusts, they did not make a fence with them at all, as their meat is not at all similar to the meat of a beast, and people will not come to err in this.