Question:
Is one required to have separate toothbrushes for milk and meat? For example, if someone brushes their teeth after eating pizza can they use the same brush after eating a pastrami sandwich?
Thank you very much.
Answer:
- The Torah prohibition of cooking a mixture of milky and meaty foodstuffs is interpreted by our sages to include three prohibitions: (a) The actual cooking together of milky and meaty. (b) The eating of milky and meaty food which were cooked together. (c) The benefiting from milky and meaty food which were cooked together. As an extension of the prohibition against eating cooked milk-meat mixtures, the רבנן added that even unmixed and uncooked milk and meat may not be eaten together. Furthermore a time period must elapse before one may eat dairy foods after having eaten meat. The above applies even if one eats a tiny amount of milky and meaty foodstuffs. Regarding your interesting toothbrush question, normally one rinses the toothbrush well after usage and also before applying the toothpaste, so therefore one can assume that it is clean from any food stuff. Also the toothpaste on the brush would impair and spoil any small remnants of milky and meaty foodstuffs that might be caught on the brush.Furthermore one normally does not eat and swallow what is on the brush. Therefore it is not required to have separate toothbrushes and so is the prevalent practice.
מראה מקומות: יו”ד סי’ פט ס”א, חידושי הפלאה שם, ט”ז ריש סי’ צח, שו”ת הר צבי יו”ד סי’ צה,
