Eating milk with meat

Question:

1. The question of eating milk with meat has been a subject that has bothered many for years. In Hashem’s three Torah instructions, “You shall not boil a kid in its mother’s milk,” why did G-d not mention the words “or eat”? Was Hashem referencing the words צא”ר בעלי חים to avoid distress and pain to the mother seeing the kid boiled in her milk?
2. Genesis 18:13-14 – G-d’s presence tells Sarah that she was to have a child. He observed His malachim eating milk and meat but did not speak of halacha violation. Furthermore, it is known that Abraham practiced all the Torah, as stated in Genesis 26:5, “inasmuch as Abraham obeyed Me and kept My charge: My commandments, My laws, and My teachings.”

Your insight is appreciated.

Answer:

Hello,

1. You are asking a good question. The reason the Torah doesn’t write the prohibition don’t eat meat together with milk, is because on a biblically level, the prohibition of eating meat and milk together is only[1] if it was priorly cooked together, and only after one transgressed not cooking them together, may they not be eaten. We don’t eat meat and milk together because a rabbinic level however, they may not be eaten together even if they weren’t cooked together. However, this is the reason the Torah didn’t say the prohibition not to eat them together specifically with the term “eat”, rather with the term “cook”.
2. Although Abraham did not eat milk and meat together, that was because He observed the mitzvos, however he had no point in forcing his Arab guest to keep the mitzvos, as they were not commanded to do so. As a side point, according to the opinion that the three guest were three angles, later on in time, Hashem used this against them. See Daas Zekeinim[2] Bereishis 18-8, that during the time of Matan Torah, the angles complained, “How can you give the holy Torah to mere mortals, they aren’t worthy of it? Keep the Torah in the Heavens”? Hashem answered them, “When you went down to Avraham, you even ate milk and meat”, and the angles then agreed that the Torah can be given to man.

Best wishes

Sources:

[1] שולחן ערוך יורה דעה הלכות בשר בחלב סימן פז סעיף א “כתוב בתורה: לא תבשל גדי בחלב אמו (שמות כג, יט; לד, כו; דברים יד, כא) ג’ פעמים; אחד לאיסור בישול, ואחד לאיסור אכילה, ואחד לאיסור הנאה. והוציא אכילה בלשון בישול, לומר שאינו אסור מן התורה אלא דרך בישול”.

[2]  דעת זקנים בראשית פי”ח -ח “ויקח חמאה וחלב וגו’. מלמד שהאכילם בשר וחלב וכשרצה הקב”ה ליתן תורה לישראל אמרו המלאכים תנה הודך על השמים אמר להם כתוב בתורה לא תבשל גדי בחלב אמו ואתם כשירדתם למטה אכלתם בשר וחלב שנאמר ויקח חמאה וחלב. מיד הודו להקב”ה והיינו דכתיב בפ’ כי תשא כי על פי הדברים האלה כרתי וגו’ וכתיב לעיל מיניה לא תבשל גדי בחלב אמו”.