Duchka D'Sakina - Slicing Bread

QUESTION: I only have a fleishig knife, and I would like to use it to slice bread for a dairy meal. What should I do?

ANSWER: Shulchan Aruch (YD 89:4) writes that one may not slice bread with a fleishig knife if one intends to eat the bread with dairy. This is because the meat residue that is assumed to be on the blade of the knife may transfer to the bread. The Taz (YD 89:6) writes that in this case, it is sufficient to take a towel and wipe the knife clean; since the knife is only being used to slice bread and is not coming into direct contact with cheese, the fleishig knife does not require abrasive cleaning (ne’itza). The Shach (YD 89:22) however writes that wiping the blade clean is insufficient even for slicing bread. The knife requires ne’itza (abrasive cleaning such as with steel wool). Most poskim agree with the Shach. Additionally, poskim write that even this should only be done if one has no other knife. Otherwise, the custom is to designate separate knives for fleishigs and milchigs and to only use a milchig knife when serving dairy. The Pri Megadim (Mishbetzos Zahav YD 89:6) writes that bedi’eved (after the fact) if one wiped the fleishig knife clean and already used it to slice bread, the bread may be served with dairy, as per the ruling of the Taz.

___________________________________________________

The Gerald & Karin Feldhamer OU Kosher Halacha Yomis is dedicated to the memory of Rav Yisroel Belsky, zt"l, who served as halachic consultant for OU Kosher for more than 28 years; many of the responses in Halacha Yomis are based on the rulings of Rabbi Belsky. Subscribe to the Halacha Yomis daily email here.