Din & Daf: Conceptual Analysis of Halakha Through Case Study with Dr. Elana Stein Hain

Bediavad (after the fact), if 2 disparate types of edible ingredients that shouldn’t mix somehow become combined (e.g, milk and meat, or something kosher and non-kosher), one can still eat it under certain circumstances so long as the ratio of permissible to prohibited ingredient is 60:1. The mishnah on Avodah Zarah 29b indicates that this is not the case, however, when it comes to an ingredient that gives a product its form, called a davar ha-ma’amid. While the example in the Gemara is non-kosher rennet that curdles milk into cheese, we might also think about gelatin as a good example of a דבר המעמיד today. Any amount of such a non-kosher ingredient renders the whole combination even if the ingredients ratio of at least 60:1. What is the logic behind this? And is it always the case?

Avodah Zarah 29b, 35a

Dr. Elana Stein Hain – [email protected]

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