Why Is It Forbidden to Eat Meat with Milk?

Greetings and blessings. 

The prohibition of meat with milk was explained by the early authorities and the Kabbalists as part of the broader category of forbidden mixtures. The Torah forbids wearing wool and linen together, and also forbids planting fruits and vegetables together. The reason behind all these is that the physical creation we see is a manifestation of descending spiritual forces. Each lower element has an upper root, and the Creator forbids mixing these forces. When a person mixes meat with milk, this act also affects the upper spiritual forces, linking the person’s soul, which combines higher and lower elements. Therefore, every action a person does—especially a Jewish person with a divine soul—also operates through the upper forces, and mixing them causes spiritual damage to the world. These explanations are extensive. There are also simple reasons. I quote from the Sefer Keli Yakar (Exodus 23:19): "You shall not boil a kid in its mother's milk." This is close to the concept of forbidden mixtures, since it is known that the flesh of the fetus is born from the blood of the mother’s red vessel, the source of all redness. Similarly, a cow's milk also originates from blood, for the blood is transformed and becomes milk. Thus, the flesh of the fetus comes from the animal’s blood, and the milk comes from there as well. It is therefore improper to mix them again by cooking or eating. This reason applies to all meat from an animal; the example of the kid in its mother’s milk is chosen as a primary illustration of this mixture. The Torah’s phrase “in its mother’s milk” teaches that although the prohibition applies to milk in general, the reason is not to mix two products that come from a common source once separated—this is the wisdom of Hashem. Kabbalistic teachings explain that the red is the source of the attribute of judgment in the world, and the white (milk) is the source of the attribute of mercy. It is inappropriate to mix these attributes. When a person mixes meat, derived from the root of red, with the white power of milk, he negates and weakens the power of mercy, and this must not be done. The Torah only forbids meat of an animal with milk. The prohibition to cook or eat meat of birds with milk is a rabbinic decree, added by the Sages to safeguard Torah law and create a fence to prevent people from erring. The Sages saw that people were transgressing the prohibition of meat with milk, so they extended the prohibition even to poultry meat with milk, so that people would not come to violate the biblical prohibition of meat from animals with milk. Therefore, we are commanded to keep the Sages’ decree, as it is written in the portion of Shoftim: “Do not turn aside from what they tell you, neither to the right nor to the left.” The reason the Sages saw fit to prohibit poultry is precisely because the Torah states the prohibition as "a kid in its mother’s milk," implying a connection to the source. Some had interpreted this narrowly, allowing other mixtures, and thus they diminished the severity of the prohibition. To maintain the Torah’s laws, the Sages extended the prohibition to poultry, even though poultry do not nurse their young. This ensures that no one will mistakenly consume meat of an animal with milk that is not from its mother. These explanations are recorded in the Mishneh Torah of the Rambam where he states: “The meat of poultry, whether cooked with milk of an animal or with milk of a beast, is not biblically prohibited to eat. Therefore, cooking it and deriving benefit from it is permitted. However, it is prohibited to eat it according to the words of the Sages so that the public would not spread and come to violate the biblical prohibition of meat with milk, mistakenly eating pure meat with pure milk, since the verse clearly implies only a kid in its mother’s milk. Therefore, they forbade all meat with milk.” Additionally, if you have seen videos about the concept of the aura, some insights are found in the ancient Kabbalah text Ma'alat Sefarim (Thursday) which says: “The mitzvah of meat with milk and impure things is written in the Zohar (Exodus 112b): Anyone who eats meat with milk causes harsh divine judgments to come into the world. If a child is born in those days, it is given a soul from the side of impurity. Such a person is afraid of evil animals, since they appear to see in him like a kid without a human likeness before him. This is why Nebuchadnezzar, whose diet was all meat with milk, lost the image of God on his face, and all beasts ruled over him. Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were saved from the fiery furnace because they did not eat from the king’s dish. As it is written (Daniel 1:15), their appearance was good and did not change the image of God like the others.” You may offer to your friends the sites for viewing this material, and it is also possible to obtain educational materials from our organization for those truly interested.  

Wishing you success, Menashe Israel.