I discussed the above shailah with R’ Yaakov Skoczylas shlita (Ohel Yaakov) and he told me that he wrote about a similar shailah for Pesach, here is what he wrote:
Q: I am currently studying to become a chef at a non-Jewish culinary school. During Chol HaMoed I will need to attend classes that I cannot miss, and some classes will focus on dishes that are real chometz. I know a Jew cannot benefit from chometz owned by a Jew on Pesach, but is it different when the chometz is owned by a gentile? In case it is forbidden, is merely observing and learning in class a problem of benefitting from chometz?
A: In my humble opinion, it seems that you should not participate in these courses on Pesach. The courses are teaching you skills of the trade, and that means you are benefitting directly from the chometz that is used to teach by example. It is forbidden to benefit from chometz, as will be further explained.
Firstly, we must establish that there is a prohibition from benefitting from chometz even if it is owned by a gentile. Although there is no prohibition on him to own or benefit from chometz on Pesach, nevertheless, a Jew cannot benefit from his chometz. (Shu”t Rivash Siman 400, and the Rema Siman 443)
We must now discern whether watching a cooking course and gaining expertise in the kitchen using chometz is considered a benefit. We already found that some of the greater Ahronim dealt with similar questions, and maintained that it is forbidden to learn a trade when the learning is acquired through the use of items that are forbidden for a Jew to benefit from.
For example, learning how to do surgeries on a corpse which is forbidden to benefit from, or to learn how to write with wheat kernels on Pesach, (See Shu”t Mahram Schick Yoreh Deah Siman 344, and Pri Chodash Orach Chaim Siman 467).
In this case you will be learning to cook specific dishes using chometz, which means you will learn this trade from something which is forbidden to receive benefit from. Therefore, you should refrain from doing so. This is also the pesak that I received from Mori Verabbi Maran Harav Neventzhal shlit”a.
In a similar vein, it would be forbidden to gain from cooking courses that involve basar v’chalav, as it is forbidden to benefit from such a mixture. Caution should be used to avoid these common occurrences where the halachic ramifications are not so well known.
It Should Be No Worse Than Using Basar V’chalav Shampoo
I also asked R’ Yehuda Spitz what he thought about the above, and he said:
“We find that the Rema (Yoreh Deah 87:6) allows using basar v’chalav for shampooing hair, as that is not considered hana’ah. Kol sheken [certainly] here - where there is no action occurring and none being taken by the person in question, and this is not the normal manner of receiving any sort of benefit from it.”
Disclaimer: I am in no way encouraging people to watch cooking shows, and I can provide you with many better things to do with your spare time, I am simply dealing with an issue which is out there in the world.
