I recently heard an interesting question. The question was: Is there anything wrong with watching non-kosher cooking shows. Apparently, it’s very common for non-Jews to cook using milk and meat. The Torah writes the prohibition of cooking meat and milk together no less than three times. The Gemara in Chullin learns from here, that it is forbidden to eat, cook and even benefit from meat and milk cooked together. Apparently one can derive a great amount of pleasure from watching such a show, I even heard from someone that they feel full when doing so. The big question is, being that it is forbidden to benefit from basar v’chalav [meat and milk], is one allowed to watch such a show, or is it considered benefiting from basar v’chalav?
I heard this shailah during the week of Parshas Chukas and thought that we can compare it another shailah the poskim discuss related to Parshas Chukas.
In last week’s parsha the pasuk says (Bamidbar 20:1): ותקבר שם מרים- “Miriam was buried there”. The Gemara in Sanhedrin (47b) learns from this pasuk that it is forbidden to derive benefit from a dead body. The Gemara makes a gezierah shovah between the word שם written by Miriam and the word שם written by the eglah arufah [decapitated calf]. Just like by eglah arufah there is an issur hano’ah [prohibition to derive benefit], similarly, there is an issur to derive benefit from a corpse.
The Gemara in Kesubos (103a) relates: That after Rabbeinu HaKodosh passed away, he would return to his house every Shabbos to make kiddush.
The Shu”t Pnei Mavin (Yoreh De’ah 323) asks, how Rabbeinu HaKodosh was allowed to do this. Presumably when he would come back from the dead to make kiddush every week his family members would look at him and derive benefit, and surely it’s forbidden to derive benefit from a corpse? (In regard to kiddush itself, we can say mitzvos lav lehonois nitnu, benefit derived by fulfilling a mitzvah is not considered benefit - but what was the heter for them to look?)
The Shu”t Minchas Elozor (3:61) says that he doesn’t understand the question. He writes: “Is looking at a dead body considered benefit?”. Additionally, “If one makes a vow forbidding himself to benefit from his friend, is it now forbidden to look at him?”
Similarly, the Shu”t Machneh Chaim (Yoreh Deah 2:60) writes: “Looking at something to derive benefit is not forbidden. The prohibition against benefiting from a corpse is when one takes bones or pieces of meat from the corpse. If one simply looks at it, it’s not considered benefiting from issuray hano’ah. We find a similar thing by kodshim, that on sound, sight and smell there is no issur of meilah”. (There is an issur derabonon, but this only applies to kodshim).
Similarly, the Shu”t Mahrshag (Yoreh Deah 2:210, 211, 212) writes: “It’s certain that there is no prohibition to look at a corpse and to learn about healing and medicine from it. We don’t find anywhere that it is forbidden to look at something which is forbidden to benefit from. For example, one is allowed to look at an ox which is destined to be gored (shor haniskol). Similarly, one is allowed to look at bread on Pesach. The reason is, on sound, sight and smell there is no issur meilah. Although there is an issur derabonon, that’s regarding meilah, however, by other prohibitions there’s not even an issur derabonon.”
It seems that there is a big dispute between the Pnei Mavin and other poskim if there is a prohibition to look at something which is forbidden to benefit from, the Pnei Mavin maintains there is, and the other poskim seem to hold that just like we find by meilah that there is no issur meilah on sight, sound and smell, similarly, even if something is forbidden to benefit from, one may still look at it. Based on the above it would seem, thataccording to the Pnei Mavin watching a non-Jewish cooking show containing basar v’chalav [meat and milk] would be prohibited, whereas according to the other poskim it would be allowed.
Live Cooking Shows Vs. Video Shows
