Koshering the celim that milchig bread was baked in

Question

In Shulchan Aruch Yoreh Deah Siman 97 it says that it's ossur to bake "milchig bread" -- lest you come to eat it with meat (although if it's made in a small amount or with a change in it's look from normal bread than it's muter.) Such bread if made in a way that's ossur, would be ossur to eat even by itself.

However what about the celim that the bread was baked in? Would those celim be "ossur" now just like the bread is?

We find in Yoreh Deah Siman 113 that the celim that a non-Jew cooked food in would need to be kashered. While there is a maklokes Rishonim about this and the Shulachan Aruch brings down 2 opinions it seems that the accepted psak l'maseh is that the celim need to be kashered. The reason being is that since Chazal were gozer that the food is ossur, then just like any other issur, the blias also become ossur (granted though there are Rishonim that argue and the Gra over there says that the reason of the issur of bishul akum wouldn't be shayach by blias.) However if we accept the machmirim by bishul akum that since the food become ossur, so to the blias, would the same be true by milchig bread? If not what's the proof or reasoning that the celim should be permitted?

Answer 1

Dairy bread is not uniformly forbidden, there are two exceptions (from OU here)

• Dairy bread that has a unique shape is permissible because the shape will serve as a reminder that the bread is not parve
• One may bake a small portion of bread which will be consumed in one meal, as it is assumed one will remember the meat status without difficulty.

As such I understand that it might be difficult to say the keilim have to be kashered every time and indeed there are opinions on both sides. OU Kosher brings the full discussion and there is an opinion that compares dairy bread to bishul akum like you suggested!

Summary: According to R Hershel Schachter (OU's senior posek), one should not bake dairy bread without kashering the keilim but where required one might rely on lenient opinions and not kasher them.

If dairy breads were baked in an oven, will it require kashering? If pareve bread is to be baked in the oven, the oven will anyways need kashering so that the kosher bread can be labeled pareve. However, the question arises whether cakes or cookies, which are permitted to be labeled dairy, can be baked in the oven without kashering. Do we view dairy breads just like every other ma’achalos assuros? Teshuvas Tzemech Tzedek (Hakadmon) siman 80 writes that dairy bread is a full issur d’rabbanan and compares pas ha’nilush b’chalav to chicken cooked with milk. Therefore, according to Tzemech Tzedek the keilim would definitely require kashering.

However, Chavas Da’as (Y.D. 97:2) and Yad Yehuda (Y.D. 97:5) disagree, and say that pas ha’nilush b’chalav is more kal, and will not give a bliyos issur into other foods. Yad Yehuda compares dairy bread to bishul akum which likewise is batel b’rov. Although there are two opinions brought in Shulchan Aruch as to whether one needs to kasher from bishul akum, and l’halacha we are machmir, however Rav Schachter explains that regarding pas ha’nilush b’chalav there is even more reason to be maikel. Rav Schachter explains (K-329), based on Ha’gos Issur V’heter (klal 39; brought by Shach 97:2), that pas ha’nilush b’chalav is only a safek issur (i.e. maybe it will be eaten with dairy, maybe it will be eaten with meat).

This is more similar to eating milk after meat without waiting 6 hours, since this might lead to eating milk and meat together. The issur is on the person eating the food, not on the food. Additionally, Ha’gos Rebbi Akiva Eiger (O.C. 196:1) writes that one who ate pas ha’nilush b’chalav may be included in a ziymun, since it is an issur kal. Rebbi Akiva Eiger explains that dairy bread is more kal than other issurim, since according to some poskim the issur can be removed by dividing up the dairy bread among many recipients so that each receives a davar mu’at and there will be no leftovers. Although we don’t pasken like this opinion, still Rav Schachter argues that we can rely on this opinion regarding kashering. However, Rav Schachter cautioned that although, m’ikar ha’din we may be maikel, but since many poskim were machmir, lichatchila one should not permit dairy bread to be baked on kosher keilim, unless one will kasher. However, in situations where it will be difficult, perhaps one can be maikel, since this is the ikar ha’din.

For further sources see also here and there. And don't forget to consult your rabbi before implementing anything you learn here.