Must ice cubes be designated meat or dairy and separated?

Question

If I have a freezer each for meat and for dairy, can the ice from automatic ice cube maker in my meat freezer be used to cool dairy drinks?

Answer 1

This Halacha is discussed in Shulchan Aruch Yore Dea 91:

א בָּשָׂר וּגְבִינָה שֶׁנָּגְעוּ זֶה בָּזֶה, מֻתָּרִים, אֶלָּא שֶׁצָּרִיךְ לְהָדִיחַ מְקוֹם נְגִיעָתָן. וּמֻתָּר לָצוּר אוֹתָם בְּמִטְפַּחַת אַחַת, וְלֹא חַיְישִׁינָן שֶׁמָּא יִגְּעוּ זֶה בָּזֶה. ‏

Meat and cheese they touch one another are allowed, but they need to be washed on the contact surface {if at least one of the two was moist, but if both are dried, no need to wash}.There is allowed to keep meat and cheese in in a same tissue-package. We don't no doubt that they touch one another.

ב כָּל מִידֵי דְּבָעֵי הֲדָחָה, כְּגוֹן לְהַנִּיחַ בְּשַׂר הֶתֵּר צוֹנֵן בִּקְעָרָה שֶׁל אִסוּר צוֹנֵן, אָסוּר לְכַתְּחִלָּה, דִּלְמָא אָכִיל בְּלֹא הֲדָחָה. ‏

Some things that need to be washed, per example, Kasher meat that was into a non-casher dish, and is soiled by non-casher meal, need to be washed. So it is prohibited to put this meat on this plate, because they perhaps will forgotten to wash it.

וְדַוְקָא מְבֻשָּׁל, דְּלָאו אוֹרְחֵיהּ בַּהֲדָחָה, אֲבָל מִידֵי דְּאוֹרְחֵיהּ בַּהֲדָחָה, כְּגוֹן בָּשָׂר חַי וְכַיּוֹצֵא בוֹ, שָׁרֵי לְכַתְּחִלָּה. ‏

But things which are systematically washed, as raw meat can be holded in a non casher plate, not clean.

וְדַוְקָא דָּבָר שֶׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹ לַחְלוּחִית קְצָת, אֲבָל דָּבָר יָבֵשׁ, מַמָּשׁ, אִם לֹא בָּלַע הַכֹּלי רַק בְּצוֹנֵן, מֻתָּר לְהַנִּיחַ בּוֹ דָּבָר יָבֵשׁ בְּלֹא הֲדָחָה כְּלָל ‏

All this is said when there are moist, but if all is dry, and the container has not absorbed with cold temperature, This is allowed.

For the freezer.

1. If each piece is in a plastic bag, no problem;
2. If each piece need to be washed before use, no problem;
3. If inside to the freezer, there is not moisture at all, no problem.

4. The automatic Ice cube maker: If the question is for something like this,

   • it seems very easy to be sure that ice cubes are not in contact with meat. So, obviously, there is no problem, even if the machine is on the meat side, to use ice cubes with cool dairy drinks.

   • But if cubes are fallen on a discovered meat piece, they will be Bessari (remember the principles above, since ice cubes are not generally washed).

   • If they fall in a clean container, no problem.