Siman ק״ג · A Taste That Spoils (Notein Taam Lifgam) Does Not Forbid the Mixture
Notein taam lifgam — a prohibition that spoils the mixture does not forbid it — to discover and understand
יורה דעה · סימן ק״ג
נוֹתֵן טַעַם לִפְגָם מֻתָּר
🌱 Introduction Level · מתחילים
✦ ❖ ✦
A first approach to Siman 103: the 7 seifim of the Mehaber and the glosses of the Rama, the Hebrew text with a fluent English translation. Notein taam lifgam — a prohibition that gives the mixture only a spoiled/deteriorated taste does not forbid it (learned from the ger: only a "nevila fit for the ger" is forbidden); even a slightly spoiled taste suffices, unless the prohibition is in the majority and in substance; a dish "improved then spoiled" (or the reverse) remains forbidden; a pot unused for 24 hours (eino bat yoma) gives a spoiled taste and does not forbid; the oil and honey of a non-Jew that the meat spoils; and the davar harif (spices/pepper) that "makes it better."
Topic: Notein taam lifgam — a taste that spoils does not forbid the mixture Source: שולחן ערוך יורה דעה סימן ק״ג
Compiled by: הרב יוסף חיים סממה DAAT · daattorah.com
📑 Study outline
1.The text of the Mehaber: the 7 seifim, by thematic groups
2.Context: the basic rule — notein taam lifgam mutar
3.The key concepts: ntlp, pegam, taste vs mamashut, bat yoma, harif, chnn…
4.The degree of the pegam: the table of taste alone / substance / improved-spoiled
5.The Shach and the Taz: who they are, a few key entries
6.The gloss of the Rama (הגה)
7.Bat yoma / eino bat yoma: the 24-hour rule
8.Modern practical cases: yesterday's pot, hot spices, oil/honey
9.Summary and comprehension questions
1. The text of the Mehaber — the 7 seifim
Siman 103 sets out a fundamental rule of kashrut: נותן טעם לפגם מותר — a prohibition that gives the mixture only a spoiled/deteriorated taste does not forbid it. The Mehaber (Rabbi Yossef Karo) refines the degree of the pegam, the exceptions (a prohibition that is majority and "in substance," a dish improved-then-spoiled), and three major applications: a pot eino bat yoma (unused for 24 hours), the oil and honey of a non-Jew, and a davar harif (a sharp body). The Rama (Rabbi Moshe Isserles) adds his glosses (הגה). Let us explore the seifim by groups.
Group A — The rule, its degree, the help of another item (seifim 1-3)
Any item whose taste is spoiled (taamo pagum) does not forbid its mixture. And even if its taste is not spoiled in itself — for on its own it is tasty and excellent (bifnei atzmo mut'am u-meshubach) — but it spoils the mixture [it fell into] → it is permitted. Gloss of the Rama: however, important items, such as a beriya (whole creature) and the like, if they are not spoiled in themselves, even though they spoil the dish, are not nullified even in a thousand (afilu be-elef) (Issur ve-Hetter, kelal 32).
The central idea: in the laws of prohibitions, taste (taam) is decisive. A taste that improves can forbid the mixture — but a taste that spoils it does not. It does not matter that the prohibition is tasty in itself: what counts is the effect it has on the mixture. If it deteriorates it, it is treated as a taste that no longer has value — and it does not forbid. The Rama reserves the case of important items (a beriya) that are never nullified if they are not spoiled in themselves.
Seif 2 — The degree of the pegam; majority; improved-then-spoiled; the pot and the spoon
This pegam need not spoil completely until [the dish] is inedible; even spoiling a little (pogem ketzat) does not forbid the mixture. And yesh mi she'omer (some say) that this is only when a small amount of prohibition mixed into abundant permitted food; but an abundant prohibition in scant permitted food, and even half-and-half (mechtza al mechtza), we do not say notein taam lifgam permits — until it spoils completely. But if there is no substance of the prohibition (mamashut), only its taste (taamo bilvad) — even abundant prohibition and scant permitted food → permitted if it spoils a little. And yesh mi she'mechamer (one is stringent): if the prohibition increased the measure of the permitted food to the point that one benefits more from the quantity than what it spoils in taste → forbidden, until it spoils completely. All this when it spoils from start to finish (mi-techilato ve-ad sofo); but if it improved then spoiled (hishbiach u-levasof pogem), or spoiled then improved (pogem u-levasof hishbiach) → forbidden. Gloss of the Rama: some say that even though the prohibition is ntlp and the dish permitted, the pot (kedeira) is forbidden; and if one then cooks in it, within 24 hours, a dish that the first prohibition improves → the second dish is forbidden if there is no sixty against the first prohibition. But if one stirred the first dish with a spoon (kaf), then plunged the spoon into a second dish that it also spoils → the pot is not forbidden. And likewise an item with no taste at all, such as the cauldron (yora) in which honey is melted, even though there are bees' legs (raglei ha-devorim) in it → the cauldron is not forbidden.
The pivot of the seif: one must distinguish taste alone from mamashut (substance). If the prohibition left only a taste (its substance gone), a light pegam suffices, even if it is the majority. But if there remains substance of prohibition and it dominates (or even half-and-half), a total pegam is required. And above all: the spoiling must hold from start to finish — a dish improved then spoiled (or the reverse) remains forbidden, because at some moment the prohibition truly improved it.
Seif 3 — A prohibition that spoils only with the help of another item
Even if the prohibition alone does not have the power to spoil, but only by the combination of another item (tzeruf davar acher) — for example a prohibition that fell into a pot containing salt or much ground spices (melach o tavlin shechukin harbe), and without the salt and spices the prohibition would not have had the power to spoil — it is nevertheless permitted.
What counts is the actual result. Since in practice the mixture is spoiled, it does not matter that the prohibition achieved this only thanks to the salt or spices already there: ntlp permits. The Shach (s.k. 12) adds that the reverse holds too — it is the real effect on the mixture that decides.
Group B — Oil and honey; the 24-hour pot (seifim 4-5)
The oil (shemen) and honey (devash) of a non-Jew, even cooked, are permitted, because the [forbidden] meat spoils the oil and makes it stink (pogem et ha-shemen u-masricho), and likewise the honey. Gloss of the Rama: some say that the meat does not spoil the honey itself, only a beverage made from honey (mashke ha-naase mi-devash) (Maharil); and where there is no great loss, one should be stringent. Meat or milk that fell into wine (basar o chalav be-yayin) is ntlp → permitted.
Why this leniency? Mixing a fatty taste (meat) with oil or honey does not improve them — it deteriorates them: the oil "stinks," the honey is spoiled. This is therefore a typical case of ntlp. The Shach (s.k. 13-14) draws a fine distinction: in the oil, all hold that the meat gives an improving (le-shevach) taste — yet the oil remains permitted for another reason; while in the honey, one reasons by ntlp, and the Rama limits this to the beverage of honey.
Seif 5 — The pot eino bat yoma (the 24 hours); rinsed
Any pot that is not "of its day" (eino bat yoma) — its taste is deemed spoiled and it does not forbid. It is called bat yoma as long as 24 hours (me'et le'et) have not passed since the prohibition was cooked in it; after that period, it is no longer bat yoma, and if one then cooks in it → the dish is permitted (ntlp), provided it is rinsed (mudachat), with no grease on its surface (ein shuman al paneha); for if one did not rinse it, it forbids, the grease being like a piece of unspoiled prohibition (chatikhat issur she-eina peguma). And yesh matirin (some permit) even if one cooked before rinsing. Gloss of the Rama: and if there is sixty against what is stuck on it, all permit since the pot is not bat yoma; and such is the practice (או״ה).
The pot keeps the absorbed taste in its walls. As long as it is recent (less than 24 hours), this taste is still "good" and can forbid. But after 24 hours, the absorbed taste is deemed spoiled (ntlp) — the pot no longer forbids. Essential proviso: no grease be-ein (visible) may remain on the surface, for visible, palpable grease is never spoiled (Taz s.k. 8) — it is like a piece of prohibition resting there.
Group C — The sharp item and the meat-and-milk pot (seifim 6-7)
Seif 6 — A davar harif (peppers) in a pot eino bat yoma
Yesh mi she'omer (one opinion states) that if one put peppers (pilpelin) in a pot of prohibition that is not bat yoma, everything is forbidden, because their sharpness (charifutan) makes it better (le-shevach) [and cancels the pegam].
The sharp item reverses the pegam. A sharp food (pepper, garlic, onion — a davar harif) has the property of turning a spoiled taste into an improving taste. So, in a pot eino bat yoma — which ordinarily would give only a spoiled taste (permitted) — the sharp item "reawakens" the absorbed taste and makes it le-shevach: everything is forbidden again. The Beit Yossef rules thus; the Taz (s.k. 9) specifies that a rov harif is required (the sharpness must dominate), with reference to Simanim 95:2 and 96.
Seif 7 — A meat-and-milk pot + water; chatikha naasit nevila
A pot saturated with meat and milk (balea basar ve-chalav), cooked together or one after the other, and which, before a night passes (kodem she-talin), was used to heat water → it is deemed bat yoma until 24 hours pass from the time the water was heated in it. Gloss of the Rama: but if a night has passed (lana layla echad), it is permitted; likewise if a night passed between the cooking of the meat and that of the milk, even if water was then heated in it at once, the law is the same. And the same applies to all prohibitions, according to our rule chatikha naasit nevila (cf. Siman 92); and in case of loss (hefsed) one may permit in such a case for the other prohibitions in any event, provided 24 hours have passed since the prohibition was cooked.
חתיכה נעשית נבילה (chnn) — "the piece becomes nevila": a permitted carrier (here the water, or the walls) that absorbed an "active" prohibition becomes itself a full-fledged prohibition. In meat-and-milk, once the pot is forbidden, water heated in it within 24 hours becomes like nevila — hence the recount of 24 hours from the heating of the water (and not from the cooking of the meat-and-milk). The lina (one night) suffices to "spoil" and to neutralize this mechanism.
2. Context — where this siman fits
Throughout Issur ve-Hetter, the recurring question is: did a prohibition that mixed into permitted food forbid it? The answer depends on the taste (taam) it imparts. Siman 103 states the great exception: if this taste spoils the mixture (notein taam lifgam), it does not forbid it. This is no longer a matter of measure (the sixty of Siman 98 and on), but of quality of taste: does it improve or deteriorate?
The great questions of the siman
Question
Where?
Typical answer
The basic rule and its source
Seif 1
ntlp permitted; important items are not nullified (Rama)
The degree of the pegam; taste vs substance
Seif 2
A little suffices (taste alone); majority substance → total pegam
The help of salt/spices
Seif 3
If it spoils in fact → permitted
Oil and honey of a non-Jew
Seif 4
The meat spoils them → permitted (dispute on the honey)
The cross-cutting idea: only a taste that has value can forbid. A spoiled taste (pegam), grease older than 24 hours, a mixture the prohibition made worse — none of this "contaminates" the permitted food. But beware the reversals: the substance that remains, the grease be-ein that is never spoiled, the sharp item that reawakens the taste, and the meat-and-milk case where chnn restarts the clock.
3. The key concepts of this siman
To understand Siman 103, you need to master a small technical vocabulary that describes how a spoiled taste is measured, reversed, and neutralized.
נותן טעם לפגם (ntlp) — "that imparts a taste which spoils": a prohibition that gives the mixture only a deteriorated taste does not forbid it. Source (Taz s.k. 1): from the ger — "lo tochlu kol nevila la-ger asher bish'arekha titnena": a nevila fit for the ger is called nevila; one that is not (spoiled) is not → a taste that spoils equals an inedible nevila.
טעם / ממשות — Taste vs substance: if the prohibition left only a taste (its substance gone), a light pegam suffices even if it is the majority; but if there remains substance (mamash) and it dominates (or even mechtza), a total pegam is needed. The tzir (brine) counts as substance (Taz s.k. 3).
משביח ולבסוף פוגם — "improves then spoils" (and the reverse, pogem u-levasof mashbiach): the spoiling must hold mi-techilato ve-ad sofo (from start to finish). If at some moment it improved the dish, the result is forbidden (Taz s.k. 5: vinegar of yayin nesech in groats).
נ״ט בר נ״ט — Nat bar nat: "taste of a taste." When the spoon that stirred the first dish (already ntlp) plunges into a second dish that it also spoils, one has a spoiled taste of a spoiled taste — "de-hetera" (Taz s.k. 6): the pot is not forbidden.
בת יומה / אינה בת יומה — "of its day" / "not of its day": a pot is bat yoma for 24 hours (me'et le'et) after the prohibition was cooked. After that, the absorbed taste is deemed spoiled and the pot no longer forbids (provided it is rinsed, with no grease be-ein).
דבר חריף / חורפא — A sharp body: pepper, garlic, onion… Its sharpness turns the spoiled taste into an improving taste → what was permitted (by ntlp) becomes forbidden again (seif 6; Taz s.k. 9 requires a rov harif).
Two "reversal" mechanisms to memorize: the grease be-ein (visible) that is never spoiled — so an unrinsed pot forbids even after 24 hours (seif 5); and the davar harif that reawakens the spoiled taste (seif 6). Conversely, the lina (one night) "spoils" and neutralizes even the chnn of meat-and-milk (seif 7).
4. The degree of the pegam — the table
All of seif 2 can be summed up in a table. We cross does the prohibition have substance or only taste? with is it the majority?, and look at what degree of pegam is required.
Situation
Degree of pegam required
Result
Scant prohibition in abundant permitted food
pogem ketzat (a little) suffices
🟢 Permitted
Abundant prohibition (or mechtza), with substance (mamash)
total pegam (inedible)
🔴 Otherwise forbidden
Abundant prohibition but taste alone (no substance)
pogem ketzat suffices
🟢 Permitted
The prohibition increases the quantity beyond the taste it spoils (chochech)
The logic in one sentence: a taste that is only taste and that spoils, even a little, has no value → permitted. But once dominant substance remains, or the prohibition improved at some moment (start or end), one can no longer say "notein taam lifgam" — then a complete spoiling is required, or it is forbidden.
The Rama's point (seif 2): even when the dish is permitted (ntlp), the pot itself may remain forbidden; and if one re-cooks in it within 24 hours a dish that the first prohibition improves, that second dish requires sixty. Except the case of the spoon → pot that spoils too (nat bar nat de-hetera), and that of the honey yora (no taste at all).
5. The Shach and the Taz — the great commentators
In Yoreh De'ah, the Shulchan Aruch is never read on its own. Two great commentaries accompany it on every page and structure the practical study: the Shach and the Taz. These are the standard nos'ei kelim of Yoreh De'ah (no Mishna Berura here, which comments only on Orach Chaim).
The Shach (ש״ך) — an abbreviation of שפתי כהן, Siftei Kohen, by Rabbi Shabtai haCohen (Lithuania, 17th century). It is the standard commentary on Yoreh De'ah, of great analytical depth.
The Taz (ט״ז) — an abbreviation of טורי זהב, Turei Zahav, by Rabbi David haLevi Segal (Poland, 17th century). Often in dialogue — and sometimes in disagreement — with the Shach.
A key entry of the Taz
Taz s.k. 1 — The source of ntlp: the verse of the ger
The Taz lays out the source of the rule: it is written "You shall not eat any nevila; to the ger (resident stranger) who is in your gates you shall give it" (Devarim 14:21). A nevila fit [to be given] to the ger is called nevila; but one that is no longer fit [for the ger, because spoiled] is no longer called nevila. This is precisely the permitted notein taam lifgam: once the taste is spoiled and unfit for consumption, it has lost its name of prohibition.
The Shach explains the difference between the two cases of seif 4: in the oil (shemen), the meat in fact gives an improving (le-shevach) taste — the oil is nonetheless permitted for another reason; even boiled oil (shemen shaluk) receives a le-shevach taste. In the honey (devash), by contrast, the meat gives a spoiling (le-pegam) taste — and it is by ntlp that it is permitted. The Shach relies on Tosafot, the Rosh, the Mordechai and the Issur ve-Hetter.
One sees the method: the Shach and the Taz do not repeat the Mehaber — they ground the rule (the verse of the ger), distinguish the cases (shemen le-shevach vs devash le-pegam) and rule (grease be-ein, rov harif). This is exactly what is studied in depth at the Lamdan level, with the beriya debate (Pitchei Teshuva s.k. 1) and the chnn of meat-and-milk (Shach s.k. 18).
6. The gloss of the Rama (הגה)
The Rama (Rabbi Moshe Isserles) adds to the text of the Mehaber glosses that reflect Ashkenazi practice and clarify how the law is applied. Here are his most notable interventions in our siman.
On seif 1 — important items are not nullified
Gloss of the Rama: מיהו דברים חשובים כגון בריה וכיוצא בה… אינם בטלים אפילו באלף — "however, important items, such as a beriya and the like, if they are not spoiled in themselves, even though they spoil the dish, are not nullified even in a thousand". The rule of ntlp therefore does not lift the prohibition of an important item (a beriya, whole creature) that remains tasty in itself.
On seif 2 — the pot, the spoon, the honey cauldron
Gloss of the Rama: even if the dish is ntlp permitted, the pot (kedeira) is forbidden; and if one re-cooks in it within 24 hours a dish that the first prohibition improves, the second requires sixty. But the spoon (kaf) that spoils the second dish too does not forbid the pot (nat bar nat), and an item without taste — the honey yora with its bees' legs — does not forbid either.
On seif 4 — the honey and meat/milk in wine
Gloss of the Rama: יש אומרים שאין הבשר פוגם הדבש עצמו אלא משקה הנעשה מדבש (מהרי״ל) — the meat does not spoil the honey itself, only a beverage of honey; and where there is no great loss, one should be stringent. He adds that meat or milk that fell into wine is ntlp → permitted.
On seifim 5 and 7 — sixty against the stuck; the lina
Gloss of the Rama: if there is sixty against what is stuck on the pot eino bat yoma, all permit (או״ה). And in seif 7: if a night has passed (lina), it is permitted; the law holds for all prohibitions per our rule chatikha naasit nevila (cf. Siman 92), and in case of loss one may ease up for the other prohibitions.
The Rama carefully distinguishes the basic law (the Mehaber: ntlp permits) from the provisos of practice: important items that are not nullified, a pot that stays forbidden, honey to be treated stringently outside great loss, and the extended chnn of meat-and-milk — while preserving targeted leniencies (sixty against the stuck, loss for the other prohibitions).
7. Bat yoma / eino bat yoma — the 24-hour rule
Seifim 5-7 — the practical heart of the siman — deserve a pause. What exactly does it mean that a pot "is not of its day"?
Everything rests on the idea that the taste absorbed in the walls ages and spoils. Two states:
Bat yoma (less than 24 hours since the prohibition was cooked): the absorbed taste is still "good" → the pot forbids what is cooked in it (except the usual sixty).
Eino bat yoma (after 24 hours): the taste is deemed spoiled (ntlp) → the pot does not forbid — provided it is rinsed, with no grease be-ein on the surface.
Case
State of the pot
Result
Cooked within 24 hours of the prohibition
🔴 Bat yoma
Forbidden (except sixty)
Cooked after 24 hours, pot rinsed
🟢 Eino bat yoma
Permitted (ntlp)
After 24 hours but grease be-ein unrinsed
🔴 Like a piece of prohibition
Forbidden (grease is not spoiled)
Sixty against the stuck, eino bat yoma
🟢 All permit
Permitted (Rama, או״ה)
Pilpelin / harif in a pot eino bat yoma
🔴 The sharp item reawakens
Forbidden (seif 6)
Meat-and-milk + water within 24 hours
🔴 Bat yoma (chnn)
Recount 24h from the water (seif 7)
And seif 7 adds the finishing touch: in meat-and-milk, once the pot is forbidden, water heated in it within 24 hours becomes like nevila (chnn) — one then recounts the 24 hours from the heating of the water. But a lina (one night) between the stages "spoils" and releases.
8. Modern practical cases
How do these rules apply in our kitchens today? Here are three common situations illuminated by our siman.
Case 1 — Yesterday's pot used by mistake
Yesterday a forbidden dish was cooked in a pot, and today — more than 24 hours later — a kosher dish is cooked in it (seif 5). If the pot had been rinsed and no grease be-ein remained, the absorbed taste is ntlp → the dish is in principle permitted. But if visible grease remained, or if it is meat-and-milk, or if the dish is sharp (spiced), the picture changes. For practical halacha (halacha lema'asse), consult your Rav.
Case 2 — A spicy (harif) dish in a pot eino bat yoma
One cooks a very peppery or garlicky dish in a pot unused for more than 24 hours, but which had previously served a prohibition (seif 6). The sharp item may reawaken the absorbed taste and make it le-shevach — the 24-hour leniency then no longer applies, and everything may become forbidden again (depending on conditions, notably a rov harif). For practical halacha (halacha lema'asse), consult your Rav.
Case 3 — Industrial oil, honey (and products) of a non-Jew
Seif 4 grounds the leniency on the idea that meat spoils the oil and honey. Today, questions of industrial products (additives, traces) belong to the same ntlp logic: a forbidden component that would only deteriorate the finished product would not forbid it — but the real analysis (proportions, substance, improving taste) remains delicate, and the Rama recalls to be stringent outside great loss. For practical halacha (halacha lema'asse), consult your Rav.
The common thread of the three cases: before panicking, ask yourself three questions — does the imparted taste really spoil the mixture? does substance of prohibition remain (or grease be-ein)? is a reversal factor present (harif, meat-and-milk, an important item)? But the concrete decision always belongs to the Rav, who knows the details of the case.
9. Summary of Siman 103
The essence of Siman 103 in a few sentences:
Notein taam lifgam mutar: a prohibition that gives the mixture only a spoiled taste does not forbid it — even if it is tasty in itself (seif 1). Source: the verse of the ger.
A light pegam suffices; but if dominant substance (mamash) remains (or mechtza), a total pegam is needed. Taste alone → permitted even in the majority (seif 2).
It must spoil from start to finish: mashbiach u-levasof pogem (or the reverse) → forbidden (seif 2).
The pot stays forbidden even if the dish is permitted; but the spoon that spoils (nat bar nat) and the honey yora (no taste) do not forbid (Rama, seif 2).
A prohibition that spoils only with the help of salt/spices → permitted nonetheless (seif 3).
Oil and honey of a non-Jew: the meat spoils them → permitted; a dispute on the honey itself vs the honey beverage (seif 4).
The pot eino bat yoma (after 24 hours) gives only a spoiled taste → permitted, if rinsed and without grease be-ein (seif 5).
A davar harif (pepper) in a pot eino bat yoma reawakens the taste (le-shevach) → forbidden (seif 6).
A meat-and-milk pot + water within 24 hours: chnn, recount 24h from the water; the lina releases (seif 7).
Memory table
Situation
Measure
Prohibition that spoils only a little (taste alone)
🟢 Permitted (ntlp), even in the majority
Majority prohibition with substance (mamash)
🟡 Permitted only with a total pegam
Hishbiach u-levasof pogem / the reverse
🔴 Forbidden
Pot eino bat yoma, rinsed
🟢 Permitted (ntlp)
Grease be-ein unrinsed after 24 hours
🔴 Forbidden (not spoiled)
Harif in a pot eino bat yoma
🔴 Forbidden (reawakens the taste)
Meat-and-milk + water within 24 hours
🔴 chnn: recount 24h from the water
Comprehension questions
Check your understanding:
State the rule of seif 1. What is its source (Taz) from the verse of the גר?
Does a light פגם suffice? What difference does substance (mamash) vs taste alone make (seif 2)?
What does משביח ולבסוף פוגם mean? Why is it forbidden (seif 2)?
What is נ״ט בר נ״ט in the case of the spoon and the pot (Rama, seif 2)?
A prohibition that spoils only with the help of salt/spices: permitted or forbidden (seif 3)?
Why are the oil and honey of a non-Jew permitted? What does the Rama distinguish (seif 4)?
What is a pot eino bat yoma? Under what condition does it not forbid (seif 5)?
Why does the grease be-ein change everything (seif 5)?
How does a davar harif reverse the ntlp (seif 6)?
Explain the chatikha naasit nevila of seif 7. When does one recount the 24 hours, and what does the lina change?
To go further
If you want to deepen this siman:
📚 Level 2 — Lamdan: the pilpul, the source of ntlp (the verse of the ger, Taz s.k. 1), the taste / majority / substance framework, nat bar nat de-hetera, grease be-ein and the chnn of meat-and-milk (Shach s.k. 18)
✨ Level 3 — Synthesis: the comparative tables (taste / substance, bat yoma / eino bat yoma), the golden rules, and quick memorization of the 7 seifim
⚖️ Level 4 — Halacha lema'asse: practical ruling (Shach, Taz, Pri Megadim, Pitchei Teshuva) and contemporary poskim on concrete cases
The sources for this level can be consulted on Sefaria: