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DAAT · LEVEL 1 — INTRODUCTION

Siman צ׳ · The keil (the udder)

דיני כחל — a prohibition of the Sages, and how to disgorge the milk

יורה דעה · סימן צ׳

דיני כחל

🌱 Introduction Level · מתחילים

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A first approach to Siman 90: the 4 seifim of the Mehaber and the glosses of the Rama, the Hebrew text with a fluent English translation. Why the udder (the "teat") is prohibited only by the Sages, how to disgorge its milk, the difference between roasting, cooking and frying, nullification in sixty (ביטול בששים) — and practical cases.

Topic: The keil (the udder) — a de-rabbanan prohibition and the disgorging of the milk
Source: שולחן ערוך יורה דעה סימן צ׳

Compiled by: הרב יוסף חיים סממה
DAAT · daattorah.com

📑 Study outline

1. The text of the Mehaber: the 4 seifim, by theme

2. Context: what is the keil, and why this prohibition?

3. The key concepts of this siman explained simply

4. Why only de-rabbanan: חלב שחוטה, the milk of the slaughtered animal

5. The Shach and the Taz: who they are, a few key entries

6. The gloss of the Rama (הגה): the minhag not to cook

7. Practical cases: knife, spit, salting, dried udder

8. Summary of the rules to remember

9. Comprehension questions

1. The text of the Mehaber — the 4 seifim

Siman 90 deals with the דיני כחל (diné keil, the laws of the udder). The keil (כָּחָל) is the teat, the udder of an animal — a piece of meat that still contains milk. Across 4 seifim the Mehaber (Rabbi Yossef Karo) deals with a case unique of its kind: meat that carries its own milk within it. The Rama (Rabbi Moshe Isserles) adds long glosses (הגה) reflecting Ashkenazi practice, often more stringent. Let us discover the seifim one by one.

Seif 1 — Why de-rabbanan, and how to disgorge

The keil (the "teat" of the animal) is prohibited by decree of the Sages, because meat that has cooked in the milk of a slaughtered animal (חלב שחוטה) is not prohibited by the Torah. Therefore: if one has split the udder and made the milk it contains come out, it is permitted to roast it and to eat it. And if one has split it crosswise (שתי וערב, lengthwise and widthwise) and pressed it against the wall until no trace of milk remains in it, it is permitted to cook it with meat. An unsplit udder — whether it comes from a young animal that has not yet nursed or from a grown one — is prohibited to cook; but if one transgressed and cooked it by itself (and all the more so if one roasted it), it is permitted to eat it. And if one cooked it with other meat, one measures in sixty (ביטול בששים) — and the keil itself counts within the volume (כחל מן המנין).

The central idea in one sentence: the udder is meat that contains milk, so it "resembles" meat cooked in milk. But this milk comes from a slaughtered animal, and the Torah prohibits only the milk of a living animal. Hence a prohibition only of the Sages, which lifts as soon as the udder has been emptied of its milk. The detail of the "why" is in section 4.

The end of seif 1 — the keil in a mixture, and the gloss of the Rama

How so? If the whole (together with the keil) amounts to sixty times the keil — the keil is prohibited, the rest permitted; if there is less than sixty — everything is prohibited. In either case, if this keil then falls into another pot, it renders it prohibited, and one measures again in sixty as the first time, because the keil that has cooked has become like a prohibited piece (כחתיכה האסורה). Gloss of the Rama: some say that if the keil first fell into a pot without sixty (and so became prohibited itself), then falls into another pot, it no longer joins the count of the sixty — and such is the essential (וכן עיקר).

Remember three things from seif 1: (1) the keil is de-rabbanan; (2) one "disgorges" it — to roast, a simple crosswise split suffices; to cook with meat, one must in addition press it against the wall; (3) cooked by mistake in a mixture, it is nullified in sixty and counts itself.

Seif 2 — The minhag not to cook it at all

The practice (minhag) has spread not to cook the keil with meat at all. To cook it without meat — by frying (טיגון) or in a pie (פשטיד"א) — one requires a crosswise split and pressing against the wall; to roast it (צלי), a simple crosswise split suffices. Gloss of the Rama: the practice is even to prohibit ab initio cooking it in a pot by itself (without meat), and likewise to fry it, even without meat. However, if the udder has dried out — that is, after thirty days — and one transgressed by cooking it, even with meat, it is permitted after the fact (בדיעבד).

Seif 2 is entirely a matter of custom (מנהג), and not of strict law. The Shach (s.k. 6) stresses this from the outset: כל זה מצד המנהג, אבל לענין דינא בדיעבד נתבאר דעת המחבר בס"א — "all of this is from the side of the minhag; but as for the law, the status after the fact has already been explained in seif 1." It is customary to be stringent, but the underlying law remains that of seif 1.

Seif 3 — Shared knife, spit and dish

It is permitted to cut a scalding-hot udder with a knife that has cut meat (and all the more so a raw udder, even one full of milk), and likewise to cut meat with a knife that has cut keil; and the same holds for eating one in a utensil in which the other was eaten. Gloss of the Rama: the same for roasting one on the spit (שפוד) on which the other was roasted, and likewise it is permitted to place the keil in a dish with roasted meat, even when both are hot — because once the keil is roasted, its status is that of any other meat. But this only if it was roasted according to the rules: first split crosswise and pressed against the wall.

Seif 4 — Salting, and the skin of the abomasum

Roasting or salting the keil with meat has the same status as roasting or salting the liver (כבד) with meat (the liver too is brimming with blood/fluid). And some permit salting the keil on top of the meat. Gloss of the Rama: one should not salt it ab initio with meat, but after the fact, it is permitted in any case. As for the skin of the abomasum (עור הקיבה) — once its milk has been removed and it has been rinsed — it has the status of ordinary meat: one may salt it with meat, and it has no status of keil whatsoever.

The parallel with the liver (סימן ע"ג) is the connecting thread of this seif: just as the liver is brimming with blood, the keil is brimming with milk. In both cases, one avoids ab initio salting with meat (the fluid could spread), but after the fact everything is permitted.

2. Context — what is the keil, and why this prohibition?

The keil (כָּחָל) is the teat or the udder of the animal. It is a peculiar organ: it is meat, but meat that still contains milk. When this udder is cooked, its internal milk "cooks" together with its flesh — a mixture of meat and milk inside a single piece.

The paradox of the keil

One might think that cooking an udder means cooking meat in milk — the major prohibition of Siman 87. But the Gemara (Chullin 109b-110a) rules otherwise, and this is the whole subject of our siman:

"אֵין בָּשָׂר שֶׁנִּתְבַּשֵּׁל בַּחֲלֵב שְׁחוּטָה אָסוּר מִן הַתּוֹרָה"

"Meat cooked in the milk of a slaughtered animal is not prohibited by the Torah"

חלב שחוטה — halav shehouta: the "milk of the slaughtered animal." The Torah prohibition (meat-milk) applies only to the milk of a living animal. The milk that remains in the udder of an animal already slaughtered is no longer considered "real" milk in the sense of the Torah. Hence a prohibition only of the Sages.

This is the very first line of seif 1: הכחל... אסור מדברי סופרים, שאין בשר שנתבשל בחלב שחוטה אסור מן התורה. The whole siman flows from this sentence: since the prohibition is only rabbinic, the Sages provided means to lift it (disgorging the milk) and distinguished degrees of severity (roasting, cooking, frying).

3. The key concepts of this siman

A few Hebrew terms recur constantly in Siman 90. Mastering them means understanding the whole siman.

טיחה בכותל — Tiha be-kotel: "pressing against the wall." After the split, one presses the udder against a surface to expel the milk. The Rama (seif 2) specifies that incising it several times in both directions (וחתכו כמה פעמים) is even preferable to the pressing.

ביטול בששים — Bittoul be-shishim: "nullification in sixty." If the keil has cooked by mistake with meat, sixty times its volume is needed to nullify it. The peculiarity here: כחל מן המנין — the keil counts itself within the sixty.

חתיכה נעשית נבילה — Hatikha na'assit nevela: "the piece itself becomes prohibited." A keil that has cooked in a mixture becomes a full-fledged "prohibited piece": if it falls again into another pot, it renders it prohibited anew. This is the subject of a major discussion (Rambam / Rashba) at the Lamdan level.

בדיעבד / לכתחלה — Bedi'avad / lekhat'hila: "after the fact" / "ab initio." A key distinction of the siman: many things are prohibited ab initio (by minhag), but permitted after the fact once they have already been done — especially for a rabbinic prohibition.

4. Why only de-rabbanan — the milk of the slaughtered animal

This is the most important theoretical point of the siman. Why is the udder, which contains milk, not prohibited by the Torah like a real meat-milk mixture?

The answer lies in the milk of the slaughtered animal (חלב שחוטה). The Torah prohibition targets only meat cooked in the milk of a living animal. The milk that remained in the udder of an animal already slaughtered no longer has, in the eyes of the Torah, the status of prohibited "milk." Cooking this keil is therefore not a Torah prohibition.

On "it is permitted to eat it" (a keil cooked by itself): the Gemara explains the reason — because the milk is not "gathered" inside it. And Rashi clarifies: this milk never came out of the udders of the animal during its lifetime, it did not "collect" — it is only absorbed in the flesh, and never attained the status of "milk." Nevertheless, ab initio, the split is required — by decree of the Sages.

Here is the whole logic: the milk of the udder is "mingled with the flesh," not gathered in a pool. As long as it has not become a real separate liquid "milk," there is no Torah prohibition. But the Sages nonetheless required that it be made to come out — hence the split (קריעה) and the pressing (טיחה).

Comparison with Siman 87: in Siman 87, the Torah prohibition was the steak cooked in a glass of milk (two separate things brought together). Here, in Siman 90, the "milk" is inside the meat all along and was never a separate milk — that is what shifts the prohibition from de-oraita to de-rabbanan.

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 and structure the practical study: the Shach and the Taz. These are the standard nos'ei kelim.

The Shach (ש״ך) — an abbreviation of שפתי כהן, Siftei Kohen ("the lips of the 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 ("the rows of gold"), by Rabbi David haLevi Segal (Poland, 17th century). Often in dialogue — and sometimes in disagreement — with the Shach.

Two key entries of the Shach

Shach s.k. 4 — why sixty against all the keil

On "one measures in sixty": so it is in the Gemara, and all the decisors agree — sixty times all the keil is required, and one does not measure only against the milk that came out of it, because we do not know how much came out. (As with unsalted meat in Siman 69.)

Shach s.k. 16 — cooked by itself, without disgorging: prohibited even after the fact

On "cooked in a pot by itself, permitted after the fact": even without the sixty — but on condition that one first split it crosswise and pressed it against the wall. If one did not split it crosswise or did not press it against the wall, it is prohibited even after the fact, unless there are sixty times the keil in the water (the keil counting itself).

A key entry of the Taz

Taz s.k. 1 — the underlying reason (already cited)

Taz s.k. 1 (cited in section 4) gives the why of the whole siman: the milk is not "gathered," it is absorbed in the flesh, and never attained the status of milk. That is why a keil cooked by itself is permitted after the fact — only the rabbinic precaution of the split remained.

One sees the method: the Shach and the Taz do not repeat the Mehaber — they give the reason, cite the Gemara, compare the Rishonim, and decide the borderline cases (cooked by itself? cooked with meat? without disgorging?). This is exactly what is studied in depth at the Lamdan level.

6. The gloss of the Rama (הגה) — the minhag not to cook

The Rama (Rabbi Moshe Isserles) adds to this siman his most developed glosses at seif 2. They reflect Ashkenazi practice, markedly more stringent than the underlying law.

On seif 1 — the prohibited keil that no longer joins the count

Gloss of the Rama: some say that if the keil first fell into a pot without sixty (and so became prohibited itself), then falls into another pot, it no longer joins the count of the sixty — and such is the essential (in the name of the Tur citing the Rashba). This is a point of fine analysis: once it has become a "prohibited piece," the keil can no longer serve to nullify itself.

On seif 2 — the custom not to cook, and the dried-out udder

Gloss of the Rama: the practice is to prohibit ab initio cooking the keil in a pot by itself, and likewise to fry it, even without meat. However, if it has dried out — that is, after thirty days — and one cooked it by mistake, even with meat, it is permitted after the fact. And making a pie (pashtida) of keil without meat, the practice is to permit it, provided this pie is not baked in a frying pan (מחבת); but in a frying pan, its status is that of cooking in a pot.

The logic of the Rama: the underlying law (seif 1) permits much after the fact, but Ashkenazi practice added a layer of caution — not to cook it at all, lest one come to cook it with meat. The Taz (s.k. 7) explains: הטעם משום גזירה שמא יבשל עם בשר — "the reason is a decree, lest one cook it with meat" (and the Shach s.k. 14 refers to the same motive, detailed in his s.k. 21).

Two important nuances of the Rama, to remember: (1) a dried-out udder (after 30 days) leaves this stringency behind — cooked by mistake, even with meat, it is permitted after the fact; (2) a pie of keil by itself is permitted, except in a frying pan (which is equivalent to cooking in a pot).

7. Practical cases

Case 1 — Disgorging an udder before roasting it

To roast the keil, seif 1 requires only a crosswise split (קריעה שתי וערב) that opens the ducts and lets the milk drip off into the fire. To cook it with meat, one must in addition press it against the wall (טיחה בכותל) until no trace of milk remains. Frying and a pie made in a frying pan = the same requirement as cooking. For practical halacha (halacha lema'asse), consult your Rav.

Case 2 — One cooked the udder with meat by mistake

According to seif 1, one measures in sixty (ביטול בששים), and the keil counts itself (כחל מן המנין). If there are sixty: the rest is permitted, the keil prohibited. If there are fewer: everything is prohibited. The Shach (s.k. 8) notes that in cases of significant loss (הפסד מרובה), several authorities permit after the fact even with meat following complete disgorging — but this is a decision for a Rav. For practical halacha (halacha lema'asse), consult your Rav.

Case 3 — Knife, spit or dish that served for meat

According to seif 3, cutting an udder (even raw and full of milk) with a meat knife is permitted, and vice versa. And an udder roasted according to the rules may be placed with roasted meat, even hot — it is now "ordinary meat." For practical halacha (halacha lema'asse), consult your Rav.

Case 4 — The "dried-out" udder and the skin of the abomasum

A dried-out udder (after 30 days, seif 2) leaves the stringency of the minhag behind: cooked by mistake, even with meat, it is permitted after the fact. The skin of the abomasum (seif 4), once emptied of its milk and rinsed, is ordinary meat and has no status of keil whatsoever. For practical halacha (halacha lema'asse), consult your Rav.

8. Summary of Siman 90

The essence of Siman 90 in a few sentences:

The keil (the udder) is prohibited only by the Sages, because its milk is a "milk of a slaughtered animal" (חלב שחוטה), not a milk prohibited by the Torah.
One lifts the prohibition by disgorging the milk: a crosswise split to roast; a crosswise split plus pressing against the wall to cook with meat.
Cooked by mistake in a mixture: ביטול בששים, and the keil counts itself (כחל מן המנין).
The cooked keil becomes a "prohibited piece" (חתיכה נעשית נבילה) that renders another pot prohibited.
Minhag (seif 2): not to cook the keil at all — but this is only a custom of caution.
A dried-out udder (30 days) and the skin of the abomasum leave the stringency behind.
Once roasted according to the rules, the keil is "ordinary meat" in every respect.

Memory table

9. Comprehension questions

Action	What must be done beforehand
Roast the keil (צלי)	Crosswise split (קריעה שתי וערב)
Cook / fry / pie in a frying pan	Crosswise split + pressing (טיחה בכותל)
Cook with meat	Minhag: one does not do it at all
Cooked by mistake with meat	ביטול בששים, keil counted (כחל מן המנין)
Dried-out udder (30 d.) / skin of abomasum	Leaves the stringency — lightened status

Check your understanding:

What is the כחל? Why does it raise a meat-milk problem?
Why is the prohibition of the keil only of the Sages (de-rabbanan) and not of the Torah? What does חלב שחוטה mean?
What is the difference between the preparation required to roast and to cook the keil?
What is the קריעה שתי וערב and the טיחה בכותל?
What does כחל מן המנין mean in the rule of ביטול בששים?
What is the minhag of seif 2? Is it strict law or a custom? What does the Shach say about it?
Why is a dried-out udder (after 30 days) treated more leniently?
Who are the Shach and the Taz? What are their full names in Hebrew?
Why may one cut an udder with a meat knife? And place it, once roasted, with hot meat?
What is the status of the skin of the abomasum once emptied of its milk?

To go further

If you want to deepen this siman:

📚 Level 2 — Lamdan: the pilpul, the yessod of חלב שחוטה, the Rambam / Rashba debate on חתיכה נעשית נבילה, the Maharshal / Mehaber dispute and the sugya of כבוש כמבושל, anchored in Chullin 109-110
✨ Level 3 — Synthesis: the tables (roast / cook / fry / pie), the golden rules of disgorging, and memorization of the 4 seifim
⚖️ Level 4 — Halacha lema'asse: practical ruling (Shach, Taz, Pri Megadim, Pitchei Teshuva) and contemporary currents

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