Ask The Rabbi

Ask The Rabbi

category:  Jewish Law

Planks for the Mishkan

How were the acacia boards for the mishkan obtained? The dimensions in Exodus 26 seem to say 15 ft tall and 27 inches wide. I found that some acacia trees grow to 10+ft tall, but they don’t seem thick/wide enough (at least today) to make a plank 27″ in width. Thanks.

In the halachos of kashrus we find that the mixing of milk and meat can either by done by the milk and meat mixing.
Or by their taste mixing The taste of food can transfer either when the food is at the heat of 45 Celsius (while some are machmir at 40 Celsius) or if the food is sharp and cut with a knife. if the food is not sharp or hot the taste which is in the food will not transfer over via the vessels which are being used unless the vessel being used is unclean as the hen there is actual food left there which is giving over the taste.
Therefore, theoretically speaking if you wash down the mixer after usage you can surely use it for dairy and thereafter for pareve with no concern at all.
For this reason there is no problem to use the same machine for both dairy and pareve yet if the machine is not totally clean you should wipe it down the machine after using for dairy before you use it for pareve if you want the pareve to certainly remain pareve.

Sources

ראה יורה דעה סי’ צ”ד ס”ו סי’ צ”ו סי’ א’ וס”ה וראה סי’ צ”א ס”ב.