# Hairsplitting in Jewish Law **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 11, 2012, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hairsplitting-in-jewish-law/643676 "2012-12-11T03:07:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hairsplitting-in-jewish-law/643676/81 "2012-12-22T02:01:59Z")
Upon my third edit, we both misunderstand. I was asking MCKeller to explain why fowl may be eaten with dairy. I agree with him. I am sorry for the confusion. Kind of testy on Shabbes, aren’t we? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hairsplitting-in-jewish-law/643676/82 "2012-12-22T03:00:10Z")
Just for the record, chicken cannot be eaten with dairy. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hairsplitting-in-jewish-law/643676/83 "2012-12-22T15:35:55Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > No mention of [Sabbath mode](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabbath_mode) on appliances. Ovens that turn on a random amount of time after the button is pressed, thus somehow divorcing the button pressing (work) from the effect of the oven being turned on. Or refrigerators that don’t turn on the compressor or light when the door is opened. > > Or the [Sabbath elevator](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shabbat_elevator) that stops on every floor so buttons don’t have to be pressed. As an aside, I lived in an apartment building with many Orthodox Jews. There was no Sabbath elevator, but often a family would be waiting in the lobby for one of the non-Jews in the building to come along and we would be asked to push the buttons. I just learned from wikipedia that apparently I was acting as a [Sabbath goy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shabbos_goy)! > > I just add this to the laundry list of things that I won’t be able to understand about religion, and no degree of trying to explain how these aren’t loopholes are going to convince me. In the general world of the silliness that many religions exist, this all seems odd, yet harmless. I have a close friend that lives in an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood. More than once, on a Friday evening, she will have a neighbor come to the door with a story about how their furnace just cut off, or how the breaker that controls the oven just tripped, etc. The first time it happened it took her more than a few minutes to figure out why her neighbor came to the door with a non-sequiter of a story and kept repeating it. Now she knows that they are expecting her or her husband to VOLUNTEER to come over and reset the furnace or breaker or whatever. But they aren’t allowed to straight out ASK them to. Years I ago I worked at a large Jewish Life expo in NYC and the busiest exhibits were for the companies that made the “erstaz” kosher version of non-kosher foods…fake bacon and shellfish mostly. Amd I must say some of the younger women looked quite fashionable…instead of the dowdy skirts and heavy stockings and wigs they wore attactive mid-calf length dresses and had their hair up and concealed under cute hats. ---
**Author:** ![FuzzyOgre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@FuzzyOgre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FuzzyOgre)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hairsplitting-in-jewish-law/643676/84 "2012-12-22T21:28:23Z")
> [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > I have a close friend that lives in an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood. > > More than once, on a Friday evening, she will have a neighbor come to the door with a story about how their furnace just cut off, or how the breaker that controls the oven just tripped, etc. The first time it happened it took her more than a few minutes to figure out why her neighbor came to the door with a non-sequiter of a story and kept repeating it. > Now she knows that they are expecting her or her husband to VOLUNTEER to come over and reset the furnace or breaker or whatever. But they aren’t allowed to straight out ASK them to. A beautiful illustration of the banality of religion. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hairsplitting-in-jewish-law/643676/85 "2012-12-22T21:46:11Z")
> [@FuzzyOgre](#): > > A beautiful illustration of the banality of religion. Rather difficult to be fresh or novel after several thousand years. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2012, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hairsplitting-in-jewish-law/643676/86 "2012-12-23T06:08:24Z")
Do people really believe that God actually cares about these details? I’m pitting myself here, too. Tomorrow morning, I’m putting on a robe and a chasuble (and a cincture-- like those French, we have a different word for everything…), and performing a lot of ritual. Chalice goes here, wafers here, I say a bunch of prayers, chalice moves over there, gets robed with a purificator. Say a bunch of other words. Same as last week. I’m betting God is rolling his eyes at all our “work”. Luckily, our clergy have a good sense of perspective, and don’t think the details are all that important. But I think it becomes questionable from a mental health standpoint the minute you tell yourself that The Creator Of The Universe wants you to move that chalice from _here_ to _there_, right _now_. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2012, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hairsplitting-in-jewish-law/643676/87 "2012-12-23T06:39:54Z")
> [@digs](#): > > But I think it becomes questionable from a mental health standpoint the minute you tell yourself that The Creator Of The Universe wants you to move that chalice from _here_ to _there_, right _now_. Yeah, some of what I’ve read does reminds me of OCD/Asperger. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2012, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hairsplitting-in-jewish-law/643676/88 "2012-12-23T15:42:47Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > Yeah, some of what I’ve read does reminds me of OCD/Asperger. Leaving for church now-- I’m going to move that chalice a few minutes early, just to prove to myself that I’m not OCD. Now, if God is, this might be my last post… ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2012, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hairsplitting-in-jewish-law/643676/89 "2012-12-24T14:30:54Z")
carnivorousplant: I’m a little confused by your several messages above. Basically, I was responding specifically to Reyemile, who seemed to indicate that he didn’t understand why a combination of chicken and egg is kosher. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2012, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hairsplitting-in-jewish-law/643676/90 "2012-12-24T14:59:52Z")
> [@cmkeller](#): > > carnivorousplant: > > I’m a little confused by your several messages above. > > Basically, I was responding specifically to Reyemile, who seemed to indicate that he didn’t understand why a combination of chicken and egg is kosher. Was it you that said fowl may be eaten with diary? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2012, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hairsplitting-in-jewish-law/643676/91 "2012-12-24T18:51:37Z")
I didn’t say it in this thread, but it is true that according to pre-Rabbinic Torah law, fowl may be eaten with milk. The Rabbis then later prohibited fowl with milk because it’s easy to confuse a piece of fowl meat with a piece of mammal meat. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2012, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hairsplitting-in-jewish-law/643676/92 "2012-12-24T19:08:58Z")
Ah, thanks. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hairsplitting-in-jewish-law/643676.md?page=4)