In this episode of Dear Rabbi, I examine Ellen Gilad's argument that the Hebrew word "bashel" (translated as "seethe") might mean "ripen" or "mature" rather than "cook," potentially changing our understanding of the biblical prohibition against mixing meat and milk. I acknowledge that this interpretation has precedent with fruits maturing and was even considered by the classical commentator Bechor Shor as an intellectual exercise. However, I explain why this alternative translation doesn't change Jewish law or practice. I delve into why the Torah repeats this commandment three times - "do not seethe a kid in its mother's milk" - showing how traditional Jewish interpretation understands this repetition as establishing three distinct prohibitions: cooking meat and milk together, eating them together, and benefiting from their mixture. I emphasize the crucial role of the Oral Torah in understanding the written text, explaining how the Jewish people received both the written and oral traditions simultaneously at Mount Sinai, making the prohibition against mixing meat and milk a divinely transmitted law rather than a rabbinic interpretation.
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