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Can a cloned animal's meat can be eaten together with milk?



The ethical position of the Torah with regards to cloning, as well as its Halachic ramifications, is of great discussion among contemporary scholars of Jewish law. I will limit this response to the actual question you asked -- cloned animals vis-à-vis the prohibition of eating milk and meat.

It is important to note, that at this point in the scientific revolution of cloning, the cloned creature has a gestational mother. Even if the animal bears none of the DNA of the mother, it is carried by a mother and born from a womb.

According to Torah law, if a kosher animal gave birth to an animal which did not have the appropriate kosher symbols, e.g. a cow which gave birth to an animal that does not chew its cud or have split hooves, such progeny is considered Kosher and may be eaten.

Based on the above ruling, the majority of Halachic authorities have ruled that a clone's identity is determined by the mother in whose womb it developed.

Accordingly, an animal born from a cow has the Halachic status of a cow and its meat would be forbidden to be eaten together with milk.

The above information is for research purposes only. As in all issues that are subject to Halachic debate, before acting on such information, one must consult with the rabbi of the community.

I hope that this information is of help to you.

All the best,

Rabbi Baruch S. Davidson


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By Baruch S. Davidson   More articles...  |   RSS Listing of Newest Articles by this Author
Rabbi Baruch S. Davidson is a member of the chabad.org Ask the Rabbi team.

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Reader Comments
Latest Comments:
Posted: July 20, 2008
Cloned animal's meat
You probably don't eat poultry and dairy because, in spite of the fact that hens dont produce milk so it is impossible to cook a chick in its mother's milk, you consider it a reasonable extension of the mitzvah. By the same token, a ruminant is a ruminant whether it is produced by cloning, test tube, or whatever freakish method. You don't eat its meat with milk because G-d commanded you not to, and that is enough.

Now, Rabbi, what is that thing about the product of a kosher animal being kosher even if it lacks the kosher characteristics? You mean if a cow give birth to a pig it will be kosher? Would you, please, elaborate?
Posted By Anonymous, New York, NY

Posted: Mar 19, 2007
Keep up the good work Rabbi Davidson! A friend sent a link to your article, and while I don’t consider myself a man of learning, your answer sheds light on an area that I am totally unfamiliar. I'm very impressed by your wide range of knowledge and your insightful answers and I always enjoy reading your essays.
Posted By Menachem S.



 


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