Translation:Shulchan Aruch/Yoreh Deah/89

To Not Eat Cheese After Meat

Seif 1

One who eats meat, even from a non-domesticated animal or fowl may not eat cheese afterwards until six (6) hours. And even after this measure of time, if there is meat between the teeth you must remove it. And a person who chews meat for a baby must wait (6 hours).

Rama: And if one finds afterwards meat between the teeth and removes it, it is necessary to wipe his mouth before eating cheese. And there are those who say (yeish omrim) that you do not have to wait six (6) hours but rather immediately after, and he says the grace after meals it is permissible (to eat cheese) on account of wiping and rinsing (the mouth). And the simple custom in these states is to wait after eating meat one hour and then eat afterwards cheese and must still say the grace after meals after eating the meat, because then it will be a different meal where it is permissible to eat, according to the lenient opinion. But without the grace after meals, it doesn't help. And it does not matter whether the hour was before or after grace after meals. And if he finds something between his teeth after the hour he must remove it. And there are those who say (yeish omrim) that you do not need to say grace after meals (after eating the meat meal) before eating cheese, but this is not strictly followed (i.e. some say you cannot say bircat hamazon simply to divide between one meal and another for the sole purpose of eating cheese). And there are careful people who wait six (6) hours between eating meat and cheese and this is proper to do.

Seif 2

One who eats cheese is allowed to eat meat immediately afterwards. To make sure his hands do not have anything from the cheese on remaining on them he checks them. If it is night, when he cannot see well to check his hands, he must wash them and he must wipe his mouth and rinse his mouth. And the wiping is that he takes bread and wipes his mouth well and he may use anything he wishes except flour, dates and vegetables because they stick to the palate and do not wipe well. Afterwards he washes his mouth with water or wine. This is the procedure if one wants to eat meat of a beheima or a non-domesticated animal. But if he comes to eat the meat of fowl (chicken) after cheese, you do not need wiping or rinsing.

Rama: And there are those who are strict even for meat after cheese. And this is our custom. All hard cheese we do not eat after it even chicken, like we do with cheese after meat. And there are those who are lenient and you should not stop them but they must do wiping, rinsing the mouth and rinsing the hands. And it is good to be strict here (by hard cheese and wait 6 hours).