Waiting Between Meat and Milk
Question
Is the 5 hour wait truly obligatory? I have friends who say they wait only 3 hours.
Answer
Shalom!
Thank you for your question.
The most widespread custom is to wait six hours.
There are those who rule that the custom of waiting “six hours” between meat and dairy does not require six full hours, but rather, a little more than five and a half hours. Some even rule that it is sufficient to merely wait “into the sixth hour. Le'halcha, We say that one has to wait six full hours between meat and dairy. One who lost track of time or is otherwise unsure whether six hours have passed is permitted to eat dairy if it is reasonable to assume that six hours have passed.
Hagaon Harav Fried Shelitah says that everyone has to keep to waiting six hours, since this is le'halcha.
Chullin 105a; YD 89:1 and commentaries; Rabbeinu Yerucham, Issur V’heter 39; Chochmat Adam 40:12; Kreisi U’pleiti, YD 89:3; Levush, YD 89:1; Chochmat Adam 40:12; Aruch Hashulchan, YD 89: 6.