Meat Between Teeth After Six Hours

It is the custom of Jewish women not to eat meat on the night of immersion due to the concern that meat may remain between their teeth and act as a barrier during immersion. The question is whether a woman is allowed to eat meat in the morning of the day of her immersion when her immersion time is more than six hours later, as we find in the law of waiting between meat and dairy that Maimonides (Rambam) holds that after six hours one need not be concerned about meat between his teeth?

Although Maimonides holds that one need not be concerned about meat between the teeth after six hours, this means that after this period the meat is considered digested. However, certainly, one should be concerned about meat between the teeth even after six hours, and therefore regarding a woman's immersion, the custom is not to eat meat all day, even in the morning. Regarding meat with milk, even if it is considered digested, if one comes to eat dairy and finds meat between the teeth, it must be removed, and the mouth rinsed.

Gemara Chullin, page 105, column 1: "Rav Acha bar Yosef said to Rav Chisda: What is the status of meat between the teeth? He quoted: the meat is still between their teeth."

The early commentators were puzzled, according to Maimonides' opinion, which holds that the waiting is due to the meat between the teeth, and afterwards, there is no need to be concerned, what does the Gemara ask? Knesset HaGedolah, glosses on Tur Yoreh De'ah, chapter 89, writes: "One can reject this, that if the time of a meal has passed, it is considered as digested, but still, it needs to be removed since it is not yet completely digested, and therefore rinsing and washing are required, as Ran and Shaarei write there."

Therefore, regarding immersion, certainly, the custom is not to eat meat even when there are six hours before immersion.