Kashrut

Dear Rabbi. I have a coffee mug that I use exclusively for parev and meat soup. I have yet to use it for meat soup but recently made a cup of tea with milk in it. Id like to know the status of the cup is now, as i understand any bone/glazed ceramic/or any earthenware crockery cannot be kashered, and why. If i cannot kasher it, can i no longer use it for parev soups. Ie use this cup serving a parev meal. Will the soup be considered milchic. Will eating parev soup with a meat spoon be problematic ? Will eating parev soup with a milk spoon make it milchic? If i pour a meat soup in the cup will the soup now be considered non kosher. Whats the deal ?

Shalom, Thank you for your question. Firstly, some calcification – you write “I have a coffee mug that I use exclusively for parev and meat soup. I have yet to use it for meat soup”. I am at a loss to understand how you have a mug that you use for meat soup and yet you have yet to use it for meat soup? Either it is used for meat soup or it isn’t? Perhaps you meant you have a mug that you wanted or planned to use for meat soup, but have yet to actually use it for meat soup yet? If that is the question, then we will address the issue of a mug used for milk tea – can it be used afterwards for parve drinks? You are correct that we generally do not kosher ceramic mugs. That being so, what is the status of drinks made in it now? Firstly, it may be used for all milk drinks. Next, it may be used also for parve drinks. These may be made with either “milky” or parve spoons. Drinking such a drink (for example a hot parve soup, mixed with a “milky” spoon) is not considered as a real “milky” drink, and may be drunk even by a person who has just eaten meat. Such a cup may be used at a parve meal. One should not use a meat spoon in such a cup. Nor should one use the cup for meaty foods (if that happens by mistake – you need to contact a Rabbi as to the status of the mug). I hope this is of some help – Blessings