Pareve – Ask the Rabbi
Q. What is the derivation of pareve (“neutral” – neither milchig nor fleishig)?
A. Among the theories are the following:
1. The word comes from the Latin for “small” and denotes food which lacks the “major” quality of either milk or meat.
2. It comes from the Polish para, which denotes vapour or steam derived from water, and hence neither milk nor meat.
3. It may be connected with Parvah, a Persian who secretly built a chamber in the Temple court in order to watch the ritual (Middot 5:3). As this room was not built at God’s command it had inferior status.
