Dairy dishes were definatly not a practice of Jews of North African or Yemenite communities. However, in the Iraqi and Baghdadi communities dairy was common during the month of Shauvoth because the animals produced more milk.

While most of us can agree that Matan Tora happened on Shavuoth we may find difficultly in understanding the customs around dairy and staying up all night. Where did these customs come from and who is required to follow them?

When it comes to Shavouth S.A has very little to say about the halacha of the festival. Rama says that the customs everywhere (European Countries) is to eat dairy on the first night. This however is not the Sephardic custom.

Masechet Chullin states that “If one ate cheese, one is permitted to eat meat,” meaning that there is no need to wait at all after eating dairy foods, for the reasons we have mentioned for prohibiting eating dairy after meat do not apply to eating meat after dairy.

By eating dairy first one is allowed to wipe/wash and them partake of the next meal which may in fact be meat. We see that from the earlier sages this was not an issue.

Of course we know that the discussion above is not focusing on dairy on Shavouth but this seems to support the likely reason dairy has become the accepted dish of Shavouth.

Why is it an issue now? What we see among most Sephardic communities in Yisrael today is to rule leniently and allow eating meat after cheese, even if it is during the same meal. Why permit? When we know for sure that Harav Eliyahu Mani zt”l, who was the Rav of Hebron said this was the prevalent custom.

In regards to when it comes to hard cheeses that may become lodged in the teeth Sephardim customarily rule leniently on this matter.There are those who wait one hour or six hours and we do not press them about doing so.

In conclusion:

According to the stringency of the law, one may eat meat dishes immediately after eating dairy foods. Those who make blessings in-between are praise worthy. In a addition, one should wash one’s hands to ensure they are clean, drink some beverage, and eat some bread in order to clean one’s mouth from any remaining dairy particles.

Some have the custom to act somewhat more stringently regarding these laws and they have sources to stand on.