The Humanness of Shechitah (Dietary Laws)
Reb Ya'ar ben Emmett
English - August 05, 2021 15:05 - 16 minutes - 15.1 MBJudaism Religion & Spirituality Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
MEAT-EATING & SHECHITAH
The Divine plan was originally that we should be vegetarian. God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant upon all the earth, and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit; they shall be yours for food" (Gen. 1:29).
After the Flood, meat-eating was permitted as a concession to human weakness.
Rav Kook says, however, that in the messianic period "people and animals will not eat flesh. No-one will hurt or destroy another living creature. People’s lives will not be sustained at the expense of the lives of animals" (cf. Isa. 11:7).
In the here-and-now meat-eating is clearly permitted; the sidra explicitly says, "When you shall say, ‘I will eat flesh’, because your soul desires to eat flesh, you may eat flesh" (Deut. 12:20).
However, there are limitations. Only certain animals, birds and fish may be eaten; the blood must not be consumed; and the method of slaughter must be "as I have commanded you" (Deut. 12:21).
The authorised method of slaughter of animals and birds is shechitah. In a religion like Judaism which stands for humanity and compassion in every sense, and kindness to animals in particular, it is axiomatic that the prevention of pain to animals is crucial to the manner in which the shochet operates.
The animal must be conscious and sound, and prior to shechitah must not have suffered any injury.
The method of slaughter is by a single cut of the neck. The knife is set to exquisite sharpness, with a perfect edge free from the slightest notch or flaw, and examined for any unevenness before the slaughter of each animal.
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