Hi Etan,

Thanks for the excellent question!

It is possible to divide the formal question, are there two types of Shchita or is there actually only one type and the division between Chulin and Kodshim, is only after the animal is slaughtered, while Kodshim go to the Mizbeach amd the Kohanim, and Chulin are just sold in the supermarket.

But conceptually we see a division in Rishonim. The place where the Shchita charge is stated is at the beginning of the book va'Yikra regarding Korbanos. In Parashas Re'ae (Devorim 12;21) the Torah says that Chulin animals must be slaughtered "ka'Asher Tzivisicha". Where is this commandment that the Posuk is talking about?

Rashi explains that the Torah refers to the commandments that Moses heard on Har Sinai ("Halacha le'Moshe mi'Sinai). According to this, there would seem to be two types of Shchita. Tosfos (Zvachim 14b) explain that basically every animal that is slaughtered is eventually eaten. If the animal is slaughtered as a sacrifice, it is eaten by the Mizbeach and the Kohanim. If the animal is slaughtered as Chulin, it will be eaten by anyone. It can be said according to this, that actually the Shchita comes to permit eating, each animal according to its kind.

The Ramban on Parshas Re'ah says that the Shchita of Chulin animals is an outgrowth of the Korbanos. Basically, to eat meat you have to bring a Shlamim sacrifice. Once Yisrael got to Eretz Yisrael which is large, and there is no technical possibility to bring the animals to the Beis ha'Mikdash every time someone wants to eat meat, the Torah also permitted the slaughter and eat animals without bringing them to the Mikdash, but the Shchita is instead of the original one, Shchitas Kodshim.

I hope this helps,

Aharon Steiner