Shalom Rabbi Kornfeld
After reading your Chulin 21 statement, How Does Shechitah Kill an Animal, a question came to mind. Did G-d provide His entire Shechitah Torah laws as He instructed in Devarim 12:21?
As a retired Jewish man, with much time to study and learn Torah and Talmud, it seems a possible answer to the Shechitah enigma is found as our Creator instructed.
Leviticus 17:13 and Deuteronomy 12:21 says,
"And if any Israelite or any stranger who resides among them hunts down an animal or a bird that may be eaten, that person shall pour out its blood and cover it with earth. If the place where éäåä has chosen to establish the divine name is too far from you, you may slaughter any of the cattle or sheep that éäåä gives you, as I have instructed you, and you may eat to your heart's content in your settlements."
Might it be Hash-m's instruction that hunting of allowable animals and fowl is permitted, as Jacob asked his son Esau to hunt meat before his death? Also, the slaughter of domestic allowable animals may be slaughtered both ritually and painlessly, as performed in today's slaughterhouses. If Hash-m stated, stranger butchers, living in towns among Jewish people, first strike the heads of animals, causing instantaneous, painless unconsciousness, then severing the neck, hanging the animal upside down, allowing the blood to drain eventually to the soil.
It is now understood the ritual shechita causes the animal to suffer pain and anxiety for approximately 20 to 40 seconds before unconsciousness.
Please understand that I am attempting to understand Hash-m's laws, commandments, and instructions given on Har Sinai. Your kind understanding of my question is greatly appreciated.
B"H
Robert Mandel
Shalom Robert,
If I understand you correctly, you are citing the passages in the Torah that teach us the Mitzvah of Kisuy ha'Dam that applies to Chayah and Ohf (Vayikra 17:13) and the Mitzvah of Shechitah (Devarim 12:21). And you are suggesting that Hash-m allows us to capture and eat various creatures because we have precedent from Yitzchak Avinu who asked Esav to bring him meat before blessing him at the end of Yitzchak's life (Bereishis 27:3-4).
Very fascinating idea! I wonder, though, if we can even see precedent for consuming animals before this. Two examples come to mind. First, Avraham Avinu fed meat to his guests (Bereishis 18:7-8). Second, Chazal say that the angels served roasted meat to Adam ha'Rishon (Sanhedrin 59b).
I am not sure what you meant to say about the butchers who strike the heads of animals, etc. Unless you meant to contrast that with the relatively humane manner in which a Kosher Shechitah is conducted.
You also stated that Shechitah causes a certain amount of pain to the animal. You may have seen the Sefer ha'Chinuch (#451) who writes that part of the reason for Shechitah is to minimize the suffering to the animal. You may already have done so, but if not, you may find it interesting to read the published research of Temple Grandin of Colorado State University, Flemming Bager of the Danish Veterinary Laboratory, Harold Burrow of the Royal Veterinary College, and Stuart Rosen of Imperial College who emphasize the point of the view that Shechitah minimizes the pain and suffering to the animal.
Warmest regards,
Yishai Rasowsky
I appreciate your prompt reply. I hope you had a great Shabbos.
You give two examples of Abraham Avinu feeding meat and milk to his guests while he sits and watches under a tree. [Bereshis 18:7-8] says, "Then Abraham ran to the herd, took a calf, tender, and choice, and gave it to a servant-boy, who hastened to prepare it. He took curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared and set these before them, and he waited on them under the tree as they ate."
How, before the Sinai covenant, did the servant-boy know the traditional rabbinical laws of shechita or how the angels roasted meat to serve Adam? Did Chazal know that Hash-m observed Abraham serving cooked meat and milk to the three angels, but Hash-m did not state this meal was forbidden? [Bereshis 18:11-14]
Sanhedrin 59b says, "The Gemara raises an objection from a baraita to the assertion that eating meat was prohibited to Adam: Rabbi Yehuda ben Teima would say: Adam, the first man, would dine in the Garden of Eden, and the ministering angels would roast meat for him and strain wine for him."
How did Abraham or the servant-boy know of Rabbi Yehuda ben Teima's understanding of events not mentioned in the written Torah?
Rabbi, you state Sefer HaChinuch, a medieval Jewish text attributed to an anonymous author, provided rationale or legal implications for minimizing the suffering and pain of animals. [öòø áòìé çééí]
As a retired physician, I know an oxygenated brain remains conscious for 30 -45 seconds to feel and experience pain. But if the brain was made unconscious with a sudden blow to the head, there is no pain when the arteries and trachea are then severed, allowing the blood to drain to the soil.
Please do not be offended by my understanding of this enigma.
B"H
Robert
Shalom Robert!
Wonderful to continue the conversation with you.
1. Chazal say that even before Sinai Avraham Avinu kept the laws of the Torah. See the Mishnah on Kidushin 82a and the statement of Rav on Yoma 28b.
2. The Gemara (Sanhedrin 59b) says that the meat which angels roasted to serve Adam had descended miraculously from heaven.
3. You may be aware of Chazal's teaching (Midrash Tehilim 8:2) that the angels were in fact criticized for not having been careful to refrain from consuming meat and milk together.
4. I believe that Rebbi Yehudah knew that, even though it was not mentioned in the Chumash, because he had an oral tradition telling him so. But I would like to check more thoroughly if there is a source brought to resolve this more definitively.
5. Interestingly enough, that passage in the Sefer ha'Chinuch offers two reasons for certain details in the Mitzvah of Shechitah. Firstly, why specifically is the animal's neck cut? Because we are supposed to avoid eating blood, and it is by cutting the animal's neck that the greatest amount of blood would gush forth, out and away from the animal which we want to consume. Secondly, why before Shechitah should the sharp knife be checked, e.g. to ensure that it has no nicks? Because we want to avoid inflicting undue pain onto the animal. In light of these considerations and your insightful comments, it is tempting to suggest that slaughtering the animal -- as opposed to striking it in the head -- is preferred because of reason number one; whereas the actual pain and suffering (Tzaar Baalei Chayim) involved in that slaughtering procedure is intentionally limited by using a sharp knife.
Warmest regards,
Yishai Rasowsky