Shechitah (sheh-HEE-tah) is the Jewish ritual of slaughtering lambs, fowls, and beef so that it is considered Kosher and is able to be eaten by Jews. Keeping Kosher is a very important aspect of Judaism because it benefits the mind, body, and soul, however other non-Jews often consume Kosher meat because of the special process involved. Shechitah ensures the the animal is slaughtered so that it feels no pain, and also ensures the meat is of the best quality. It is a very difficult process, however and it requires years of experience, a vast knowledge of biblical laws, and experience with the anatomy of the animal being slaughtered. While you will not be able to do this yourself, because of the training involved, you might want to know the processes so you can understand why the price is considerably higher.
Step 1
Select a knife (called a Chalif) of the appropriate size. The length of the blade is twice the width of the animal's neck.
Step 2
' Thoroughly examine the cow prior to slaughter. If the cow is ill or injured, he/she is no longer considered Kosher. This has two purposes. First, it ensures the quality of the meat because an ill or injured cow should not be eaten anyway. Second, it provides a disincentive for Kosher farms to partake in the methods of other farms, because if the cow is hurt in any way, it cannot be slaughtered.
Step 3
Restrain the cow so that the slaughtering can be done correctly and painlessly. If the cow is injured during the restraining, it is no longer considered kosher.
Step 4
Inspect the blade of your knife. Make sure that there are absolutely no nicks or unevenness. The knife must be sharpened to such a sharp point that if the Shochet were to slice of his/her finger, he/she would feel no pain.
Step 5
Cut the esophagus, trachea, carotid arteries, and jugular veins in one quick incision. The incision must not at all pull or tear. If done correctly, the animal will die within 2 seconds.
Step 6
Drain the blood of the cow completely. Eating blood is not Kosher, because the blood contains the soul of the animal.
Step 7
Examine essential organs of the cow. Make sure there are no defections. The lungs must be inflated to check for unwanted holes.
Step 8
Remove non-Kosher parts from the hind quarters of the animal. These include the blood vessels and the sciatic nerve.
Step 9
Remove all fat surrounding the vitals organs. Fat is not considered Kosher.
Tips
- A person must be trained and certified by special rabbinic authorities to become a Shochet.
- By law, a Kosher slaughterer must be an honest, kind and upright man. A cruel person person cannot be a shochet.
- Stunning is against the laws of Kashrut because it might harm the animal.
- By following this method, the cow goes on unconscious within 2 seconds and feels absolutely no pain – eventually dying a painless death.
- If you are not Jewish, it might help if you understand that Kosher laws serve an additional purpose besides a covenant with G-d; the non-Kosher animals all possess a potential risk for disease. Most of them are either scavengers and the remainder have some other anatomical property that makes them more susceptible to carrying diseases and parasites.
Warnings
- It is extremely important to thoroughly examine if the cow is kosher before, during, and after the slaughtering.
- You must receive certification to become a Shochet.
- There is no way you could actually shecht a cow according to the standards of kashrut by just reading this article.
Things You'll Need
- a Chalif (the blade must be checked before each slaughtering).
- a sharpening stone
- a cow
