The Torah provides the basis for kashrut, Jewish dietary law. It outlines which animals are permitted and which parts of those animals are forbidden for consumption. Over time, rabbinic law articulated rules for kosher slaughter.
Kosher Animals
Judaism permits the consumption of most mammals and fowl.
For a mammal to be considered kosher, it must chew its cud (partially digested food) and have split hooves. (Leviticus 11:3) Cows and sheep, for instance, are kosher because they meet these two requirements. Rabbits are prohibited because although they chew their cud, they do not have split hooves. Inversely, pigs are prohibited because though they have split hooves, they do not chew their cud. Deuteronomy 14:4–8 lists animals that are permissible, including not only cows and sheep but also goats, deer and some other animals we can no longer identify.
As for poultry, the Torah states in Deutoronomy 14:11 that “You may eat any clean bird,” but it doesn’t give a list of clean birds. It does, however, list 24 species of non-kosher birds, including several birds of prey: eagle, falcon, vulture and buzzard. Because it is difficult to determine exactly which birds are kosher (though the Mishnah details a series of parameters), Jewish law traditionally permits chickens, ducks, geese, quail and certain types of pigeons.
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In addition to being the correct species, according to the Torah, an animal must be free of certain blemishes (physical defects and damage) to be deemed kosher.
Kosher Slaughter
For meat to be considered kosher, it must be slaughtered properly. This Jewish practice is called shechita. There are no specific instructions given in the Torah for this, but the classical rabbis offer a detailed set of halakhot, laws, for kosher slaughter. Shochets, butchers who slaughter according to these special laws, are trained extensively. Kosher slaughterhouses also employ a bodek, an inspector, who scans the animal for any imperfections that may render it non-kosher.
Here are some of the laws of kosher slaughter: Jewish law is concerned with not causing pain to the animal, so the knife used must be perfectly sharp and must be operated in a very fast, continuous cutting motion that quickly severs the vital parts of the animal’s organs for minimal pain. It is impermissible to make a cut, such as chopping off a limb, that does not immediately kill the animal. There is also a strong emphasis on keeping utensils kosher and cleaning them in accordance with kashrut laws.
Parts of the Animal That Are Forbidden
Jewish law prohibits the consumption of any blood (Genesis 9:4). Once the animal has been killed, the meat undergoes a special soaking and salting process to remove the blood. In addition to blood, the sciatic nerve of an animal is forbidden. This is a tribute to the biblical story of Jacob wrestling with an angel (Genesis 32:33), who is said to have injured his own sciatic nerve during this encounter. Kosher butchers remove this nerve before selling the meat.
kosher
Pronounced: KOH-sher, Origin: Hebrew, adhering to kashrut, the traditional Jewish dietary laws.
