Why Kosher?
Kosher animal slaughter is an important issue for practicing Jews. They attribute direct revelation from God for their methods of killing animals for food. However, they maintain that the killing has no “ritual” value. According to chabad.com, “There is no ritual involved…It is a cardinal tenet of the Jewish faith …divinely given to Moses at Mount Sinai.” These laws, they say are based on Genesis 9:3, which reads “Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I gave the green plant.”[1] But it is verse four in the Christian Bible which gives the details, “Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.”
We have demonstrated in the last several posts on this topic, that the prohibition in Genesis 9:4 predates the giving of the law at Sinai. We have made the case that the verse is still applicable today. And practicing Jews agree: it is “as binding and valued today as ever.”
Besides the direct command from God, Jews see the practice of Kosher slaughter, known as “shechita,” as necessary for the proper care of the animals themselves. They claim, “The time hallowed practice of shechita, marked as it is by compassion and consideration for the welfare of the animal, has been a central pillar in the sustaining of Jewish life for millennia.”
This high regard for the life of the animals, draws upon several Old Testament Scriptures as well as well as the Talmud, which prohibits causing pain to animals. The Scriptures include:
- Dueteronomy 11:15
- Exodus 20:10
- Dueteronomy 5:14
- Genesis 9:4
- Deutoronomy 22:4
- And more
According to the same source, “From these biblical injunctions flow numerous laws for animal care and relief of animal suffering. Blood sports have always been forbidden to Jews.”
Yet an exception is made for food: “Jewish teaching permits the taking of an animal’s life in order to fulfill the human need for food.” The food, however, must be slaughtered by the shechita method, making it Kosher.
What Makes Meat Kosher?
Here I will share the five basic requirements for kosher meat.
First. Before an animal can be slaughtered for food, it must be inspected. “The animal being prepared for slaughter must be considered kosher (fit) before the act of slaughter can commence.” [2]
Second. The animal must be “killed individually by a specially trained Jew known as a shochet.” This act of slaughter is done in a precise way to give a quick kill with little or no pain to the animal. Chabad.com reports:
Shechita is performed by a highly trained shochet. The procedure consists of a rapid and expert transverse incision with an instrument of surgical sharpness (a chalaf), which severs the major structures and vessels at the neck. This causes an instant drop in blood pressure in the brain and immediately results in the irreversible cessation of consciousness. Thus, shechita renders the animal insensible to pain, dispatches and exsanguinates in a swift action, and fulfils all the requirements of humaneness and compassion. [3]
Third. The blood is drained out of the body of the dead animal.
Fourth: The carcass is inspected by someone trained to see if it is fit for consumption.
Fifth. The carcass is salted to draw out any additional blood.
Is There A Significance?
There is evidence that suggests that kosher slaughtering techniques have health benefits, but some disagree. We will share more about this in another post. Here we will share two observations that stand out in the Jewish practice of slaughter:
- The kosher practice considers the life of the animals that must give up their lives to nourish ours. The technique seeks to slaughter animals in a way that provides the least amount of pain and suffering. Proverbs 12:10 says, “A righteous man has regard for the life of his animal, But even the compassion of the wicked is cruel.”
- The kosher practice upholds the same dietary law that God gave through the Holy Spirit to the early church to not eat blood or animals that had been strangled.
Unfortunately, slaughtering methods are not the only consideration when choosing meat. But this discussion will be for another time.
Is There A Difference?
Conventional slaughter techniques do have some significant differences from Kosher methods. While there are USDA guidelines for the quality of meat before and after slaughter, but they are not as stringent as the Kosher standards.
And while most conventional animals are “bled out” like kosher, they are suffocated, stunned, or shot prior to exsanguination. This also brings them to a state of unconsciousness prior to death. Only there is no way to know if the animals are only unconscious or actually dead before bleeding out. This could render the animal as “strangled” — which is one of the forbidden meats in the 3 Overlooked Dietary Laws in the New Testament. And finally, the animals are not salted for the drawing out of excess blood.
We can reiterate the simple conclusion in this matter is to eat what is offered at the meat market without asking questions for conscience sake. However, for a longer term view, we need to re-examine our slaughtering techniques in view of God’s Holy Word.
The animals are His. He has given them to us for food. And He has told us how we are to eat them. While the law forbidding the eating of strangled meat did not carry with it a heavy penalty in the Old Testament, the eating of blood did. That is what we will look at next in this series: Should Christians Today Abstain from Eating Blood?
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[1] http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/222240/jewish/What-is-Shechita.htm
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_slaughter
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Reformed Health exists so you can take control of your own health and be all that God has designed you to be. The information shared on Reformed Health is the sole opinion of the author and is not meant to diagnose or treat any illness. None or our claims have been evaluated by the FDA or any other government organization. We are not medical doctors, nor do we have any medical doctors on staff. If you are having a health emergency, please call 911, contact your doctor, or visit a local emergency room. Always consult your doctor before engaging in any new exercise regime.
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Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.
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