How are cows killed so that they are kosher?

Answer 1

Yes; animals such as cows, lamb or chicken are all killed in a humane way -- the throat is slit quickly with a very, very sharp knife that is checked literally before each time it's used. The person doing the slaughtering says a blessing to "consecrate" the act, and to avoid belittling the act. Once the jugular is cut, the animal loses consciousness almost instantly as blood stops flowing to the brain. Unfortunately, and as some animal rights groups point out, there's lots of movement afterwards; but this is reflexive and unconscious. == Fish (and very specific species of grasshoppers), however, are not considered "animals" in Jewish law (there's a complicated reasoning; but in short, they exhibit behavior that is essentially purely instinctive and "automatic" without a basic sense of soul) and thus do not require the same process of slaughtering. Like all fish and grasshoppers caught around the world, they are simply allowed to die.

Answer 2:Despite what many people think, that Kosher meat is more humane, the animal remains conscious for up to 6 minutes and is left to die in agony. We cannot argue freedom of religion at the expense of the living rights of other beings, animals most certainly included. Answer 3:The Torah, with its laws forbidding any unnecessary pain to animals, was given at a time when other nations killed unwanted infants.

Answer number 2, that the animal remains conscious, is regurgitating something posted on some internet site and is not factual.

Rabbi Menachem Rapoport served as a shochet in Postville, Iowa. In a report concerning his six years at Agriprocessors, only a couple of times did animals remain conscious for longer than a few seconds. In the vast majority of instances, the animal loses consciousness within 10 seconds after the cut is made, he stated.

Rapoport also cited renowned animal biologist Temple Grandin of Colorado State University. Grandin wrote a report, in which she stated that she had observed properly performed shechita:

"Most cattle will become unconscious and insensible within five to 10 seconds after the cut. Most cattle appeared to not even be aware that their throats had been cut," she wrote.

Rapoport described the Jewish laws and principles that govern treatment of animals and shechita.

For example, the knife used is specially designed. It has a square end and must not come to a point, to prevent any stabbing. The knife is over twice as long as the diameter of the neck of the animal on which it is used, to prevent the knife from entering the cut.

The edge and the bevels on either side of the edge must be completely smooth. In fact, at a kosher slaughter plant, the blades are checked by a separate person, not the shochet, and they are rechecked continually throughout the working day.

The shochet must make the cut in one single smooth stroke, and cannot bear down on the knife or put a finger on the back of the blade to press on it. Any hesitation in the stroke, or any catching of the animal's flesh on the knife, renders the meat non-kosher.

Moreover, concern about an animal's feelings during slaughter extends to emotions as well as sensations. The kosher rules call for not even permitting an animal to see another animal being killed.

Answer 2

In order for beef to be kosher, the following requirements must be met:

• Prior to slaughter, there can be no visible sign of injury and/or disease in the animal.
• The animal must be slaughtered by a specially trained religiously observant Jew, this person is called a 'shochet'.
• The animal must be killed with a single slice across its throat with a knife that cannot have even a single nick along its blade.
• The animal must be drained of as much blood as possible after the slaughter.
• The animal's internal organs must then be inspected for any signs of disease, if there is any indication of illness, the meat cannot be used for kosher consumption.
• Certain arteries, sections of fat, and nerves must be removed. Due to the complexity of the nerve and artery system in the hind quarter, that section is almost never used for kosher consumption so no T-bone steaks and other cuts.
• The meat then has to be salted to draw out as much blood as possible.

Overall, the inspection process for kosher meat is much more strict than government requirements. Also, some devices used in non-kosher meat plants are not allowed for kosher meat which has reduced the chances of transmission of such things as mad cow disease.

Answer 3

The laws of Shechita, ritual slaughter, are extremely complicated. Basically, an animal that is kosher has to be slaughtered with a knife that is extremely sharp. It cannot have even a single nick. It must be done in one motion. If it was not done flawlessly in one motion, the animal is a nevaila and it is treif (not kosher). There are whole books written about specific parts of shechita. The Shulchan Aruch devoted a large section of one of its four books to shechita.

Answer 4

A Rabbi has to do it. He takes the animal and kills it in a humane way. then he has to inspect the meat and see it it is glott kosher or not.