("ritual slaughter"). The proper slaughtering of ritually fit (Kosher) animals as prescribed by Jewish law (Halakhah). The precise method of sheḥitah is not spelled out in the Written Law, but it is derived from the verse, "You may slaughter as I have instructed you, any of the cattle or sheep that the Lord gives you, and eat it to your heart's desire" (Deut. 12:21). The laws of ritual slaughter are discussed in detail in the tractate Hullin in the Mishnah and Talmud. Maimonides counts sheḥitah as one of the positive commandments of the Bible and quotes the Talmud in stating that "Moses was instructed in the rules of ritual slaughter when he received the Torah on Mount Sinai" (Ḥul. 28a).
The ritual slaughterer (shoḥet) has to be certified by a qualified rabbinical authority. He must perform sheḥitah at least three times in front of a supervisor before he is certified. After certification, he is advised to review the laws of sheḥitah once a month.
The knife of the ritual slaughterer, called a ḥallaf, is his most important instrument and much of his training is spent learning how to sharpen it to a perfect edge. If even a small nick is found in the blade, either before or after slaughtering, the slaughter is declared invalid. The shoḥet pronounces a special blessing before slaughtering, and one blessing suffices for the slaughter of many animals at one time. The actual slaughtering is performed by a swift back and forth motion cutting across the throat while the animal is bound and hanged upside down by a rope. The shoḥet must not put undue pressure on the neck while cutting, but the greater part of both the windpipe and the gullet must be cut for the sheḥitah to be declared valid. The laws for slaughtering birds are slightly less strict in this respect.
According to Jewish law, five movements disqualify sheḥitah: (1) shehiyyah---the slightest pause or interruption in the action of the knife; (2) derasah---pressing the knife downward into the neck instead of moving it back and forth across the throat; (3) haḥlada---the knife's getting stuck behind the gullet and cutting it from the inside; (4) hagramah---the cut not being made in the proper place on the throat; (5) ikkur---the implement being imperfect and tissue being torn out rather than cut. Soon after slaughtering the animal, the shoḥet must examine the lungs to ascertain whether or not they are defective. If a defect, such as a puncture or a blood clot, is found, the animal is declared terefah (unfit) and may not be eaten.
The purpose of sheḥitah has been represented as preventing cruelty to animals (another commandment of the Bible). Experts have stated that sheḥitah is a swift and comparatively painless way of killing an animal. The Midrash asks, "What difference does it make to God how an animal is slaughtered?" The answer given is that "the mitsvot [commandments] were given only to ennoble the people" (Gen. R. 44:1), i.e., the commandment to slaughter in a specified manner makes the Jew more compassionate and sensitive.
The blood of birds and undomesticated animals must be covered after slaughtering, since (unlike domesticated animals) they owe nothing to man and their slaughter is all the more shameful. This is done by first throwing sand or soil on the ground, slaughtering the animal or bird, and then throwing more sand over the blood.
As early as the 12th century in Spain, a self-imposed meat tax was collected in each Jewish community to help pay for the services of the shoḥet and to insure proper sheḥitah. Later, in Eastern Europe, similar taxes were introduced. Often this tax money also helped finance other communal institutions, such as schools and synagogues. In 18th-century Europe, a rift developed between the Ḥasidim and the Mitnaggedim regarding ritual slaughter. The Ḥasidim introduced a new method of sharpening the knife which R. Elijah, the Gaon of Vilna, the leader of the Mitnaggedim, did not accept. Subsequently, in 1772, a ḥerem (ban) was placed on ritual slaughter by Ḥasidim, their knives and their ritual slaughterers. Nevertheless, the Ḥasidic movement continued to spread and eventually this ban was lifted.
In the last century, several anti-sheḥitah movements arose in Europe. In Germany in the middle of the 19th century, sheḥitah was officially banned. Among the countries following this example were Switzerland (1893), Norway (1930), and Sweden (1937). The banning of sheḥitah was sometimes a thinly veiled expression of Anti-Semitism, but was also often the outgrowth of humanitarian concerns.
Today, sheḥitah is practiced mainly in centrally located slaughterhouses owned by big meatpacking companies. Usually the shoḥet does only the slaughtering while a mashgiaḥ (kashrut supervisor) checks the lungs. All meat is then stamped to protect the consumer. A rabbi is often on hand to settle any doubts that may arise. In Israel, the Chief Rabbinate, as well as several private religious organizations, handle the supervision of sheḥitah.
