Shechita DR Jayne LM Donegan

Dr Jayne LM Donegan
Shechita and Animal Welfare in Jewish Law What Should be Our Attitude Today?
Shechita, Jewish ritual slaughter, is under threat in many countries. Some have banned it outright; and it is not even possible to get an 'organic' label on meat in the UK that has been slaughtered by shechita as it is regarded as cruel. The organic labelling authorities, fear that even if the method is not cruel, such is the perception that they would lose much of their customer base if people thought that some of the meat labelled 'organic' had been killed by shechita. So what should Jews do? Currently there is much lobbying going on, one good effect of which is that Jews are on the same platform as their Muslim brothers over the issue, as they join together to protect both kosher and halal meat. However, Jews would have more credibility regarding shechita if they could say that not only are they well aware of the need to treat animals humanely there are special Jewish laws regarding the need not to cause animals pain - but that they also support animal welfare on all fronts, for example by:
Supporting the ban on fox hunting (an article in an orthodox newspaper a few years ago suggested that Jews shouldn't support the ban on fox hunting as those who wanted to ban hunting were those who would also try to ban shechita), Stocking free range eggs(white or brown) in the kosher shops instead of the white, candled ones from factory farmed, tortured hens, Only selling free range chickens in Jewish butcher shops (so they are more expensive so you can eat less), And use of shechita to slaughter animals because they believe it minimises their suffering.
The factory eggs with no blood spots may be kosher regarding the letter of the law, but hardly the spirit. It seems to me that if people are going to be particular about their food, they should concentrate more on tsa'ar ba'alei chayyim (not being cruel to animals) than being particular about having supervised milk, if they can't do both. The Jewish attitude to animal welfare is based not on the rights of the animals themselves to be treated in a certain way, but on a human beings obligation to treat animals in certain ways. In Genesis God gives humans dominion over animals. This means that humans may use animals for human purposes where necessary but there is also the concept of stewardship of animals, although the Hebrew word can also mean to tread down or subdue. This idea of a humans obligation to look after animals is further expanded in Proverbs, A righteous man has regard for the life (Heb. nefesh) of his beast. The word nefesh or soul means more than just the physical but also the mental welfare of the beast. And you shall walk in His ways (Deuteronomy), that is, in the ways of God, Who is Good to all and merciful to all His works. (Psalm 145), means that we must emulate God in His merciful treatment of all His creations - animals as well as humans (and plants/ ozone layer/planet etc.). From this it is possible to see human may use animals to work with them for example as, beasts of burden, herding sheep, guarding property, ploughing fields and so on. After the flood, animals were given to humans to eat as well. The specific point that all of humanity, not just Jews should not be cruel to animals is made in the Noachide Laws: One should refrain from eating a limb torn from a live animal, but Jews have even more specific rules governing their behaviour towards animals:
The Rabbis point out that Shabbat was instituted so that animals could rest from their burdens as well as humans. Shechita and Animal Welfare in Jewish Law What Should be Our Attitude Today? Dr Jayne LM Donegan 2011 1
Animals are not to be muzzled when working with grain so that they are not tantalised by food by being hungry and not able to eat. Different beasts are not to be yoked together so that the stronger (an ox) should not tire out the weaker (a donkey). One should help an animal stumbling under its burden even if you do not like its owner, even or especially on Shabbat. One should feed animals before one feeds oneself (from the second paragraph of the Shema I will provide pasture for your cattle and you will eat and be satisfied.). A Jew is enjoined not to take young from the nest without first shooing off the mother bird so that she will not be distressed at the capture of her young in front of her eyes. Even when killing a beast for human consumption, the rules governing shechitah or the ritual Jewish method of slaughter are designed to minimise the distress felt by the animal the blade must be extremely sharp with no jagged edges that could pull at the skin, and the stroke must be swift and clean. The immediate loss of blood to the brain means that the animal becomes insensate and feels no pain. The Torah not only outlaws castration for human beings (quite a novel concept in those days) but also for animals. Even though one may pluck quills from a live goose in order to write one generally does not do so because it would inflict pain.
From all of the above it must be wondered how any chicken which had been reared in a battery farm could be regarded as kosher even if it had been slaughtered properly. Encompassed in the principle of avoiding tsar baalei chayyim (not causing harm to living things), and from the mitzvot (commandments), the Tenakh (Bible), Rabbinical and other commentaries it can be seen that the Jewish attitude to animal welfare is one of careful and humane husbandry and stewardship. I have no illusions about how humane the other methods of slaughter are. Having ordered a booklet on the humane slaughter of poultry - I keep chickens and wanted to know how to despatch them if they were terminally ill there was a several page polemic about the cruelty of shechita, but one of the so called 'humane' suggestions included placing the chicken in a pool of water and putting an electric current through it, if I were a chicken I'd prefer shechita any day! One of the problems with all methods of slaughter in developed countries is that of scale and the difficulty of acting in humane way with the enormous number of animals to be slaughtered.
Shechita and Animal Welfare in Jewish Law What Should be Our Attitude Today? Dr Jayne LM Donegan 2011 2

Shechita DR Jayne LM Donegan

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Shechita DR Jayne LM Donegan

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Shechita DR Jayne LM Donegan

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Dr Jayne LM Donegan

You might also like