BY: Rabbi Tsvi Heber
Director of Community Kosher
Under the leadership of Rabbi Moshe Biller shlit”a, Rav Hamachshir for Shechita, COR has worked diligently to standardize the kashrus of beef and poultry products that are available to the community. Kosher consumers in the Greater Toronto Area are familiar with Ontario poultry provider Premier Kosher Poultry and Montreal based Marvid Poultry. Due to supply management regulations for poultry in Canada, foreign providers are not given regulatory approval to sell foreign poultry in Canada. Naturally, a kosher market defined by limited suppliers has evolved, supplied only by these two well-respected companies.¹ However, such barriers to entry are absent from the beef market and foreign providers are free to sell Kosher beef in Canada. However, only kosher beef providers that meet COR’s kashrus standards can be used by COR certified establishments, including caterers and restaurants. This article is the first in a series that endeavors to introduce consumers to COR Shechita standards for the acceptance of foreign kosher beef.
There may be some who question the whole idea of Shechita standards. Why shouldn’t COR simply rely upon the other acceptable kosher supervision organizations? Why is it necessary to set up standards for our community and then inspect providers for compliance?
Rabbi Chaim of Sanz writes that historically there were whole communities that suffered major blows in their adherence to Torah and mitzvos as a direct result of less than scrupulous shochtim and processors who allowed questionable animals to make their way into the market to be subsequently consumed.² Rabbi Yaakov Yosef Katz of Polonne was a prominent student of the Baal Shem Tov. In his sefer called Toldos Yaakov Yosef, in Parshas Naso, he writes that in his generation there were individuals who were not proficient in the laws of shechita nor were they G-d fearing Jews, yet they were shechting for the community. Many of them, he says, do not have the ability to check their chalafim (shechita knives) properly to ensure they are sharp enough and that they are free of any pegam (blemish). He explained that the yetzer hora got smart and instead of trying to fool the masses, he focused his attention on the shochet so he could easily entrap the entire community in one fell swoop, because the town’s spiritual welfare was in his hands.³ Rabbonim throughout the generations considered it their personal chov kadosh (holy obligation) to ensure the highest standard of shechita in their city so that the spirituality of their constituents would be protected. While there are other foods like cheese, wine and produce that is prone to insect infestation which are also treated by kashrus organizations with higher standards of care, beef and poultry shechita is by far the most sensitive amongst kashrus organizations and community rabbonim alike. As a result, kashrus organizations often reject shechitas that do not comply with their standards.
A particular standard that has recently been implemented by COR approved shechitas is that the shechita must occur under the direct supervision of a Bodek Sakinim (a designated “knife-checker”). The source of this standard traces back to the opinion of Rav Huna in the Gemara Chullin that any tabach (butcher) who does not have his knife checked by a chacham shall be excommunicated. Rava adds that severe consequences would result such that the shochet is removed from his post and all beef that was previously shechted is considered treif. The Gemara explains that these consequences would only apply if the knife was subsequently found to be problematic. However, if the knife turns out to be fine then the beef is to be considered kosher, but the shochet is nevertheless excommunicated for not complying with the proper procedure.⁴
The Rosh⁵ subsequently limited the application of the Gemara to ancient times. Nowadays, he maintains, it no longer obligatory show the chalaf to a chacham. The reason for the change in practice revolves around the shochet. In the old days, butchers were shechting their own animals. The chacham was needed to ensure proper adherence to halacha and tradition. Nowadays, butchers are no longer trusted to shecht themselves and only properly trained shochtim are utilized for this holy job. There is no longer an absolute need for the chacham. However, the Rosh concludes by stating that since checking a knife requires an abundance of yiras shamayim and yishuv hadaas (tranquility and peace of mind) it would have been better had this custom continued.
“Why shouldn’t COR simply rely upon the other acceptable kosher supervision organizations? Why is it necessary to set up standards for our community and then inspect providers for compliance?”
Rabbeinu Yonah in his classic sefer Shaarei Teshuva⁶ speaks to this point and warns communities to ensure that shochtim who are appointed are G-d fearing individuals and that there is a system enacted to check the knives properly. He stresses this latter point by saying that, in his experience, chalafim can be checked two or three times without finding a problem but then suddenly when they are checked again, a pegima can be found. The Bodek Sakinim needs to be an expert, someone with an incredibly sensitive feel for the chalaf and an immense amount of yiras chayte (fear of sin). In Simla Chadasha, the most prominent authority on shechita, Rabbi Alexander Sender Shor zt”l writes that a community must appoint rabbonim to be on top of the shochtim to ensure that their chalafim are sharpened properly and that they can discern even minor blemishes. The more frequently that chalafim are checked the better.⁷ He further comments that it would have been better had we kept the custom to display the chalaf to the chacham prior to the shechita and that we should reinstate it. He suggests there should be two shochtim by every shechita, one to shecht and the other to be Bodek Sakinim.⁸ The Shach⁹ makes the same point with a story about the Maharsha”l. The Maharsha”l once sat together with many wise men and elders at an erev Yom Kippur seudah. A shochet came to the seudah to show his chalaf to the chacham and it was passed around the table. Most of the rabbonim considered the chalaf to be free of any pegam. However, when it was the Maharsha”l’s turn to check the chalaf, he indeed found a pegam. He then turned to an expert who checked the chalaf for him and found the same blemish that the Maharsha”l had found. The point is that if extreme care and expertise was needed in the generation of the Maharsha”l, then it is most certainly needed nowadays.¹⁰
The Chasam Sofer writes strongly that even though there is no absolute obligation to show the chacham the chalaf prior to shechita, the Rav of the city must provide a great deal of supervision and the shochet should show the knife to the Rav many times during the day. He then goes on to record the minhag of his city in detail which included the following points: 1) not to allow a beef shechita without two shochtim present; one to shecht and the second to be Bodek Sakinim; 2) to have the Beis Din (three Dayanim) make random visits to the shechita in order to check the quality of the knives; and 3) to have the shochtim bring their chalafim to the chacham once a month on erev Rosh Chodesh.¹¹ The Maharam Schick writes even more strongly by applying the standard to poultry shechita, while encouraging every city institution to be very firm on ensuring the shechita has a Bodek Sakinim present.¹² Indeed, it became the standard in many cities to ensure that a shochet would always have another shochet present when shechting. The Gaon from Vilna goes so far as to add that it is better to eat milchig on Shabbos than to eat beef from a shochet who shechted alone.¹³
It is high standards, such as insisting on the presence of a Bodek Sakinim, that highlights COR’s shechita. COR’s shechita is renowned in the industry and highly regarded by locals and visitors alike. We are grateful to Hashem and very proud to be able to provide high-quality shechita to our community. ∎
Footnotes
- At the retail level, consumers can find foreign frozen poultry products available for purchase. These products are packaged and bear the seals of the original certifying agency. COR policy allows retailers to sell such products without taking responsibility for their kashrus or inspecting the facilities. Consumers ought to be aware that they are relying exclusively on the certifying agency for the kashrus of those products and not on the COR.
- שו”ת דברי חיים יו”ד (סימן ז’) באמצע דבריו ז”ל ודבר זה ידוע שאין דבר עבירה כמאכלות האסורות שמטמטם הלב ישראל ובעוונותינו הרבים עי”ז יצאו כמעט מן הדת כמה קהילות בארץ לועז ע”י שו”ב הקלים ואכלו ונתפטמו בטריפות וגברו עליהם דעות זרות עד שפקרו ונאבדו ח”ו מתוך הקהל הקדוש ועל כן חוסו נא על נפשכם וכו’.
- בספר תולדות יעקב יוסף בפרשת נשא באמצע דבריו וז”ל ובענין אכילה לא אכשיר דרא כי הכל שוחטים אפילו שאינו בקי בהלכות שחיטה ואינו ירא שמים והוא נגד רבותינו הקדושים בראשונים ואחרונים שהקפידו שיהיה השוחט ירא שמים מרבים ובפרט בענין חוש המישוש והרגשת בדיקת הסכין שהוא לפי כונתו יראת הלב וכמו שכתב הרבינו יונה ובודאי הפורש ממאכלי העולם קדוש יאמר לו כי הרבה אינן בקיאים בהלכות וכאשר הזהיר המהרש”ל לתלמידו שבמאכל יזהר ביותר מכל וכן שמעתי מחכם אחד כי אתה התחכם היצר הרע שלא יצטרך לילך וללכוד ברשתו כל אחד ואחד ורק כל עצמו ללכוד את היחיד אשר הרבים תלוים בו והוא שמעמיד שוחט בעיר אחד מסיטרא דיליה וכולם נלכדים ברשתו עבור זה עכ”ל ועל כן בכל הדורות והשנים מסרו הרבנים את נפשם על עניני שחיטה וכמו שכתב החזון איש במכתבים שהשחיטה הוא הציר אשר היהדות תלויה בו.
- חולין (י”ח.)
- רא”ש סימן כ”ד
- שערי תשובה (שער ג’ אות צ”ו) מובא בב”י יו”ד (סוף סימן י”ח)
- שמלה חדשה (סימן י”ח סעיף ז’)
- (שם אות כ”ט)
- ש”ך (שם ס”ק ל’)
- פמ”ג (שם). וע”ש בפתחי תשובה (ס”ק ט’) שמביא משל”ה שראה חסיד אחד שלא אכל בשר משום שראה שהסכין פגום והשוחט לא הרגיש. וכן מביא מספר בית יעקב (סימן צ”ה) שמי שרוצה להחמיר על זה יחמיר על זה רק בימות החול אבל לא בשבת ויו”ט שלא לבטל ממצוה. ומסיים ואין דבריו מוכרחים ע”כ. מכל זה רואים כמה הרגשה טובה צריך לזה וישוב הדעת לבדיקת הסכינים.
- שו”ת חת”ס יו”ד (סימן י”ג)
- שו”ת מהר”ם שי”ק יו”ד (סימן ד’)
- שו”ת משנת יוסף להשו”ב מבריסק (סימן א’ סעיף כ”ז), ליקוטי יוסף (ס”ק מ”ה), שו”ת אבני נזר יו”ד (סימן י”ב) וע”ש מעשה רב (אות צ’), דברי מלכיאל בתקנותיו לשוחטי עירו, שו”ת אגרות משה חיו”ד ב’ (סימן ב’).