Blue fringe

I don�t get the muisic, but in May at Central Park in the NYC I saw a lot of girls in denim skirts go crazy about these boys. Cool name and nice web site though. Blue Fringe � Video.

Slaughter at Agriprocessors saga continues

Washington Post: The USDA has told federal meat inspectors that they should immediately shut down any slaughterhouse where they observe acts of cruelty similar to those surreptitiously videotaped by an animal rights group at a kosher meat plant in Iowa. (kudos Shmarya)

USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service: this is the document (HIKE 03-04) mentioned by the Washington Post. USDA says: "You remind them that dressing procedures are separate from the ritual slaughter cut and any additional cut to facilitate bleeding."

OU Kosher, Clarification of the Second Cut at Agriprocessors: "We, at the OU, have received several phone calls asking to explain the purpose of the second cut done at Agriprocessors." This OU responsa falls short of explaining the routine. For more unanswered questions see the revised Rabbi Yudel Shain letter.

Timothy "Speed" Levitch talking about his film �The Cruise�:

It was a psychedelic experience. And a specific craft to be practiced. Like piano playing. To be an object is an athleticism and an artistry, (laughs) and an opulent one, I should say. It's like being your own instrument, playing yourself as your own instrument. And the question is, are you in tune and are you a virtuoso? What kind of an instrument is it going to be? Is it a clarinet? Is it a piano? Is it a tympany drum? Sometimes it's all of those things. Often, I just became what we all are on a daily basis -- which is a walking, 80-instrument symphony. Like bang -- violins, cellos. . . (laughs)

Shaul Shimon Deutsch, the Liozna Rebbe

When I was in Boro Park past Shabbos I forced my host to go see Rabbi Shaul Shimon Deutsch AKA Liozna Rebbe in action. My friend actually had a long history with Deutsch starting from the time when Shaul Shimon and his family rented my friend�s former apartment after they just moved to Boro Park from Crown Heights. Whatever history it was it somehow soured as I had to counter my friend�s strenuous objections to go Daven with the Liozna Rebbe. My friend also lamented that he has thrown into garbage Shaul Shimon�s first volume of the Lubavitcher Rebbe biography and it now can fetch a cool $400 on Amazon!

Rabbi Shaul Shimon Deutsch and his museum upgraded to the prominent and highly priced corner of the 41st and 16th. The Shule was empty on Friday night with previously mentioned fluorescent lights blazing to highlight the fresh imperfection of construction and the loneliness and coldness a Jew feels on the Nittle night.

When we came to the shule the next morning we were immediately enveloped by the pungent smell of Cholent. The pot is inside a closet, right in the middle of the shule and the smell is rather overwhelming and distracting. Rabbi Shaul Shimon was Davening from the Omud. The Nusach and the Nigunum were familiar Lubavitch tunes pronounced clearly and expressively. Rabbi Shaul Shimon is a tall large blond and bold man slumping shapelessly. A Shtreimal hanging from delicately carved wooden Mechitza signals the new dress code. Books at the Liozna Rebbe�s stender about biblical archaeology signal the new passion.

The attendants to the Shacharit where characterized by my friend as �miskenim�. Indeed they are appeared to be a loosely collected assembly of misfits. In fact one can�t observe a congregation or a constituency mentioned by Chakira.

After Musaf the Liozna Rebbe spoke about biblical archeology. Indeed he framed his presentation by saying �there is a war going on�, a war between atheists who deny biblical legacy and call artifacts fake and archeologists uncovering the proofs of the actual biblical events. Frankly that was not the war I read about recently in the press, I read about the war between people who claim the artifacts are fake because they prove Jewish precedents in the land. By the way Lubavitchers I knew loved to frame all their arguments as war (Tzivos Hashem, etc), the logic they inherited from pre Soviet and Soviet thinking. It�s possible that Shaul rejected the movement but still can�t escape it�s ways of thinking.

Hard to understand how the Liozna Rebbe sees his "constituency"? He is preaching archeology in a neighborhood where most people think that the real purpose of the archaeological digs is to disturb old graves and bones.

With Netanyahu on this one

If I forget thee......: Thank you Bibi.....: As of January 1st, the next stage in the tax reform will go into action. The reform, which seeks to reduce taxes for working Israelis...

Recovering Ethical Torah Principles Lost in the Holocaust

A book by Urim Publications: EYES TO SEE:: "Recovering Ethical Torah Principles Lost in the Holocaust was written with the goal of restoring integrity, compassion, unity and kiddush HaShem to their central role in the observance of Torah and mitzvos, as Halacha demands. This will serve to correct a number of serious errors and misconceptions of Torah views, values and obligations that resulted from the annihilation of nearly all of the great European Torah leaders in the Holocaust. This destruction left a young generation of bereft and bewildered survivors without the great Torah personalities necessary to educate and impress upon them the absolute centrality of these traditions and laws for correct Torah observance.

Eyes to See is a powerful work, brilliantly woven from biblical, talmudic and later rabbinical writings. It paints a magnificent view of traditional Judaism, revealing that morality and ethics, honesty and integrity, and compassion and kindness are so basic to authentic Torah Judaism that they define Jewishness itself. " (via A simple Jew)

Jews under fluorescent

This past Shabbos I stayed with a friend in Boro Park. I was saddened how little the neighborhood changed. But the lighting, ahh... I am troubled by the fact that most Jews are desensitized to the negative rays of the fluorescent lights. The cheapest 4' Home Depot strip is meant for janitor closets, not houses of worship. Fluorescent light is cold it washes out the remnants of sculptureness and it strains the soul. It is a diametrically dead mechanical opposite to the warm candlelight. Light shapes. Amorphous cold fluorescents rays flood spaces with nauseous sameness. Fluorescent make you numb. There are parts of the Shules that need to be dark like the souls of its living visitors. Flickering spot lights chant secrets. There are parchments that need to be gently held by the indirect rays bounced off the ceiling openings. I know, there are orphaned texts that haven't touched a natural radiance since Moses came down the mountain. The texts will settle for the incandescent yellows, it�s �more like the sun� they say...

Noa revealed

I don�t thinks there is anyone in the Jewish blogsphere with such a superb writing talent as Noa from Jersalem revealed, and this includes the most brilliant of them with a �hire me� announcements on their blogs. What a wonderful amazing post: Random Acts of Niceness.

Music of Regina Spektor

We should not fail to mention New York's Queen Of Cool from my old home shtetle Moscow - Regina Spektor, she dishes an amazing anti-folk jazz. You can listen to her music.

Should I fall in love with Regina or with Estelle? Terrific unexpected music.

An Israeli surfed the tsunami in Sri Lanka

Lisa on the face published an account by an Israeli and his wife who actually surfed the tsunami in Sri Lanka.

Matisyahu CD, etc.

A Simple Jew asked me if I recommend Matisyahu CD. Truth is I do not own the CD. I heard it few times with a friend who was the first to tell me about Matisyahu. I have been to two Matisyahu gigs and I am starting to understand Grateful Dead cult. It is not so much about the music, it�s about the happening. People who show up at his gigs are a very interesting slice of Jewish people. It is an eclectic mix with heavy dose of �feeling Jewish�, what else can you ask? But you can listen to the music here.

UPDATE:
Matisyahu videos.
Matisyahu at BB King Club.
Matisyahu at New Jew in Boston.
Lord raise me up video.
Matisyahu on Last Call with Carson Daly, performing "A King Without A Crown."

Rabbi Yudel Shain on shechita at Agriprocessor

OK, Shmarya gave in and published Rabbi Yehuda Shain letter that was making rounds via email since 10 of Kislev. The PDF version published by Shmarya is the third revision of the letter. This version of the letter adds some important details, most notably the fact that shochtim might be afraid to do a proper cut so as not to nick the knife against the restraining metal, questioning the very design of the holding pen. Rabbi Yudel Shain is the brother of the famous Lubavitcher Mohel Rabbi Eliahu Shain. One wonders why Rabbi Shain decided not to publish this letter on his own website The Kosher Consumers Union.

Although Rabbi Shain acknowledges being a lighting rod (see commnets to this post), nevertheless there are questions in the letter that should be responded to by the Mashgichim. Particularly the alleged sinister reasons for tearing of the trachea.

Who is "stingy" now?

Vatican does not miss an opportunity to blame Israel, even if the facts are wrong. The world does not miss the chance to deny help from Israel. OK UN, who is "stingy" now?

Jerusalem Post: Vatican raps Israel for 'denying disaster': "an Israeli plane carrying 80 tons of food and medical supplies worth $100,000 was set to depart for Sri Lanka Wednesday morning. At the request of the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry, a team of some 150 Israeli medical and security personnel aborted their planned trip to the island nation Tuesday night."

BBC NEWS: Sri Lanka rejects Israel rescuers.

Congratulations Ukraine!

LA TIMES flash presentation on the war in Israel. (via Backspin)

PC seasons greetings

Via SheepDog:
Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non-addictive, gender neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all...and a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2005, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great (not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country or is the only "America" in the Western hemisphere), and without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith, or sexual orientation of the wishee.

This wish is limited to the customary and usual good tidings for a period of one year, or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first. "Holiday" is not intended to, nor shall it be considered, limited to the usual Judeo-Christian celebrations or observances, or to such activities of any organized or ad hoc religious community, group, individual or belief (or lack thereof).

Note: By accepting this greeting, you are accepting these terms. This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal, and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher at any time, for any reason or for no reason at all. This greeting is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. This greeting implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for the wishee her/himself or others, or responsibility for the consequences which may arise from the implementation or non-implementation of same. This greeting is void where prohibited by law.

Zackary Sholem Berger: The Rabbinical Assembly and Rubashkin Meat Dependence.

Ole from Russia expelled from cadet school

Arutz Sheva: An Israeli cadet from Russia is expelled from his school for speaking his mind. Note that he was expelled for his his words not acts.

The soldier's father told the Yediot Acharonot newspaper, "My son said that the refusal of the pilots, who in the middle of a war announced that they would not fight, is not the same as ideological refusal to expel citizens from their homes and destroy Jewish communities in the Land of Israel. He said that the evacuation of communities is a badge of shame for the country, and that the comparison to the pilots who refused is inflammatory."

Matisyahu uplifts B.B. King blues club

Matisyahu rocked B.B. King Blues Club in New York City yesterday night.

The crowns was 70% high scholl kids and 20% middles aged New Yorkers. I imagine some came to the club after reading about Matisyahu in the Wall Street Journal article. Hey, this beats Chinese restaurant� They had to suffer through the Guest Opener BAZAAR ROYALE. The older crowd really did not know what hit them.




Matisyahu�s band was larger with a different base, keyboard player and some of the songs compared to the Boston�s gig. The energy was very high with a lively and bubbling mosh pit. I had a sense that in the end young and old all enjoyed the show. The club was packed; there must have been at least a thousand people.

Music and art is about weavings patterns, contrasting high and low notes, mixing complimentary colors. Matisyahu does it in his own unique style with soulful vocals balanced by lively and aggressive reggae rock. Even the middle aged Jewish mamas could not resist the beat.


Yoni, AKA "the only Jewish rapper from Minneapolis" performs with Matisyahu.


Akiva, behind the scenes Matisyahu tour guy. He looks dreamy and tough.

UPDATE from JDub Records - BB Kings Blowout.

Also check out Matisyahu videos.

The custom of not learning Torah on Christmas eve

The custom of not learning Torah on Christmas eve is discussed by Daniel Sperber in his Minhagei Yisrael vol. 3, pp 93-94. The term "nittel" is indeed from the Latin, either dies natalis (day of birth) or Natalis Domini (birth of our Lord). Jews chose to interpret the word as deriving from "nitleh" (hanged), although the date in question is the anniversary of the birth, not of the crucifixion. The term "nittel" is used by a number of Rishonim who discuss the halakhah prohibiting doing business during or before yom eidam (Gentile holidays) as discussed in the beginning of Masekhet Avodah Zarah.
Read on: Mail-Jewish Volume 28 Number 59. (via Bloghead)

Yuschenko talks to Jews

Ukranian presidential candidate Viktor Yuschenko dons a kipah and lights a menorah in Brodsky Synagogue, Dec. 9 in Kiev. JTA NEWS: Looking to quash Jewish fears, Yuschenko talks to Jews at Kiev shul.

Thank you G-d for the internet

A Simple Jew: Genealogical breakthrough!

Prayer for Internet surfers.

Mentalblog links

AP Wire: Fired IDT workers claim pro-Jewish bias. NEWARK, N.J. - Twenty-three former call center employees of telecommunications provider IDT Corp. are suing the company, claiming discrimination against non-Jewish workers that ranged from ruined Christmases to the transfer of their jobs to Israel.

The Prague Post Online: Jewish leaders mired in turmoil. The holiday season has been far from joyous for Prague's Jewish Community. A long-simmering feud over the leadership of the 1,500-member community has resulted in a split, with Chairman Tomas Jelinek voted out by an opposition group that has elected its own head, Frantisek Banyai.
During several discussions over Jelinek's leadership, his opponents allegedly attacked his supporters with slurs like "Jewish pig" and statements such as "you should have stayed in Terezin," according to some observers, indicating the level of tension in the community.

JTA NEWS: German Jews: Immigration law may end community�s rapid growth.

Maryland: More county synagogues get homeland security money.

Totally Jewish - News Channel: ECJC Grant. The European Council for Jewish Communities has received a grant of �75,000 to promote culture across the EU. The funds will be used to research and construct a new Jewish search engine and online database.

Blogging from Mosul

Chaplain Lewis: Training for Eternity, via Instapundit.

Confusing times: a boy wears a Star of David badge as he plays with friends during a demonstration against Israel's plan to remove from Gaza.

Study on LNG Attack in Boston

Boston Globe published today what could be construed as a terrorist manual for liquefied natural gas tanker attack. Strategically released on the coldest day of the year the study paints a target on the regional gas supply. Specific impact descriptions complete with this map:

Hmm, I work between "2nd degree burns" and "buildings ignited" area...
BOSTON GLOBE: Study spells out high toll on the city.

Is there Yahoo after death?

I actually wonder what happens to all those email lists, online subscriptions, automatic credit card charges, etc. I would be interest in legal prospective on the "online death"? And now this story:

CNET News.com: Yahoo denies family access to dead marine's e-mail. The Marine, Justin Ellsworth, 20, was killed in November by a roadside bomb in Falluja while assisting civilian evacuations before the large-scale military offensive against insurgents in the city, according to a report in the Detroit Free Press. But when Ellsworth's father John tried to recover his e-mail account, he was barred due to Yahoo's policy of not giving e-mail passwords to anyone besides the account holder.

Jewish Press PETA demagoguery

If the editorial the in Jewish Press is an example of the official line with choice quotes like this:

This is a very serious business and the possible damage to our community in terms of fomenting anti-Semitism is incalculable.

Than indeed a dose of anti-Semitism AKA �souls searching� is in order.

Psycho Toddler is outed

Attention Milwaukeeans:Please don't publicize this blog to other members of the community. Again, this is something that is fun and therapeutic for me, and I hope people around the world may find something in here that they identify with and which makes them feel a little less alone. However, people who don't normally read blogs will not take what I write in its proper context and may take offense, so please don't direct them here.

Estelle Goldfarb - Jewish diva numero uno

On the hills of Estelle Goldfarb's smashing performance with Matisyahu comes rather disappointing Chanukah video encore: Concert Hip Hop Hoodios et Estelle Goldfarb au Caf� de la Danse � Paris.

PS 1492...

Out of Step Jew has an uncanny ability to see through the skin to the heart of the an issue:

I have always agreed with the notion that we Jews (in the US and abroad) have more to fear from a post-Christian America than from a Christian America. Europe is currently in its post-Christian phase and it doesn�t seem to be much better than it was in its Christian days. It can even be argued that Nazi Germany was the first post-Christian European country.

Power Line - Blog of the Year

Congratulations to Heebs at PowerLine for being named "Blog of the Year" by the Time Magazine!

Mentalblog links

New blog: Cross Currents (I can't believe such a frum crowd will have a "cross" in their name?)

Yori Yanover takes on Luke Ford (and Vicki Polin) in USA Jewish.

Luke Ford can write when he wants to: Hollywood Loves ---- ---

A Rabbi setting a good example via A Post A Day: Why I love my minyan...

On the subject of Rubashkin. I once heard a story from Avrohom Aaron Rubashkin himself:

In a small town a Rabbi announced that there should be no more talking during davening. In a few weeks they discovered that people stopped getting leads for parnosoa, no more shiduchim , etc. So they have decided to allow talking again, to return health and normality in the community.

OU in a global land grab

While OU can't handle supervision in it's own back yard in Iowa, at the same time they aggressively put European Rabbis out of business.
The Jerusalem Report Magazine, Kashrut Goes Global:

But Rabbi Eliezer Maarsen, rabbinic administrator of the Orthodox chief rabbinate of Holland, which supervises about 100 Dutch food manufacturers, takes a different tone. "It seems like for them America is not big enough. Now they take what they can get," he protests. "They are coming to Holland, to Belgium, to Luxembourg. To everywhere." Maarsen says the Dutch rabbinate has so far not lost much business, but that competition for new customers is fierce.

Holiday Invite List Showcases White House's Ties to Orthodox

Via Forward Newspaper Online: "Communal insiders said that in addition to shining a light on the White House's increasing ties to Orthodox leaders, the guest lists at last week's various events reflected an attempt by the Bush administration to bypass the long-established communal agencies that have historically represented the Jewish community with federal officials."

Bloghead, Paul Sahviv: A food company accused of putting pig fat into what were supposed to be kosher pie crusts has agreed to give $2.5 million to charity to settle a lawsuit.

Doublespeak on second cut

Paulus POTTER, Young Bull, 1647, Oil on canvas, 236 x 339 cm, Mauritshuis, The Hague

Message from Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, OU Executive Vice President, and Rabbi Menachem Genack, OU Kashrut Rabbinic Administrator:

At AgriProcessors, Inc., as at other plants, a second cut is made in the carotid arteries to facilitate and accelerate the bleeding. This secondary cut is both approved and encouraged by the USDA. The OU and AgriProcessors, Inc. have concluded that this cut will now be made without excising the trachea.

Statement of Rabbis and Certifying Agencies on Recent Publicity on Kosher Slaughter:

Excision of the trachea, however, is not common practice. We wish to make clear that nothing in any such post-shechita 'second cut' or excision in any way undermines the validity of the shechita itself or the kosher status of the slaughtered animal's meat. We further note that regulations of the U.S. Department of Agriculture explicitly approve a second cut to facilitate bleeding.

Why was the �not common practice� of ripping the throat approved at AgriProcessors in the first place? Does the statement of the certifying agencies signals that from now on there will be a �second cut� routine?

KosherConsumer.org

A site by Rabbi Yehuda Shain dedicated to kashrus: Kosher Consumers Union.

Mentalblog links

JTA: Lantos urges Putin to return Chabad books.

Tzait Shpigel

If I forget thee......: I wouldn't give up the fancy restaraunts, but Humus is a comfort food which I am happy to eat all year round, at any time of year. The Humus bar is an Israeli institution and is an important stop, along with the Kotel and Masada for any overseas visitor. Humus - a cultural icon.

A Simple Jew: Can one continue without a Rebbe or the Rebbe's chassidim?

Jews speak for others without ever having been chosen

Out of Step Jew:

As one who has advocated stronger ties between Diaspora and Israeli Jews I have no problem with the input of Jews outside of Israel in Israeli policy issues � especially those having to do with world Jewry. However, what is being proposed here is to allow certain Jews speak for others without ever having been chosen. There is no way for free and fair elections to be held in a global population that will have any meaning so we will continue to get the same bunch of loud mouth organization Jews combined with the Bronfman's, Steinhardt's and others who will now assume that they have some authority to speak for others. This absurdity will not add to the debates but will just entrench the powers that be.

How many Jewish organizations and "Consultative" bodies does one small religion need? We already have the budgetary octopus that is the Jewish Agency. We have high salaried "leaders" at the various Jewish Congresses, Committees, Defense Leagues, Funds, Organizations, Briths, Women's Organizations, Zionist Organizations. We have an overabundance of Americans and Jews who are for a Safe, New, Strong, Brave, Just and/or Other Israel.

Enough!! Whoever wants to put his or her two cents into the endless debates that go on in Israel and the world Jewish community can join some organization, write a blog, hold a sign, compose a letter or scream from their rooftop. Whoever wants to vote for a real and not a consultative Knesset can move to Israel, pay its (ridiculously high) taxes, send their sons and daughters to the army and drive its roads.

Jerusalem Post on Shechita

Jerusalem Post, Saul Singer: Cutting-edge kashrut.

TEMPLE GRANDIN, THE JERUSALEM POST: Kosher slaughter done right.
Once again she compromises her views by not declaring that she sells the device she is promoting.

Shmarya said...

Not really. She's very well known for aiding in the design of it and she does animal welfare/humane slaughter consultations with slaughterhouses along with being a professor in Colorodo. She's also autistic and as a result of that goes straight to her points. Since she is not selling anything to Rubashkin (she offered to go for free) and also agreed to work with the upside-down shechita he requires, it probably never occurred to her to mention that she helped design the ASPCA standing pen.

The patterned conversation

I have lately noticed more and more that my conversations with people falls into a certain pattern. No matter what we start talking about with a friend X he always ends up talking about his son. Another friend Y thinks that what you say is just a trigger for him to start telling you some related story from his life. He will go on about this thinking that everyone on the face of the earth was created to listen to his monologues. Alas I end up listening to the same stories multiple times. A friend Z thinks that if I call him this must be the time to reenact the argument we have been having at least 50 times about a person in our community and not matter how hard I try to change the subject, I fail.

The patterned conversation is source of a major disappointment. I feel trapped in a house with the same familiar walls. Are you bothered by �sameness� of you relationship with your friends?

History of shechita in America

Koshermiami.org: An interesting write up on history of shechita in America (pdf).

In May of 1932, the �Kashrus Association of Greater New York� was established to deal with the standards of Shechita and to control supervision. But little progress was made in actuality, due to the vested personal interests of meat business proprietors, and some corrupt Shochtim and Rabbonim who turned their attention away from proper Kashrus standards due to monetary gains. But their were Rabbonim and Shochtim that took a stand. In the summer of 1934, the kosher poultry industry was thrown into a major controversy between the Shochtim and proprietors of the meat industry.

Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia appointed Judge Otto Rosalsky to mediate the dispute that erupted. Rosalsky was an Orthodox Jew, and had an acute understanding of the main issues at hand. The Shochtim claimed that they had to slaughter too fast. The supervising Rabbis did not supervise well enough, and there was no proper identifying mark on the kosher birds slaughtered.

REMBRANDT, The Flayed Ox, 1655, Oil on wood, 94 x 69 cm, Mus�e du Louvre, Paris

OU: Statement of Rabbis and Certifying Agencies on Recent Publicity on Kosher Slaughter

Shechita intrigue at the highest levels of USDA

Shmarya reports: Representatives of the OU, KAJ, Star-K and Lubicom (the kosher industry trade and PR orgainzation that puts on Kosher Fest and publishes Kosher Today) appear to have been in a meeting just over one year ago with the United States Secretary of Agriculture Ann M. Veneman.

The purpose of the meeting?

Allegedly to amend UDSD Directive 6900.2 to favor AgriProcessors/Rubashkin and allow the throat-ripping and other procedures seen on the PETA video. This meeting occurred shortly after PETA's first complaint to Rubashkin and the OU, but before PETA filed a complaint with the USDA.

Luke Ford: How's My Chanukkah?

Georges de LA TOUR, Job Mocked by his Wife, 1630s, Oil on canvas, 145 x 97 cm, Mus�e D�partemental des Vosges, �pinal

The second cut on the halachic aspects of shechita

What follows is a compilation of my conversations with two halachic sources who pondered this subject in depth. During the last two weeks I exchanged notes and spoke with the two, they prefer to remain anonymous. Both sources often disagreed with each other. One of them deservedly called me an idiot and ignoramus repeatedly... I thank them for persevering. The two concluding paragraphs is the only content of this post to which I claim credit. Please do not reproduce this post without our permission (updates or revisions are likely in the coming days). Instead linking to the URL is requested. Sorry, this is a long post.

People debate whether or not there is Tzar Baalei Chayim ("animal suffering," which we will refer to as TBC) after shechita. In fact, there is TBC during shechita itself. You may ask how are we permitted to slaughter an animal if it is TBC? The answer is: the Torah allowed this because of tzorech adam (human need). Yes, we try to make this procedure as painless as possible; but one can't say that an animal does no feel it. (Although scientific studies show that when properly performed, there is no indication that the animal experiences pain during shechita, and EEG �electro-encephalographic� evidence, studies of the corneal reflex, etc., indicates that the animal loses consciousness rapidly if the carotid arteries are properly cut.)

The laws are derived from Talmud, where we find a passage (BT Chullin 33a) which states that one may cut a piece of meat immediately after shechita. Such meat was considered particularly tasty (implied tzorech adam). In this context, it is important to understand that there is a scriptural prohibition to eat this piece of meat before the animal actually dies. This is the mitzvah of "lo sochlu al ha-dam" ("You should not eat the blood"). This, by they way, is one of the references that conclusively disproves the proposition that shechita equals death. You can perform the shechitah, cut a piece of meat but then you must wait until the animal dies. This prohibition shows that the animal is still alive, but le-tzorech adam, we can inflict this pain as a component of shechita (this is not to be confused with the prohibition to eat �ever min hachay� for gentiles, the �ever min hachay� is not longer applicable after shechita as Gezeras ha Kosuv).

Because of this and other references, some rabbis have erroneously concluded two things: distressing an animal right after shechita is not TBC; and the animal does not feel any pain. This is fundamental error; it ignores the fact that shechita itself is TBC. The animal feels it, and it hurts. TBH exists -- but it is permissible le-tzorech adam.

So what about cutting a piece of meat right after shechita? It is difficult for us to understand now, in our days, why the meat cut immediately after shechita was le-tzorech adam; in fact, this is no longer something that we need. Therefore, today this would be an unnecessary and prohibited act of TBC.

We assume that this logic of permissible TBC as an extension of shechita is the origin of what has been referred to as a �second cut,� or a cut to sever arteries to speed up bleeding and death. If you are still awake reading this or if you might have been awake during the Musaf prayer on Yom Kippur we read in Seder ha-Avodah (service of the High Priest in the Temple on Yom Kippur): �Immediately he [the High Priest] would accept sheep for the continual offering, and cut most of the two tubes, and leave it for someone else to finish the slaughter, while he would accept the blood and dash it on the Altar, as required." (See BT Yoma 31b, interpreting this Mishnah). So while cutting of the carotid arteries to finish shechita might be called a "second cut," it still unclear how tearing of the trachea could fall into this category. The reason the High Priest only initiated the shechita was because he also had an obligation to collect and sprinkle the blood, so he relied on others to complete the shechita while he proceeded with collecting the blood. We have been informed that good shochtim cut both carotid arteries in the same cut as the tubes.

You may ask: if the cutting of a piece of meat immediately after shechita is no longer tzorech adam, what would legitimately constitute a tzorech adam? Perhaps economics is tzorech adam, and perhaps this is the genesis of removing the trachea to speed up the assembly line by accelerating bleeding? Or perhaps economics would dictate this procedure to improve quality of the beef and to avoid blood clots?

This brings us to the previously referenced machlokes (argument) between the Daas Kedoshim and Maharsham in Daas Torah. It is surprising that there are rabbis who state that an animal does not feel pain after shechita, or that there is no TBC after shechita. The Maharsham only argued about the possible prohibition (ISSUR) of TBC, not whether it exists. Surely the animals can still feel pain immediately after shechita. Only as a theoretical opinion, the Maharsham concludes that there is not a prohibition (ISSUR) of TBC after shechita. The Daas Kedoshim, by contrast, holds the opinion that there is an prohibition (ISSUR) of TB