Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1901-04-29


or life-giving as those that take = long
time and much skill to make ready, but
that is . matter Of taste. Another
thing, If kosher meat has been killed
more than seventy-two hours it is un-
| salable as kosher and has to go at the
usual price to people who don't care
whether the steer was killed by one
method or another.
"They are killing by the Shichitah
this morning" he added. I will show
you our shochet," He has been with
| us ten years and is a learned man as
well as man of big stature. He must
not only be strong. but also must not
| know the meaning of nerves so that
his hands may not tremble in perform
| ing his Office and cause suffering"
The big. rough-walled enclosure
where the slaughtering goes forward is
| an impressive place. From the stair
way going down to it, which stairway
| looks out on -.e East river, can be
seen the cattle yard full of big steers
| just taken in from the fat boats at the
| pier. Nobody sees the killing, which
goes on behind the heavy barred parti-
! ton in one corner, corner which
| opens by chute onto the cattle yards
and into which the brutes are forced
one by one. But there is continually
! the sound of scrambling boots behind
| that wall and the tussle must newt
ably ensue when any powerful creature
gives up its life.
THE rabbi there on the bench is
great scholar. See him examine the
knife the manager whispers.
The rabbi looks like scholar. He
is lean and pale and wears students
cap pushed back off his forehead. He
runs his finger critically over the
cleaning blade of the sfoehet's knife,
It'is satisfactory. He gives it into the
hands Of the shochet, who retires with
in the boarded enclosure, where his
skillful and religious act is to be per-
formed.
There is renewed scrambling and tus-
sling behind those boards, Another bull
lock dies. The shochet again brings
the blade to the rabbi for inspection.
But this time it must be sharpened, so
another knife is selected.
Ma urhtla aiC-I
bearded Jew of powerful frame, but of
delicate touch and seemily much percep-
ton, stands at long table examining the
condition of the newly slaughtered animals
spread out before him. He has come upon
some symptom in carcass that requires
investigation.
He leads his long fingers again and
again over the membrane OF a suspected
lung and finally dislodges it. Then he ex-
amines the funder part by pouring warm
water on it to discover If an aperture has
been made in the lung by the separation
of the tissue from it. The water leaks
through. The animal has at some time
had inflammation of the lungs. 1t had
recovered from the malady and was seem
ingly in splendid condition when killed,
but it can only be terepha and not kosher.
Israelites may not partake OF its succu
lence.
THE successful operation of Schechitah
depends on two things" says the man
ager the fitness of the shochet and the
fitness of the knife. The shochet must be
careful, active and brisk. He must not
only be a believer in the Mosaic law, but
he must be expert in examining the inner
structure of an animal.
IF he breaks the Sabbath he is no long
er a shochet, but his name is nabal, a
miscreant. An animal, no matter how
wholesome and fat, If killed by such a
man is called nebelaha, or dead OF itself.
The shochet must have good knife, of
the required length. sharpness and
smoothness, without the least indentation,
In order TO cut the animals throat with
out stopping and without pressing down
the knife in the least. In this way the
two bodies of the animal, the exterior
body containing the brain and the interior
body containing the heart, are separated
from one another in the speediest and best
manner.
There are five rules relating to the i'm
mediate fact of the killing and the vio-
lation of any one of them would condemn
that particular animal al unfit for kosher
In the ancient Hebrew writings the most
painful and the most painless kinds of
death are described. In the most painful
the spirit is said to depart from the body
with the same difficulty that wool is
taken out of thorns or burs. In the cas-
lest dissolution body and spirit part with
the same ease that hair is drawn out
from milk.
THE schechitah is supposed TO precipi-
tate a much easier death than that caused
by blows inflicted on the animals head
The flesh of a beef killed by the Jewish
method looks more uninviting than that
killed in the usual way simply because
the beast has bled freely Occasionally
coagulated blood is found on the ribs Of
an animal killed by blows on the head, or
blood adheres to the inside Of the spine
and the ciots cannot be removed by wash
ing. For this reason some OF the choice
retail butchers who have no interest In
the religious functions of the schechitah,
like TO get hold Of beef so killed
The flesh OF an animal killed by blows
Is heavier than the flesh OF one killed by
schechitah, because the blood has been
absorbed by the members. The blood is
the life and spirit. and Is forbidden TO the