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"דף י''ב.."רוב מצויים אצל שחיטה מומחים הם
Page 12 Mesectas Chullin
"Most 'Ritual Slaughterers' Are Experts"
The daf discusses a case where Reuvein asks Shimon the "shoichet" "please go to my chicken coup and slaughter 5 chickens."
Approximately two hours later Reuvein goes to the chicken coup and finds 5 slaughtered chickens near the coup.
He did not see Shimon there and isn't sure whether Shimon in fact slaughtered the chickens.
Reuvein now questions whether he is allowed to eat those chickens.
We have a universal principle in reference to agents "sheluchim" that in the majority of cases, the agent for some reason does not follow thru with directives!
Therefore in most cases, one cannot rely that the agent actually followed thru with his mission ....
Nevertheless we have a novel halacha here that Reuvein is permitted to eat the chickens.
Because our rabbis instituted a principle that "most ritual slaughterers are experts in their field," therefore, even though Reuvein is not sure that his agent Shimon followed his directives to slaughter the chickens, we can assume that whoever did in fact slaughter the chickens was an expert, one who fears G-d and Reuvein can rely on whoever slaughtered the chickens that it was done according to halacha!
Press "read more" immediately below to continue to the rest of the dafim!
"דף י''ג.."ראית השוחט
Page 13 Mesectas Chullin
"The Vision of the Ritual Slaughterer"
There are no restrictions of when one is permitted to slaughter an animal. One can slaughter an animal during daylight hours as well as during the night.
However, it is important that the "shoichet" the slaughterer, see what he is doing, therefore it is recommended that the slaughterer do it in front of a strong flame..
The obligation to see whether the animal was slaughtered according to halacha is the responsibility of the "shoichet."
If one did slaughter the animal during the night, the animal is kosher, because the "shoichet" can always inspect the animal after sunrise to see if it was in fact slaughtered according to halacha.
"דף י''ד.."שחיטה בשבת
Page 14 Mesectas Chullin
"Slaughtering an Animal On Shabbos"
We have a case here, where the "shoichet" slaughtered a chicken on Shabbos thinking it was Friday.
Are we allowed to eat this chicken, after all it was in fact slaughtered on Shabbos?
Since he slaughtered it by mistake, thinking it was Friday when it was actually Shabbos, the chicken is kosher to eat.
However, if someone deliberately slaughtered the chicken on Shabbos, the act of this slaughter becomes null and void and the chicken is not kosher since the "shoichet" was "mechallel shabbos," he profaned the Shabbos, and one cannot consume an animal that was slaughtered by someone who profanes the Shabbos!
"דף ט''ו.."עקדת יצחק והלכות שחיטה
Page 15 Mesectas Chullin
"Akeidas Yitzchok & Halachos of Kosher Slaughter"
There is an Halacha in Slaughtering that we can learn from "Akidas Yitzchok."
We learn from the story of Yitzchok's sacrifice that one must slaughter with a knife that is detached from the ground...
One cannot slaughter with a knife that is somehow still attached to the ground.
The Torah states that "Avraham took the knife to slaughter his son Yitzchok," since it is impossible to take something that is still attached to the ground, we learn from here that it is prohibited to slaughter an animal with something that is still attached to the ground.
"דף ט''ז.."בית חדש וחשש עבודה זרה
Page 16 Mesectas Chullin
"A New Home & The Fear of Idol Worship"
Yoisef heard that his parents were looking for a house to purchase, so he excitedly told his parents that his neighbor James, the goy, was selling his home in the neighborhood .
When he broached this idea with his father, his father said that he couldn't buy that house because he witnessed that James was bowing down to his house and considered his home an idol, and an idol is prohibited to a Jew even after the goy, is no longer interested in it.
Yoisef was incredulous and asked his father, "how is it that we are permitted to cut stones from mountains? Didn't you teach me that goyim would make mountains into idols and bow down to them?"
His father answered: "Things that are naturally attached to the ground, like mountains, aren't prohibited even if goyim consider them idols, but stones that were hewn from mountains and attached to homes are prohibited if one makes the home into an idol!
"דף י''ז.."בדיקת סכין השחיטה
Page 17 Mesectas Chullin
"Inspecting the Knife Used For Slaughter"
The knife used for "ritual slaughtering" was supposed to be sharp and smooth, without any nicks.
The Talmud discusses the different ways that people would examine their knives.
In Eretz Yisrael, they would examine the knife against the sun rays which then made a shadow. If the knife wasn't smooth or had any blemish it would easily show up on the shadow on the ground (see illustration above on the right.)
In Nahardia, they would examine the knife by slowly skimming the surface of a pool of water, and they would be able to ascertain if the knife was smooth or had a blemish, by examining the waves that the knife made.(see illustration above on the left.)
Rav Sheishas would examine the knife by passing the knife's blade over his tongue, since a tongue is very sensitive to touch and would sense a nick on the knife immediately.
I wouldn't try this at home.
Rav Achai bar Yaakov would examine the knife by passing the blade over his hair, if the knife had a nick, it would get caught in the hair.
"דף י''ח.."אבנים למזבח
Page 18 Mesectas Chullin
"Stones Used For the Alter"
The stones used for the Alter must be totally smooth, free of any nicks or blemishes.
Stones that had holes in them that were large enough for birds to enter were prohibited for use for the building of the Alter and its ramp.
How were they sure that the stones were never used before, that may have had nicks that were smoothed out?
They would mine deep in the ground in places that were never mined before and would extract the stones that were there since Creation, or they would haul stones from the bottom of the sea, and from those stones they would build the ramp, the Alter and rest of the Bais Hamikdash..
Any stone that was used for the Alter and became nicked, were prohibited for use; they would hide them somewhere.
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