Shochet (Ritual Slaughterer)
A Shochet is the title given to someone who performs ritual slaughter. According to halacha, the Shochet must be a G-d-fearing Jew.
Heart of the Community[edit | edit source]
The Frierdiker Rebbe said that the Rav is the head of the community, and the Shochet is the heart of the community.
"A Shochet," said the Frierdiker Rebbe, "is not just a 'skatoboyetz' (slaughterer), a person who holds a knife and kills animals... A Shochet is the 'heart' of the community, and must be the life-force of the community, organizing set times for Torah study and the like. Additionally, he engages in the craft of ritual slaughter, but this is not his primary work."
The Rebbe added: Regarding the craft of slaughter itself, which "requires checking of the meat and examining for treifah," "checking with the tip of the tongue[1]" - this can be interpreted in terms of divine service: the Shochet must examine himself to ensure he doesn't have sharp "fingernails"... He must also examine his speech, the content of his words and their style, ensuring they are appropriate. Without this, he is merely a "skatoboyetz," a man with a knife who kills animals, and then the animal protests against him: "Why are you taking my life? How are you better than me?!"
Shochet U'Bodek (Ritual Slaughterer and Inspector)[edit | edit source]
Shochet U'Bodek (ShUB) is a holy profession in which hundreds of students of Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim Lubavitch specialized, as part of the yeshiva's curriculum for mastering "the craft of ritual slaughter." In the past, it was common for the Shochet to also be the inspector who checked the kashrus of the animal after slaughter for concerns of treifah. The title for this role was "ShUB," an abbreviation for Shochet U'Bodek. (Today, in most slaughterhouses, there is a separate person appointed for inspection).
As a result, there were Chassidic Shochtim in all cities and towns throughout Russia, even when the local Rabbanim did not necessarily belong to the Chassidic community.
When the Communists came to power, it became clear in retrospect that having many Chassidim as Shochtim enabled the continuation of kosher meat consumption, and the Frierdiker Rebbe sent many shluchim to slaughter poultry for the many Jews throughout Russia.
Chassidic Shochtim[edit | edit source]
- Asher Grossman
- Aharon Charitonov
- Shalom Charitonov
- Shlomo Shimanowitz
- Shmuel Zalmanov (Kursker)
See Also[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Chulin 17, 2. And see Reshimos in booklet 9 (Yalkut), p. 6.