{"id":12366,"date":"2026-07-17T00:04:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T21:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/?p=12366"},"modified":"2026-09-08T13:20:45","modified_gmt":"2026-09-08T10:20:45","slug":"17-17-04","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/17-17-04\/","title":{"rendered":"04. THE KOSHER SPECIES AND THE LAWS THAT APPLY TO THEM"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Torah lists ten kosher species: ox, sheep, and goat among domesticated animals, and seven wild species named in the Torah as ayal<\/em>, tzvi<\/em>, ya\u1e25mur<\/em>, ako<\/em>, dishon<\/em>, te\u2019o<\/em>, and zemer<\/em> (Devarim 14:4\u20135).<\/p>\n

Although the same criteria determine the kosher status of domesticated animals and wild animals alike, there are halakhic differences between them. Only domesticated animals may be brought as offerings. Since their sacrificial fats were burned on the altar, one may not eat their \u1e25elev<\/em>. A separate mitzva applies to wild animals and birds: after she\u1e25ita<\/em>, their blood must be covered with earth, as explained below (18:9\u201310).<\/p>\n

The Sages said: \u201cIt is revealed and known before the One Who spoke and the world came into being that non-kosher wild animals are more numerous than kosher ones; therefore, the Torah listed the kosher species\u201d (\u1e24ullin<\/em> 63b). As with all species in nature, these ten kosher species include a number of different breeds.<\/p>\n

Because these three species are domesticated, their identities have remained clear through tradition. The first is cattle: the male is a bull or ox, the female a cow, and the young are calves. Cattle include many breeds, among them Damascus cattle, Holstein, Hereford, and Brahman. The second is sheep: the male is a ram, the female a ewe, and the young are lambs. Sheep, too, include many breeds, such as fat-tailed sheep, Merino, and Awassi. The third is goats: the male is a buck or he-goat, the female a goat, and the young are kids. Goat breeds include Baladi and Alpine. Sheep and goats together are called tzon<\/em>, flocks.<\/p>\n

The identity of the seven wild species was forgotten over the long years of exile, and today only two are known with certainty by tradition: tzvi<\/em> and ayal<\/em>. Nevertheless, the Torah\u2019s criteria for kosher status in animals are clear, and any wild animal that has those criteria may be eaten. This is the accepted ruling as well regarding the zebu (Kol<\/em> Mevaser<\/em> 1:9).<\/p>\n

According to contemporary zoological classification, all kosher domesticated animals and wild animals belong to the class of mammals, the order of even-toed ungulates, and the suborder of ruminants. Still, a species should be certified as kosher only after God-fearing experts have carefully examined its kosher features. If the examination confirms that the species meets the kosher criteria, it is kosher.[1]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

[1]<\/a>. \u1e24azon<\/em> Ish<\/em> YD 11:4 infers from \u1e24okhmat<\/em> Adam<\/em> 36:1 that today an animal species, whether domesticated or wild, may be accepted as kosher only on the basis of tradition, not on the basis of the Torah\u2019s criteria alone. However, SA YD 79:1 clearly indicates that one may rely on those criteria. Shakh 79:1 explains that the marks we do not rely on are only those used to distinguish a domesticated animal from a wild animal, for purposes of the prohibition of eating \u1e25elev<\/em> and the mitzva of covering the blood, since those marks are not explicit in the Torah.<\/p>\n

Pri<\/em> Megadim<\/em>, Siftei<\/em> Da\u2019at<\/em> 79:1, writes likewise. Accordingly, R. Meshulam Rath (Kol<\/em> Mevaser<\/em> 1:9) and R. Herzog permitted the zebu, a humped breed of cattle brought from Madagascar that had previously been unknown, and this is the accepted ruling. It is possible that \u1e24okhmat<\/em> Adam<\/em> did not mean that the Torah\u2019s criteria may never be relied upon, but only that such matters should not be decided hastily. One may rely on experts who conduct comprehensive, responsible research.<\/p>\n

Even within the Lithuanian community, it was reported in the name of R. Elyashiv that since they followed the ruling of \u1e24azon Ish and did not eat zebu, it should ideally not be slaughtered; if it was slaughtered, however, it is kosher. In practice, the semen used for breeding most cattle herds today contains about 25 percent zebu genetics, which helps protect the herds from disease. Thus, in practice, people rely on the lenient ruling regarding zebu, based on the criteria written in the Torah and explained by the Sages and halakhic authorities.<\/p>\n

As for the red deer, some prohibited it because it has teeth in the upper jaw that resemble canines. According to the second opinion in SA YD 79:1, canine teeth, like upper-jaw teeth generally, indicate that an animal is non-kosher. This was the ruling of R. Amar, R. Mashash, and R. Wosner; see Be\u2019er<\/em> Miriam<\/em> 10\u201314.<\/p>\n

However, \u1e24ullin<\/em> 59a teaches that if one finds an animal whose mouth has been cut off, one may examine its legs instead. If its hooves are fully split, it may be treated as kosher, provided one can rule out the pig, since the pig alone has fully split hooves while remaining non-kosher because it does not chew its cud. Accordingly, if one found a red deer with its mouth cut off, it would be declared kosher on the basis of its hooves. This shows that the species itself is kosher.<\/p>\n

Even according to the second opinion in SA, there is a distinction between true canine teeth \u2013 strong, enamel-coated teeth that do not wear down over time \u2013 and the red deer\u2019s teeth, which are small and wear down and therefore are not considered canines. In addition, the red deer has the other criteria of kashrut, and its milk curdles. In Europe and America, moreover, the custom was to permit deer with teeth in place of canines, such as the red deer, and no one objected.<\/p>\n

The red deer can also mate with other deer, which further indicates that it belongs to the same species, as R. Dr. Levinger writes and as explained in the Har\u1e25avot<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Regarding the classification of species, one must distinguish between the Torah\u2019s division into ten species and the classifications used by contemporary science, which are based on a different system. Several researchers identify the kosher species as follows: ya\u1e25mur<\/em> refers to the bubal family, ako<\/em> to the ibex family, dishon<\/em> to the oryx family, and te\u2019o<\/em> to the cattle family. According to R. Sa\u2019adia Gaon, zemer<\/em> is the giraffe. In contemporary zoological classification, animals are grouped first into classes, including mammals, birds, fish, and the like. Classes are divided into orders, orders into families, families into species, and species into breeds. As a rule, breeds within the same species can mate with one another and produce fertile offspring, whereas different species, even within the same family, cannot mate with one another. In rare cases, different species can mate, but their offspring are sterile. Thus, a horse and a donkey can mate and produce a mule, but the mule cannot reproduce.<\/p>\n

All kosher domesticated animals and wild animals are mammals in the order of even-toed ungulates, meaning mammals with an even number of toes. This is significant because only an animal with an even number of toes can have a split hoof, one of the Torah\u2019s criteria for kashrut. Other mammalian orders are entirely non-kosher. These include Carnivora, which includes the cat, bear, and dog families, among others, as well as odd-toed ungulates, such as horses, zebras, and rhinoceroses. Within the order of even-toed ungulates, however, not every species is kosher. Some do not ruminate, such as the pig, which belongs to the pig-like suborder, and the hippopotamus, which belongs to the hippopotamus family. The camel, too, belongs to the order of even-toed ungulates, but it is non-kosher because its two toes are not split into hooves; instead, they are covered by a pad of skin. For this reason, it is classified in the suborder Tylopoda, the padded-footed animals.<\/p>\n

All kosher species, then, belong to the order of even-toed ungulates and to the suborder of ruminants. As far as zoologists know today, all species in this suborder ruminate, have split hooves, and are kosher. Still, since zoological classifications can change, one may not rely on taxonomy alone, but only on the criteria given in the Torah and explained by the Sages.<\/p>\n

Orders are divided into families. The following families belong to the order of even-toed ungulates and the suborder of ruminants, and all their species are kosher: bovids, whose Latin name means hollow-horned; giraffes; deer; musk deer; chevrotains; and pronghorns. Some of these families contain only a few species, while others include many. The bovid family, for example, is especially broad and is divided into subfamilies, including impalas, bubals, ibexes, cattle, gazelles and antelopes, reedbucks, duikers, and oryxes. The three kosher domesticated animals also belong to this family: cattle belong to the cattle subfamily, while sheep and goats belong to the ibex subfamily.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Torah lists ten kosher species: ox, sheep, and goat among domesticated animals, and seven wild species named in the Torah as ayal, tzvi, ya\u1e25mur, ako, dishon, te\u2019o, and zemer (Devarim 14:4\u20135). Although the same criteria determine the kosher status of domesticated animals and wild animals alike, there are halakhic differences between them. Only domesticated […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[238],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12366","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-17-17"],"yoast_head":"\n04. THE KOSHER SPECIES AND THE LAWS THAT APPLY TO THEM - Peninei Halakha<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/17-17-04\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"04. THE KOSHER SPECIES AND THE LAWS THAT APPLY TO THEM - Peninei Halakha\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Torah lists ten kosher species: ox, sheep, and goat among domesticated animals, and seven wild species named in the Torah as ayal, tzvi, ya\u1e25mur, ako, dishon, te\u2019o, and zemer (Devarim 14:4\u20135). Although the same criteria determine the kosher status of domesticated animals and wild animals alike, there are halakhic differences between them. Only domesticated […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/17-17-04\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Peninei Halakha\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-16T21:04:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-09-08T10:20:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"\u05e6\u05d5\u05d5\u05ea \u05d4\u05d0\u05ea\u05e8\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"\u05e6\u05d5\u05d5\u05ea \u05d4\u05d0\u05ea\u05e8\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ph.yhb.org.il\\\/en\\\/17-17-04\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ph.yhb.org.il\\\/en\\\/17-17-04\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"\u05e6\u05d5\u05d5\u05ea \u05d4\u05d0\u05ea\u05e8\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ph.yhb.org.il\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7866b763cf3f205e4ae075eebce0d674\"},\"headline\":\"04. THE KOSHER SPECIES AND THE LAWS THAT APPLY TO THEM\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-16T21:04:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-09-08T10:20:45+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ph.yhb.org.il\\\/en\\\/17-17-04\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1407,\"articleSection\":[\"17- Kashrut of Animals\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ph.yhb.org.il\\\/en\\\/17-17-04\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ph.yhb.org.il\\\/en\\\/17-17-04\\\/\",\"name\":\"04. THE KOSHER SPECIES AND THE LAWS THAT APPLY TO THEM - Peninei Halakha\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ph.yhb.org.il\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-16T21:04:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-09-08T10:20:45+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ph.yhb.org.il\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7866b763cf3f205e4ae075eebce0d674\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ph.yhb.org.il\\\/en\\\/17-17-04\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/ph.yhb.org.il\\\/en\\\/17-17-04\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ph.yhb.org.il\\\/en\\\/17-17-04\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"\u05d3\u05e3 \u05d4\u05d1\u05d9\u05ea\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ph.yhb.org.il\\\/en\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"04. THE KOSHER SPECIES AND THE LAWS THAT APPLY TO THEM\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ph.yhb.org.il\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ph.yhb.org.il\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"Peninei Halakha\",\"description\":\"HaRav Eliezer Melamed\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ph.yhb.org.il\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ph.yhb.org.il\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7866b763cf3f205e4ae075eebce0d674\",\"name\":\"\u05e6\u05d5\u05d5\u05ea \u05d4\u05d0\u05ea\u05e8\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f73aec4c538c25ed89bfe678bd2c8d6c4c68e602d853cddfe42d3dbab083bc82?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f73aec4c538c25ed89bfe678bd2c8d6c4c68e602d853cddfe42d3dbab083bc82?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f73aec4c538c25ed89bfe678bd2c8d6c4c68e602d853cddfe42d3dbab083bc82?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"\u05e6\u05d5\u05d5\u05ea \u05d4\u05d0\u05ea\u05e8\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ph.yhb.org.il\\\/en\\\/author\\\/eladgg\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"04. THE KOSHER SPECIES AND THE LAWS THAT APPLY TO THEM - Peninei Halakha","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/17-17-04\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"04. THE KOSHER SPECIES AND THE LAWS THAT APPLY TO THEM - Peninei Halakha","og_description":"The Torah lists ten kosher species: ox, sheep, and goat among domesticated animals, and seven wild species named in the Torah as ayal, tzvi, ya\u1e25mur, ako, dishon, te\u2019o, and zemer (Devarim 14:4\u20135). Although the same criteria determine the kosher status of domesticated animals and wild animals alike, there are halakhic differences between them. Only domesticated […]","og_url":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/17-17-04\/","og_site_name":"Peninei Halakha","article_published_time":"2026-07-16T21:04:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-09-08T10:20:45+00:00","author":"\u05e6\u05d5\u05d5\u05ea \u05d4\u05d0\u05ea\u05e8","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"\u05e6\u05d5\u05d5\u05ea \u05d4\u05d0\u05ea\u05e8","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/17-17-04\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/17-17-04\/"},"author":{"name":"\u05e6\u05d5\u05d5\u05ea \u05d4\u05d0\u05ea\u05e8","@id":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/7866b763cf3f205e4ae075eebce0d674"},"headline":"04. THE KOSHER SPECIES AND THE LAWS THAT APPLY TO THEM","datePublished":"2026-07-16T21:04:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-09-08T10:20:45+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/17-17-04\/"},"wordCount":1407,"articleSection":["17- Kashrut of Animals"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/17-17-04\/","url":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/17-17-04\/","name":"04. THE KOSHER SPECIES AND THE LAWS THAT APPLY TO THEM - Peninei Halakha","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-07-16T21:04:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-09-08T10:20:45+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/7866b763cf3f205e4ae075eebce0d674"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/17-17-04\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/17-17-04\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/17-17-04\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"\u05d3\u05e3 \u05d4\u05d1\u05d9\u05ea","item":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"04. THE KOSHER SPECIES AND THE LAWS THAT APPLY TO THEM"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/","name":"Peninei Halakha","description":"HaRav Eliezer Melamed","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/7866b763cf3f205e4ae075eebce0d674","name":"\u05e6\u05d5\u05d5\u05ea \u05d4\u05d0\u05ea\u05e8","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f73aec4c538c25ed89bfe678bd2c8d6c4c68e602d853cddfe42d3dbab083bc82?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f73aec4c538c25ed89bfe678bd2c8d6c4c68e602d853cddfe42d3dbab083bc82?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f73aec4c538c25ed89bfe678bd2c8d6c4c68e602d853cddfe42d3dbab083bc82?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"\u05e6\u05d5\u05d5\u05ea \u05d4\u05d0\u05ea\u05e8"},"url":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/author\/eladgg\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12366","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/64"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12366"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12366\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12799,"href":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12366\/revisions\/12799"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12366"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12366"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12366"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}