{"id":12397,"date":"2026-07-18T00:11:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T21:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/?p=12397"},"modified":"2026-08-09T10:50:35","modified_gmt":"2026-08-09T07:50:35","slug":"17-18-11","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/17-18-11\/","title":{"rendered":"11. Animals That Do Not Require She\u1e25ita"},"content":{"rendered":"

To permit domesticated animals, wild animals, and birds for eating, Torah law requires she\u1e25ita<\/em>. Fish and locusts, by contrast, require no she\u1e25ita<\/em>; they are not subject to the prohibitions of neveila<\/em>, tereifa<\/em>, or blood, and may be eaten regardless of how they died. They are also not subject to the prohibition of ever min ha-\u1e25ai<\/em>; therefore, one may cut off one of their limbs, rinse it, and eat it while they are still alive. Some authorities maintain that one should nevertheless not eat them in this manner, because doing so is cruel (Da\u2019at Kohen<\/em> \u00a712). All agree, however, that one may not bite into them while they are alive, because this violates bal teshaktzu<\/em>, which forbids eating in a repulsive manner (SA and Rema YD 13:1).<\/p>\n

Although the mitzva of she\u1e25ita<\/em> is a divine decree whose full meaning lies beyond our grasp, we can suggest why fish and locusts require no she\u1e25ita<\/em> and are not included in the prohibition of ever min ha-\u1e25ai<\/em>. Their brains and nervous systems are far less developed than those of domesticated animals, wild animals, and birds, and it therefore stands to reason that their sense of pain and awareness of life are less developed as well, as explained above in section 3.<\/p>\n

When a pregnant animal is properly slaughtered, the mother\u2019s she\u1e25ita<\/em> also permits the fetus in her womb. This fetus is called a ben peku\u2019a<\/em>. Whether the fetus is alive or dead makes no difference: provided they undergo valid she\u1e25ita<\/em>, the fetus may be eaten as well. The Sages said, however, that if a ben peku\u2019a<\/em> walked on the ground, it must be slaughtered because of mar\u2019it ayin<\/em>, lest people think that an ordinary domesticated or wild animal is being eaten without she\u1e25ita<\/em>. Since the ben peku\u2019a<\/em> does not require she\u1e25ita<\/em> by law, its meat remains permitted even if it has defects that would render an ordinary animal a tereifa<\/em>; as long as the mother is kosher, the fetus is kosher as well (SA YD 13:2). If the mother is found to be a tereifa<\/em>, the fetus is forbidden too. If the fetus is kept alive until it has lived eight days and can stand on its feet, it is treated like any other domesticated or wild animal and can be permitted through its own she\u1e25ita<\/em> (SA YD 13:3; Shakh 11).[3]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

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[3]<\/a>. If two benei peku\u2019a<\/em> mate, their offspring also has the status of a ben peku\u2019a<\/em>: it requires she\u1e25ita<\/em> only because of mar\u2019it ayin<\/em>. It is also not disqualified by defects that would render an ordinary animal a tereifa<\/em>. Some therefore proposed raising entire herds of benei peku\u2019a<\/em>, so that all the animals would effectively be \u201cglatt,\u201d since the prohibition of tereifa<\/em> would not apply to them at all. In practice, however, this proposal was not adopted, out of concern that it could lead to serious halakhic failure. If even one male that is not a ben peku\u2019a<\/em> enters such a herd, the offspring born there cannot be permitted: from the mother\u2019s side they do not require she\u1e25ita<\/em>, but from the father\u2019s side they do, and she\u1e25ita<\/em> cannot render them permitted (SA YD 13:4). Binyan Av<\/em> 4:39 writes that this remains a very real concern even if care is taken not to introduce new males into the herd, since artificial insemination is now common; semen from a male that is not a ben peku\u2019a<\/em> could be introduced, leaving the offspring permanently forbidden.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

To permit domesticated animals, wild animals, and birds for eating, Torah law requires she\u1e25ita. Fish and locusts, by contrast, require no she\u1e25ita; they are not subject to the prohibitions of neveila, tereifa, or blood, and may be eaten regardless of how they died. They are also not subject to the prohibition of ever min ha-\u1e25ai; […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[239],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12397","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-17-18"],"yoast_head":"\n11. 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