[Avodah] Shechitah: A Guide for [Personal] Evolution

[Micha Berger]

>From R' Mordecai Toczyner's blog (The Rebbetzin's Husband), at
<http://rechovot.blogspot.com/2011/07/shechitah-guide-for-evolution.html>.

:-)BBii!
-Micha

Shechitah: A Guide for Evolution

We realized very late this week that we were missing an article for our
weekly Toronto Torah, so I was enlisted to draft a quick piece. I'm
posting it here because I know I have some Daf-learning readers who
may enjoy the Chullin-related material, and because a disruption of my
schedule like that requires that I save time somewhere - like by doubling
it as a blog post:

One might be forgiven for thinking of shechitah (kosher slaughter) as a
dry topic, mind-numbing in its emphasis on minutiae. Indeed, the sage Rav
(Bereishit Rabbah 44:1) argued that the point is obedience, and there
is no inherent value in those fine points. Rav said, "Why would G-d care
whether one performed shechitah from the front or back of the neck? The
mitzvot were only given in order to refine [G-d's] creations."

Others would disagree, though. Many chachamim, and particularly the
mystics, have contended that the design of each element of a mitzvah
involves deep arcana and is of cosmic importance. And beyond that, our
masters and mentors, particularly among the chassidim, have attached
ethical and moral lessons to the most dry legal codicils.

In a striking example, Rav Yaakov Yechezkel Greenwald, author of
"VaYaged Yaakov" and Pupa Rebbe until his passing in 1941, taught
lessons in personal evolution based upon the five central potential
disqualifications in an act of shechitah:

Shehiyah (pausing)
Shechitah is disqualified if the shocheit pauses during the act. So, too,
we who would improve ourselves must act with alacrity, not pausing and
not allowing ourselves to be distracted. It is not for naught that we are
encouraged, "Those who are energetic rush to perform mitzvot first." Or
as Pirkei Avot warns, one should never stall and say he will study when he
finds free time, for with such an attitude he will never have free time.

Derasah (pressing)
A shocheit must slice an animal's trachea and esophagus in a
back-and-forth cutting motion; if he becomes impatient and presses down
into the neck, the shechitah is disqualified. In the same vein, we must
be on guard against impatience with our own growth. We are expected to
learn patiently, taking time and making certain that we truly understand
the Torah we study. Further, we are expected to work on our character
and our intellect simultaneously; one who sacrifices his personal growth
in pursuit of rapid intellectual growth is guilty of derasah, pressing
and trampling upon important components of self-development.

Chaladah (tunneling)
The shechitah knife must be visible to the shocheit as he cuts; tunneling
into the neck so that the knife is hidden from view disqualifies the
shechitah. Similarly, we must make sure not to hide our self-improvement
from the public. Legitimate concern for modesty, or for embarrassment,
might grow and cause us to go underground with our growth, but our
commitment to HaShem and to Torah must include pride in our beliefs. As
the Tur wrote (Orach Chaim 1), "One must be bold like a leopard, and not
reticent before those who would mock him." If all who are committed to
Torah will plead modesty, the result will be a world devoid of visible
Torah.

Hagramah (veering)
Shechitah must be performed within a specific vertical space along an
animal's neck, and veering out of that space invalidates the shechitah.
The same applies to our development - a Jew must recognize that certain
sites are better suited for growth than others. Rabbi Akiva warned
his son (Pesachim 112a) not to set up his studies in the town square,
lest passersby distract him from his learning. Pirkei Avot instructs us,
"Go into exile, to place of Torah study." For a practical example: Our
homes are comfortable, certainly, but they are as filled with distractions
as the town square; better to go to a beit midrash or shul to study.

Ikkur (uprooting)
There is some debate regarding the proper definition of ikkur; students
of Daf Yomi will recall Rashi Chullin 9a and Rosh Chullin 1:13 as
essential sources. Rav Greenwald chooses to explain ikkur as shechitah
with a flawed knife, such that the trachea or esophagus is pulled
rather than sliced. Comparing the act of shechitah with our actions of
self-improvement, Rav Greenwald adjured us to aspire to flawlessness in
our actions, since each defect will affect our results.

Rav Greenwald saw in shechitah and its laws a metaphor for the work we do
in evolving our best selves, slaughtering our old identities and replacing
them with a new and improved version of ourselves. Pairing energetic
alacrity with patient care, being unabashedly public in our commitment,
selecting our venues for growth wisely, and demanding a commitment to
excellence at all times, we will perpetually create ourselves anew,
each day better than the last.