Shechita (Kosher Slaughter)
“…you may slaughter any of the cattle or sheep that Hashem gives you, as I have instructed you...”
(Deut. 12:21)
Kashrut begins with reverence for Hashem, and kosher meat begins with great care and concern for the welfare of animals.
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Making meat kosher is a process that begins with the animal itself. Healthy, well-cared-for livestock (fowl, sheep, goats, bovine) are slaughtered in the traditional manner by a highly trained and certified shochet (ritual slaughterer). This person conducts the slaughter in accordance with numerous Jewish laws using a precise knife. These laws help minimize pain to the animal and ensure the animal’s blood (considered a creature’s life-force in Jewish tradition) is fully removed.
After slaughter, there are numerous checks performed (internal organs, especially the lungs for ruminants), to ensure the animal was healthy. The meat is then soaked in clean water, salted, and rinsed to completely remove any remaining blood.
While there are blessings for shechita, the saying of the blessings does not determine the kosher status. Making meat kosher involves the strict following of many traditional Jewish laws.
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Rabbi Edelstein grew up on a hobby farm in North Carolina, eventually making his way to Jerusalem and New York City, the two cities where he trained as a rabbi and shochet.
During his rabbinical program at The Jewish Theological Seminary, Rabbi Edelstein studied and received his Kabalah le’Shechitat Ofot (certification for slaughter of fowl) with Rav Shlomo Zacharow, SHu’’V ShLiT’’A in Jerusalem. After finishing his degree and ordination, Rabbi Edelstein studied the inspection of the lungs and inner organs of livestock and received his Kabalah for Shechita u’Bedikah (slaughter and inspection), earning him the letters SHu’’V (Shochet u’Vodek).
Rabbi Edelstein teaches on the ethics of kosher meat. He proudly supports and shects for the small-scale industry of homesteaders and small farms in their quests for kosher meat that upholds the values of animal welfare, holistic farming, local food, high standards for halacha, and traditional-egalitarian Judaism.
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Please see below for types of services Rabbi Edelstein can assist you with. Fees are flexible and vary depending on the service provided and farm/homestead location.
Every service begins with a consultation to determine if you and Rabbi Edelstein are a good fit for each other. In some cases, Rabbi Edelstein may refer you to another similar shochet or a shochet more aligned with your goals or ideology.
Services Provided
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Shechita Service
Do you raise animals on a homestead or small farm, and want to process them in an authentic, traditional kosher way, outside of the orthodox industrialized complex? Rabbi Edelstein can assist you in developing a traditionally kosher product, through his shechita certifications and affiliation with the Masorti (Conservative) Jewish Movement.
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Demonstrations/ Workshops/Education
Rabbi Edelstein conducts workshops and demonstrations for organizations and synagogues that want to promote education on the importance of kosher meat and re-localizing the industry. Rabbi Edelstein is also able to conduct educational programs and Scholar-in-Residence events without performing shechita at the time of the event.
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Skills Instruction
Rabbi Edelstein teaches hard skills such as sharpening the chalif (shochet’s knife), post-shechita processing, etc. Students for these skills are accepted by referral only. Contact Rabbi Edelstein for more information.
