The Divine Evidence Revealed in the Laws of Shechita

Many are unaware that Nazi Germany was among the first to ban Jewish shechita on "humane" grounds (as echoed by the prophet: "Those who slaughter men kiss calves" - Hosea 13:2). In every country the Nazis conquered, they forced Jews into ghettos and simultaneously enacted laws against the "cruel" Jewish shechita. "During the Nazi era, when anti-Semitism was at its peak, the environment was ripe for banning Jewish shechita... During World War II, German law prohibiting kosher slaughter, with or without stunning, was imposed upon every country conquered or influenced by Germany... These regulations claimed that Jewish shechita was not "a pain-free method." The Nazis cloaked the antisemitic and Nazi-driven law with a veil of "animal welfare" and "animal protection." (Wikipedia, the struggle over kosher slaughter).

Since then, antisemites worldwide have attempted to prohibit Jewish shechita on "humane" grounds. However, thank Hashem, these efforts have not succeeded. Science has repeatedly proven that Jewish shechita is more humane than any other method of slaughter.

According to an article by Dr. S.D. Rosen [of the Faculty of Medicine at King's College, London, published in the journal Veterinary Record], cutting the esophagus and neck arteries causes irreversible unconsciousness in cattle within two seconds.

Dr. Temple Grandin, professor of animal sciences at Colorado State University, considered the foremost expert on humane animal slaughter, describes the process of shechita as follows (Jerusalem Post, 12.17.04): "To see if the shechita caused pain, I started holding the heads of cattle increasingly loosely to see if they would move during the process. Even large bulls remained still, although the restraint device was so loose they could easily pull their heads out... In the hands of a skilled shochet, the animal makes no sound or movement and falls unconscious within 8-10 seconds," and further: "I know that kosher slaughter, when done correctly, is the most humane method of slaughter."

Despite this compelling evidence, agitators relentlessly struggle against it. Like antisemites of the past, they do not hesitate to twist data and mislead under the "scientific" guise, which masks a clear antisemitic agenda unchanged over the generations. Among their fabrications, propagandists have presented edited videos without context, showing improperly conducted shechita leaving animals conscious, and distorted a scientific paper discussing blood vessel pinching [these numerous lies are detailed in our "Torah and Science" section].

In the chapter "Jewish Shechita" in the book Mahapecha, Rabbi Zamir Cohen shlita demonstrated that kosher shechita rapidly kills kosher animals (birds, sheep, and cattle) but not non-kosher ones like pigs. This fact testifies to the divine origin of the Torah, whose laws align extraordinarily well with creation.

At the end of the chapter, an article by Dr. Norberto Klein, an expert veterinarian, is presented, discussing these remarkable details and explaining the differences between kosher and non-kosher animals. His article explains:

1. The carotid artery [-Carotid artery, known in Hebrew as the artery of unconsciousness] is the main artery of the head, supplying most blood to the neck and brain. It is located in the throat and is immediately cut during shechita. As it is the primary artery bringing blood to the brain, its severing results in the loss of most blood supply to the brain (the brain receives blood where all arteries converge, an area known as the "wonderful net").

2. Besides the carotid artery, smaller arteries are located at the back of the neck, known as "vertebral arteries" [-Vertebral Artery], which connect to the main carotid artery and supply the brain even when the carotid is severed. Since they are located at the back, cutting the throat does not cut them. This means the brain continues to receive blood and remains conscious even after the throat is cut.

3. In non-kosher animals, the vertebral arteries are well-developed and reach on their own to the "wonderful net" of the brain, so severing the carotid artery does not disrupt the blood supply from the vertebral arteries, and the brain remains conscious long after the throat is cut. Here lies a remarkable wonder: the vertebral arteries in kosher animals are differently placed—they are more atrophied and do not reach the brain's "wonderful net." Instead, they only reach the carotid artery and terminate there. This means that cutting the carotid artery in the throat immediately results in the loss of all blood from both the carotid and vertebral arteries, causing rapid and immediate loss of consciousness.

It has been shown that the anatomy of animals corresponds to the laws of shechita, revealing another divine testimony to the truth of the Torah.