Shechita

The Hebrew term shechita (anglicized: /ʃəxiːˈtɑː/; Hebrew: שחיטה‎, [ʃχiˈta]), also transliterated shehitah, shechitah, shehita, means the slaughtering of certain mammals and birds for food according to Jewish dietary laws (Deut. 12:21, Deut. 14:21, Num. 11:22).

Biblical Source

The Torah (Deut. 12:21) states that sheep and cattle should be slaughtered “as I have instructed you” but nowhere in the Five books of Moses are any of the practices of shechita described. Instead, they have been handed down in Judaism's traditional Oral Torah, and codified in halakha.

Species

The animal must be of a permitted species. For mammals, this is restricted to ruminants which have split hooves. For birds, although Biblically any species of bird not specifically excluded in Deuteronomy 14:12–18 would be permitted, doubts as to the identity and scope of the species on the biblical list led to rabbinical law permitting only birds with a tradition of being permissible.

Procedure

The procedure, which must be performed by a shochet (Hebrew: שוחט‎), involves severing the trachea, esophagus, carotid arteries, jugular veins and vagus nerve in a swift action using a special knife (see below) with an extremely sharp blade. This is done with the intention of causing a rapid drop in blood pressure in the brain and loss of consciousness, to render the animal insensitive to pain and to exsanguinate in a prompt and precise action. The procedure may be performed with the animal either lying on its back (שחיטה מוונחת, shechita munachat) or standing (שחיטה מעומדת, shechita me'umedet).