Animal Slaughtered “Unkosherly”
Question
Hello Rabbi,
I recently came to the realization that if an animal is slaughtered and the chalaf is found to have notches in it, thus rendering the animal not kosher, then the animal, naturally, may not be consumed.
The animal at this point has already been killed. It has suffered, because the chalaf had a notch in it. Its death likely involved some form of pain, even if slight and lasting only for an instant. This animal’s death was a tragedy, but it has occurred in the manner in which it has occurred.
Why waste it?
Why do we waste the life of this animal, who died painfully because of a mistake made by the slaughter or a defect in the tool used for the slaughter? What are we to do with the meat of this animal, and how are we to honor it, after what has been done to it? I cannot understand how G-d would want us to throw out the animal after it has suffered, as that would make its death meaningless.
Answers
The animal is not wasted. It can be sold as non-Kosher meat to non-Jews. Most slaughterhouses have both Kosher and non-Kosher slaughtering on different sides of the slaughtering area, and when there are any questionable Kashrus issues, the animal is sold with the non-Kosher meat. If that is not a viable option, it is also possible to use the animal for making parchment and for the leather boxes of Tefillin.
Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team