יורה דעה י״זYoreh De'ah 17

Se’if 1א׳

הַשּׁוֹחֵט אֶת הַבְּרִיאָה וְלֹא פִּרְכְּסָה. (פי' שֶׁלֹּא נִתְנַעְנְעָה), הֲרֵי זוֹ מֻתֶּרֶת; אֲבָל הַמְסֻכֶּנֶת וְהוּא כָּל שֶׁמַּעֲמִידִים אוֹתָהּ בִּגְעָרָה אוֹ בְּמַקֵּל (כָּל בּוֹ בְּשֵׁם הָרַאֲבָ"ד) וְאֵינָהּ עוֹמֶדֶת, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהִיא אוֹכֶלֶת מַאֲכַל בְּרִיאוֹת, שְׁחָטָהּ וְלֹא פִּרְכְּסָה כְּלָל, הֲרֵי זוֹ נְבֵלָה וְלוֹקִין עָלֶיהָ; וְאִם פִּרְכְּסָה, הֲרֵי זוֹ מֻתֶּרֶת, וְצָרִיךְ שֶׁיִּהְיֶה הַפִּרְכּוּס בְּסוֹף הַשְּׁחִיטָה וְלִמְשֹׁךְ עַד אַחַר הַשְּׁחִיטָה (תא"ו נט"ו ח"ג לְדַעַת רַשִׁ"י), אֲבָל בִּתְחִלָּתָהּ אֵינוֹ מוֹעִיל. כֵּיצַד הוּא הַפִּרְכּוּס, בִּבְהֵמָה דַּקָּה וּבְחַיָּה גַּסָה וְדַקָּה, בֵּין שֶׁפָּשְׁטָה יָדָהּ וְהֶחֱזִירָה אוֹ שֶׁפָּשְׁטָה רַגְלָהּ אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁלֹּא הֶחֱזִירָתָה, אוֹ שֶׁכָּפְפָה רַגְלָהּ בִּלְבַד, הֲרֵי זֶה פִּרְכּוּס וּמֻתָּר; אֲבָל אִם פָּשְׁטָה יָדָהּ וְלֹא הֶחֱזִירָה, הֲרֵי זוֹ אֲסוּרָה, שֶׁאֵין זוֹ אֶלָּא הוֹצָאַת נֶפֶשׁ בִּלְבַד; וּבִבְהֵמָה גַּסָה אֶחָד הַיָּד וְאֶחָד הָרֶגֶּל, בֵּין שֶׁפָּשְׁטָה וְלֹא כָּפְפָה, בֵּין כָּפְפָה וְלֹא פָּשְׁטָה, הֲרֵי זֶה פִּרְכּוּס וּמֻתֶּרֶת. וְאִם לֹא פָּשְׁטָה, לֹא יָד וְלֹא רֶגֶל, וְלֹא כָּפְפָה כְּלָל, הֲרֵי זוֹ נְבֵלָה; וּבְעוֹף, אֲפִלּוּ לֹא רִפְרֵף (פי' מֵעִנְיַן כְּהֶרֶף עַיִן) אֶלָּא בְּעֵינוֹ, וְלֹא כִּשְׁכֵּשׁ (פֵּרוּשׁ נִעְנַע) אֶלָּא בִּזְנָבוֹ, הֲרֵי זֶה פִּרְכּוּס.

One who slaughters a sound animal and it did not convulse (meaning, that it did not move) — this one is permitted; but an animal at the point of death (mesukenet), and that is any such that they raise it up with a shout or with a stick (Kol Bo in the name of the Raavad) and it does not stand: even though it eats the food of sound animals, if he slaughtered it and it did not convulse at all, this one is carrion (nevelah — an animal that died without valid slaughter) and one is flogged for it; and if it convulsed, this one is permitted, and the convulsing must be at the end of the slaughter and draw out until after the slaughter (Toldot Adam veChavah netiv 15, part 3, according to the view of Rashi), but at its beginning it does not avail. How is the convulsing done? In small cattle, and in a wild animal large or small, whether it stretched out its foreleg and drew it back, or stretched out its hind leg even though it did not draw it back, or bent its hind leg alone — this is convulsing and it is permitted; but if it stretched out its foreleg and did not draw it back, this one is forbidden, for that is nothing but the going out of the life. And in large cattle, both the foreleg and the hind leg alike, whether it stretched out and did not bend or bent and did not stretch out — this is convulsing and it is permitted. And if it did not stretch out, neither foreleg nor hind leg, and did not bend at all, this one is carrion. And in a bird, even if it did but flutter (meaning, from the idiom "the blink of an eye") with its eye, and did but wag (meaning, moved) with its tail — this is convulsing.

Se’if 2ב׳

הַשּׁוֹחֵט אֶת הַמְסֻכֶּנֶת בַּלַּיְלָה וְלֹא יָדַע אִם פִּרְכְּסָה, הֲרֵי זוֹ סְפֵק נְבֵלָה וַאֲסוּרָה.

One who slaughters a mesukenet at night and did not know whether it convulsed — this one is a doubtful nevelah and is forbidden.

Se’if 3ג׳

גְּדוֹלֵי הַחֲכָמִים לֹא הָיוּ אוֹכְלִים מִבְּהֵמָה שֶׁמְּמַהֲרִים וְשׁוֹחֲטִים אוֹתָהּ כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא תָּמוּת, וְאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁפִּרְכְּסָה בְּסוֹף הַשְּׁחִיטָה; וְדָבָר זֶה אֵין בּוֹ אִסוּר, אֶלָּא כָּל הָרוֹצֶה לְהַחְמִיר עַל עַצְמוֹ בְּדָבָר זֶה הֲרֵי זֶה מְשֻׁבָּח.

The great ones among the Sages would not eat of an animal that men make haste and slaughter so that it should not die, even though it convulsed at the end of the slaughter; and there is no prohibition in this matter; rather, anyone who wishes to be stringent upon himself in this matter — this is praiseworthy.