יורה דעה כ׳Yoreh De'ah 20

Se’if 1א׳

מְקוֹם הַשְּׁחִיטָה בַּצַּוָּאר בַּקָּנֶה, לְצַד הָרֹאשׁ, מִשִּׁפּוּי כּוֹבַע וּלְמַטָּה, וְהוּא קֹדֶם שֶׁיַּתְחִיל הַכּוֹבַע לְשַׁפֵּעַ וְלַעֲלוֹת. וְהַיְנוּ שִׁיֵּר בְּחִטֵּי, וְהוּא שֶׁבְּסוֹף הַקָּנֶה לְמַעְלָה יֵשׁ בְּתוֹךְ טַבַּעַת הַגְּדוֹלָה כְּמוֹ שְׁנֵי גַּרְגְּרִים מִגּוּף שְׂחוּסִי (פֵּרוּשׁ, תַּרְגּוּם בְּדַל אֹזֶן הַסְחוּס דִּבְאֻדַּן, כְּלוֹמַר הַקָשֶׁה שֶׁבָּאֹזֶן) וְנִקְרָאִים חִטֵּי. וְאִם שָׁחַט בְּתוֹךְ הַחִטִּין וְשִׁיֵּר מֵהֶם כָּל שֶׁהוּא לְמַעְלָה, כְּשֵׁרָה, שֶׁהֲרֵי שָׁחַט מִשִּׁפּוּי כּוֹבַע וּלְמַטָּה, וְאִם לֹא שִׁיֵּר מֵהֶם כְּלוּם אֶלָּא שָׁחַט לְמַעְלָה מֵהֶם, הֲרֵי זֶה מֻגְרֶמֶת (פי' הַגְרָמָה, הַכְרָעַת הַסַכִּין חוּץ לִמְקוֹם שְׁחִיטָה לְצַד הָרֹאשׁ אוֹ לְצַד הַגּוּף) וּפְסוּלָה וּלְכַתְּחִלָּה יִשְׁחֹט לְמַטָּה מִטַּבַּעַת הַגְּדוֹלָה (מָרְדְּכַי פ' א"ט ומהרי"ו הִלְכוֹת שְׁחִיטָה) ; וְשִׁעוּרוֹ לְמַטָּה עַד רֹאשׁ כְּנַף הָאֻנָּא כְּשֶׁנּוֹפְחִין אוֹתָהּ וְעוֹלָה לְמַעְלָה עַד מָקוֹם שֶׁמַּגִּיעַ רֹאשָׁהּ בַּקָּנֶה, אָז הוּא הַמָּקוֹם בְּעַצְמוֹ שֶׁהָיְתָה נוֹגַעַת כְּשֶׁהָיְתָה חַיָּה הַבְּהֵמָה וְהָיְתָה רוֹעָה כְּדַרְכָּהּ, כְּשֶׁתִּמְשֹׁךְ צַוָּארָהּ לִרְעוֹת בְּלִי שֶׁתֶּאֱנֹס עַצְמָהּ לִמְשֹׁךְ צַוָּארָהּ בְּיוֹתֵר, וּבְעוֹף, לְמַטָּה בַּקָּנֶה כְּמוֹ בַּוֵּשֶׁט (ר"ן בְּשֵׁם הָרא"ה).

The place of the slaughter in the neck is in the windpipe, on the side toward the head, from the slope of the cap (shipui kova — the sloping part of the helmet-like cartilage at the head of the windpipe) and downward, and that is before the cap begins to slope and to rise. And this is the case where he left over of the wheat-grains (chittei — the two grain-like points of flesh at the top of the windpipe); and that is, that at the end of the windpipe above there are, within the great ring, like two grains of the body of the sechusi (that is, the Targum of "bedal ozen" is "ha-sechus di-ve-udan", that is to say, the hard part that is in the ear), and they are called chittei. And if he slaughtered within the wheat-grains and left over of them any amount at all above, it is valid, for he has slaughtered from the slope of the cap and downward. And if he left over nothing of them at all, but slaughtered above them, this is an animal slaughtered with a slanting cut, mugremet (that is, hagramah is the inclining of the knife outside the place of slaughter, toward the side of the head or toward the side of the body), and it is unfit. And at the outset he should slaughter below the great ring (Mordechai, chapter alef tet, and Maharyu, the Laws of Slaughter). And its measure below is as far as the top of the wing of the lobe when they blow it up and it rises upward, as far as the place where its top reaches the windpipe; then that is the very place it was touching while the animal was alive and was grazing after its manner, when it draws out its neck to graze without forcing itself to draw its neck out further. And in a bird, lower down in the windpipe, as in the gullet (Ran in the name of the Ra'ah).

Se’if 2ב׳

וּבַוֵּשֶׁט, מִתְּחִלַּת הַמָּקוֹם שֶׁכְּשֶׁחוֹתְכִין אוֹתוֹ מִתְכַּוֵּץ, עַד מָקוֹם שֶׁיַּשְׂעִיר וְיַתְחִיל לִהְיוֹת פְּרָצִים פְּרָצִים בַּכֶּרֶס; שָׁחַט לְמַעְלָה מִמָּקוֹם זֶה, וְהוּא הַנִּקְרָא תֻּרְבַּץ הַוֵּשֶׁט, אוֹ לְמַטָּה מִמָּקוֹם זֶה וְהוּא מִתְּחִלַּת בְּנֵי מֵעַיִם, שְׁחִיטָתוֹ פְּסוּלָה; וְשִׁעוּר תֻּרְבַּץ הַוֵּשֶׁט שֶׁאֵינוֹ רָאוּי לִשְׁחִיטָה לְמַעְלָה, בִּבְהֵמָה וְחַיָּה כְּדֵי שֶׁיֶּאֱחֹז בִּשְׁתֵּי אֶצְבְּעוֹתָיו (לשון רמב"ם פ"א מה"ש דין ה') ; הַגָּה: וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים כְּדֵי רֹחַב ד' אֶצְבְּעוֹתָיו (טוּר בְּשֵׁם רַשִׁ"י ומהרי"ו) ; וְקַבָּלָה בְּיַד הַקַּדְמוֹנִים שֶׁבְּכָל בְּהֵמָה וְחַיָּה הַשִּׁעוּר עַד מָקוֹם שֶׁמַּגִּיעַ שָׁם אֹזֶן הַבְּהֵמָה אוֹ הַחַיָּה כְּשֶׁכּוֹפְפִין אוֹתָהּ (הַגָּה במהרי"ו וא"ז בְּשֵׁם קְצָת פִּירוּשִׁים וב"י בשם מ"כ) ; וּבְעוֹף, הַכֹּל לְפִי גָּדְלוֹ וְקָטְנוֹ. הַגָּה: וְאֵין חִלּוּק בֵּין יוֹנָה לִשְׁאָר עוֹפוֹת, דִּבְכֻלָּן שִׁעוּרָן שָׁוֶה (הַסְכָּמַת כָּל הַפּוֹסְקִים וְכֵן הוֹכִיח בד"מ דְיוֹנָה דְּבּשָׁ"ס הוּא שֵׁם מ"ד וְלֹא עוֹף לְאַפּוּקֵי ב"י בְּשֵׁם מ"כ) ; וּלְמַטָּה עַד הַזֶּפֶק. הַגָּה: וְעוֹף שֶׁאֵין לוֹ זֶפֶק, עַד בֵּין הָאֲגַפִּים (בֵּית יוֹסֵף) ; וּלְפִי שֶׁאֵין אָנוּ בְּקִיאִין בְּשִׁעוּרִין אֵלּוּ, נָכוֹן לִשְׁחֹט בְּאֶמְצַע הַצַּוָּאר לְאָרְכּוֹ, דְּאָז יוֹצֵא מִיְּדֵי סָפֵק (בֵּית יוֹסֵף בְּשֵׁם סמ"ק).

And in the gullet, from the beginning of the place which, when you cut it, shrinks, as far as the place where it grows hairy and begins to be full of breaches at the paunch. If he slaughtered above this place — and that is what is called the turbatz of the gullet (the upper end of the gullet, next to the head) — or below this place, which is the beginning of the entrails, his slaughter is invalid. And the measure of the turbatz of the gullet above, which is not fit for slaughter, in an animal and in a wild beast, is enough for him to take hold of it with two of his fingers (the language of the Rambam, chapter 1 of the Laws of Slaughter, law 5). Hagah [Rema]: And there are those who say the width of four of his fingers (Tur in the name of Rashi, and Maharyu); and it is a tradition in the hands of the earlier ones that in every animal and wild beast the measure is as far as the place the ear of the animal or of the wild beast reaches when they bend it down (the Hagahah in Maharyu, and Or Zarua in the name of some of the commentaries, and Beit Yosef in the name of mem kaf). And in a bird, all is according to its greatness and its smallness. Hagah [Rema]: And there is no difference between a dove and the rest of the birds, for in all of them their measure is the same (the agreement of all the poskim; and so Darchei Moshe has shown, that the "Yonah" of the Shas is the name of one who says a teaching and not a bird, to exclude Beit Yosef in the name of mem kaf). And below, as far as the crop. Hagah [Rema]: And a bird that has no crop — as far as between the wings (Beit Yosef). And because we are not expert in these measures, it is right to slaughter in the middle of the neck along its length, for then one comes out from doubt (Beit Yosef in the name of Semak).

Se’if 3ג׳

צָרִיךְ הַשּׁוֹחֵט שֶׁיִּשְׁחֹט בְּאֶמְצַע הַצַּוָּאר; וְאִם שָׁחַט מִן הַצְּדָדִין, שְׁחִיטָתוֹ כְּשֵׁרָה, וְהוּא שֶׁהֶחֱזִיר הַסִימָנִים וְיוֹדֵע שֶׁחֲתָכָם קֹדֶם שֶׁחָתַךְ הַמַּפְרֶקֶת, כִּי הַסִימָנִים רַכִּים וְנִדָּחִים מִן הַסַכִּין; וְהוּא הַדִּין לְשׁוֹחֵט מִן הָעֹרֶף.

The slaughterer must slaughter in the middle of the neck; and if he slaughtered from the sides, his slaughter is valid, and that is where he brought the simanim — the windpipe and the gullet, which the slaughter must sever — round, and knows that he cut them before he cut the nape, for the simanim are soft and are pushed aside by the knife. And the same law applies to one who slaughters from the nape.