יורה דעה ו׳Yoreh De'ah 6

Se’if 1א׳

בְּכָל דָּבָר הַתָּלוּשׁ שׁוֹחֲטִין, בֵּין בְּסַכִּין בֵּין בְּצוֹר בֵּין בִּקְרוּמִית שֶׁל קְנֵה הָאֲגַם הַנִּקְרָא אישפדני" א, וְשֵׁן וְצִפֹּרֶן יְחִידִי (טוּר), וְכַיּוֹצֵא בָּהֶם מִדְּבָרִים הַחוֹתְכִים. וְהוּא שֶׁיִּהְיֶה פִּיו חַד, וְלֹא יִהְיֶה בּוֹ פְּגָם. הַגָּה: וְאָסוּר לִשְׁחֹט בִּשְׁאָר קָנִים, אוֹ זְכוּכִית, שֶׁקֵּיסָמִים נִבְדָּלִין מֵהֵם וְיֵשׁ לָחוּשׁ לִנְקִיבַת הַסִּימָנִים, (בֵּית יוֹסֵף בְּשֵׁם רַשִׁ"י וְכֵן כָּתַב הר"ן). סַכִּין שֶׁצִדּוֹ אֶחָד מַגָּל וְצִדּוֹ הַשֵּׁנִי יָפֶה, לֹא יִשְׁחֹט בַּצַּד הַיָּפֶה לְכַתְּחִלָּה, גְּזֵרָה שֶׁמָּא יִשְׁחֹט בַּצַּד הָאַחֵר. וְאִם שָׁחַט, הוֹאִיל וּבַצַּד הַיָּפֶה שָׁחַט, שְׁחִיטָתוֹ כְּשֵׁרָה. הַגָּה: וְהוּא הַדִּין בְּסַכִּין אָרוֹךְ שֶׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹ פְּגִימָה, וְנִשְׁאַר בָּהּ שִׁעוּר שְׁחִיטָה בְּלֹא פְּגִימָה, דְּאָסוּר לִשְׁחֹט בּוֹ אֲפִלּוּ בַּמָּקוֹם הַיָּפֶה, אֲפִלּוּ אִם כָּרַךְ מַטְלִית עַל הַפְּגִימָה (טוּר). וְאִם שָׁחַט בּוֹ, וְאָמַר: בָּרִי לִי שֶׁלֹּא נָגַעְתִּי בִּמְקוֹם הַפְּגִימָה, שְׁחִיטָתוֹ כְּשֵׁרָה, (מָרְדְּכַי ספ"ק דְּחֻלִּין וַאֲשֵׁרִי ותא"ו נט"ז וְכָל בּוֹ וְרוֹקֵחַ וּמַהֲרִי"ל). אֲפִלּוּ לֹא כָּרַךְ מַטְלִית עַל הַפְּגִימָה, וּבְיוֹם טוֹב שֶׁאִי אֶפְשָׁר לְהַשְׁחִיז הַסַּכִּין (טוּר וַאֲשֵׁרִ"י ור"פ עב"י) וְכֵן בְּחוֹל בִּשְׁעַת הַדַּחַק, מֻתָּר לִשְׁחֹט לְכַתְּחִלָּה אִם כּוֹרֵךְ מַטְלִית עַל הַפְּגִימָה. (טוּר וּבֵית יוֹסֵף שֶׁסָמַךְ עַל הָעִטּוּר וְר"ן וְסה"ת וּסְמַ"ג וְהגה"מ) וע"ל סִימָן י"ח (ס"י) וּלְכַתְּחִלָּה יֵשׁ לִזָּהֵר אֲפִלּוּ אֵין לַסַּכִּין פְּגִימָה רַק בֵּין הַקַּתָּא לַסַּכִּין, לֹא יִשְׁחֹט בּוֹ, (מָצָא בִּשְׁחִיטוֹת יְשָׁנִים), (ד"מ סִימָן י"ח סוֹף ס"ב).

One may slaughter with anything that is detached, whether with a knife, or with a flint, or with a sliver of the marsh reed which is called ishpadnia, and a single tooth or a single fingernail (Tur), and the like of them among things that cut. And that is provided that its edge is sharp and that there is no notch in it. Hagah [Rema]: And it is forbidden to slaughter with other reeds, or with glass, since splinters separate from them and there is reason to be concerned for the perforation of the simanim (the windpipe and the gullet, which the slaughter must sever), (Beit Yosef in the name of Rashi, and so too wrote the Ran). A knife one side of which is a sickle and whose other side is good, he should not slaughter with the good side at the outset, a decree lest he slaughter with the other side; and if he slaughtered, since it was with the good side that he slaughtered, his slaughter is valid. Hagah [Rema]: And the same law applies to a long knife that has a notch in it and there remains in it the measure for slaughter without a notch, that it is forbidden to slaughter with it even in the good place, even if he wrapped a cloth over the notch (Tur). And if he slaughtered with it and said "I am certain that I did not touch the place of the notch", his slaughter is valid, (Mordechai, end of the first chapter of Chullin, and Asheri, and Toldot Adam veChavah netiv 16, and Kol Bo, and Rokeach, and Maharil) even if he did not wrap a cloth over the notch. And on a festival day, when it is impossible to whet the knife, (Tur and Asheri and Rabbeinu Peretz, see Beit Yosef) and likewise on a weekday in a time of pressing need, it is permitted to slaughter at the outset if he wraps a cloth over the notch. (Tur and Beit Yosef, who relied on the Ittur, and the Ran, and Sefer haTerumah, and Semag, and Hagahot Maimoniyot) And see below, siman 18 (se'if 10). And at the outset one should be careful: even if the knife has a notch only between the haft and the knife, he should not slaughter with it, (found in old works on slaughter), (Darchei Moshe, siman 18, end of se'if 2).

Se’if 2ב׳

הַשּׁוֹחֵט בְּדָבָר הַמְחֻבָּר לַקַּרְקַע, אוֹ לַגּוּף, כְּגוֹן צִפֹּרֶן וְשֵׁן הַמְחֻבָּרִים בִּבְהֵמָה, שְׁחִיטָתוֹ פְּסוּלָה. וּבְתָלוּשׁ מִן הַקַּרְקַע וּלְבַסוֹף חִבְּרוֹ בַּקַּרְקַע, לֹא יִשְׁחֹט, וְאִם שָׁחַט, שְׁחִיטָתוֹ כְּשֵׁרָה, וַאֲפִלּוּ אִם בִּטְּלוֹ, וְהוּא שֶׁלֹּא יְהֵא נִשְׁרָשׁ בָּאָרֶץ אַחַר שֶׁבִּטְּלוֹ.

One who slaughters with a thing attached to the ground, or to a body, such as a fingernail or a tooth that are attached in an animal, his slaughter is invalid. And with a thing detached from the ground which he afterwards attached to the ground, he should not slaughter; but if he slaughtered, his slaughter is valid, and even if he made it a permanent part of the ground, provided that it does not take root in the earth after he has made it a permanent part.

Se’if 3ג׳

חָתַךְ מִבְּהֵמָה לֶחִי שֶׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹ שִׁנַּיִם חַדִּים וְשָׁחַט בָּהֶם, שְׁחִיטָתוֹ פְּסוּלָה, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהֵם כְּמַגָּל. אֲבָל בְּשֵׁן אֶחָד הַקָּבוּעַ בַּלֶּחִי, שׁוֹחֵט בּוֹ לְכַתְּחִלָּה. וְהוּא הַדִּין בְּצִפֹּרֶן הַקָּבוּעַ בְּיָד הַתְּלוּשָׁה מִן הַגּוּף, (בֵּית יוֹסֵף).

If he cut from an animal a jaw that has sharp teeth in it and slaughtered with them, his slaughter is invalid, because they are like a sickle. But with a single tooth that is set in the jaw, he may slaughter with it at the outset. And the same law applies to a fingernail that is set in a hand detached from the body. (Beit Yosef)