Trachea and Esophagus
15. Trachea [קנה ]. An animal’s neck contains the trachea and esophagus. The trachea is a pipe which starts in the throat and passes through the length of the neck to the chest cavity and through which air passes into the lungs. The trachea is made up of many ringlike pieces of cartilage connected by an inner membrane. The rings allow the trachea to always remain open. Regarding shechita, the inner membrane is called the קנה , while the rings are called the גרגרת (ש''ך יו''ד סי' כ''א סק''א ).
16. Esophagus [וושט ]. The esophagus is usually up against the trachea. It is a pipe which serves as a passageway for food and drink to get from the throat to the stomach and is made up of muscle covered in mucous membrane. It is usually closed when food is not passing through.
Shechting the Simanim
17. L’chatchila. The ideal and l’chatchila extent of the shechita – for beheimos, chayos, and ofos – is completely severing the trachea and esophagus without leaving either of them connected at all. This is what the shochet should aim for l’chatchila (שו''ע סי' כ''א ס''א, שמלה חדשה סק''א ). Some say this l’chatchila is d’oraisa (כס''מ ריש הל' שחיטה בדעת הרמב''ם ); others say it is a halacha d’rabanan to prevent one from not shechting the majority of the simanim (רש''י הובא בתבואת שור סק''א ).
18. B’dieved for a beheima or chaya. B’dieved, if one shechted the majority of the trachea, i.e., through most of the internal space of the trachea (ש''ך סק''א ), and the majority of the esophagus of a beheima or chaya, the shechita is kosher and the meat may be eaten even l’chatchila (שו''ע שם, דעת קדושים סק''א ).
19. B’dieved for a bird. Strictly speaking, it is enough to shecht just the trachea or the esophagus of a bird; unlike a beheima or chaya both are not necessary. Thus, b’dieved if one shechted the majority of the trachea or the majority of the esophagus, the shechita is kosher and the meat may be eaten even l’chatchila (שם ).
20. Detectable majority. The poskim hold that strictly speaking, it is kosher as long as one can detect by measuring that the majority was shechted (רשב''א תוה''ב, רמב''ם פ''א שחיטה ה''י, רמב''ן עה''ת פ' שמיני ). The Mechaber paskens this way (שו''ע שם ס''א ).
21. However, some Rishonim hold it must be a visible majority clear to anyone without measuring (רש''י חולין כ''ח :, מרדכי, מהרי''ו הובא בט''ז סק''ב, פר''ח סק''ג ). The minhag is to be machmir even in a situation of serious financial loss (תבו''ש סק''ב ), and this is what a scrupulous person should do (שמל''ח סק''א ). Some are meikel to prevent serious financial loss (כרתי סק''ד, חכמ "א כלל ו' סע''ו, דעת תורה סק'''א ).
22. Shechted one and a half simanim. If one shechted the entire esophagus and exactly half of the trachea of an animal or vice versa, the shechita is posul (שו''ע ס''ב ). Similarly, if one shechted half of the trachea and half of the esophagus, the shechita is posul.
Inspecting the Simanim
23. Animal. The shochet must immediately inspect the simanim (ט''ז והש''ך סי' כ''ה סק''ג ) after shechting to confirm they were shechted properly. If, during the shechita, he saw that the simanim were shechted entirely, that is enough; he does not need to feel them with his hand, as the site of shechita is exposed and can be seen. However, if he saw that the majority of the simanim were shechted, he cannot rely on his sight alone; he must also feel with his hand to see if the majority was shechted (שו''ע סי' כ''ה ס''א ).
24. If he did not inspect it, it is a safeik neveila (תוס' חולין דף ט' ע''א ד''ה ואסורה, פר''ת סק''א ), as while it was alive, it had the status of not being shechted [חזקת אינה שחוטה ], and it cannot change that status without certainty (שמל''ח סק''א וב').
25. Bird. The shechita site on a bird is not exposed and one cannot see whether the majority was shechted. Early poskim determined a way to check whether the majority was shechted: The shochet presses with his thumb on the “slope of the cap,” i.e., the pointy part that protrudes from the throat. The pressure causes the simanim to pop out, allowing him to see if the majority was shechted (שמל''ח סק''א ).
26. With birds, one must also l’chatchila (ש''ך סק''ב ) inspect after shechita to make sure the simanim were not detached before the shechita (see below, 44). The way to check is as follows: if, after pressing with the thumb on the “slope of the cap” (above, 25), the simanim go back inside, the simanim were not detached and the shechita is kosher. If they do not go back in place, it is a sign that they were dislocated, and it is posul (רמ''א שם ס''א ).
