The reality is, however, that many kehillos, in fact a majority of Klal Yisroel do eat turkey. This means, that we now have to explain why it is permitted, especially if we don’t have a clear mesorah that it’s kosher.
The simple answer would be to say that we do in fact have a mesorah that turkey has been around and eaten by Jews for a long time, and the Admor of Sanz in fact writes that there is testimony that turkey has been around and eaten in Eretz Yisroel for a long time. The Shu”t Divrei Chaim (siman 8) writes as follows: “Originally when the new bird (the Turkey) was introduced, and I was asked if it was ok to eat it, I said that we can’t budge from the ruling of the Rema, that simanim don’t help and we can only rely on mesorah ... then I looked into it, and prominent Talmiday Chachomim with lots of yiras Shomayim testified in front of me that such birds were already being eaten in Eretz Yisroel for many years, based on a mesorah they had passed down to them, and it could even be from the days of Tanoim ... many Talmiday Chachomim and yorei Shomayim were by me from Eretz Yisroel and I asked them all if it’s true, and they said that this type of bird is eaten in Eretz Yisroel. Based on this mesorah, I then allowed it to be eaten, and I am not retracting my opinion, eat and enjoy.”
When the Divrei Chaim writes that it could be that turkey was even eaten during the times of the Tanoim, he may be referring to the Yerushalmi (Berachos 3:5) which says: “Levi said that one should distance himself from the excrement of a chazir four amos [when reading kerias shema], and from the excrement of a chicken four amos. Reb Yosi bar Avun in the name of Rav Chuna said, only from a red one.”
The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 79:6) rules: The Yerushalmi forbids reading shema opposite urine from a donkey which has just been traveling, or opposite excrement from a “red chicken”. The Magen Avraham (79:14), assumes that a passing reference to a “red chicken” by the Shulchan Aruch refers to the turkey, providing us with fairly clear evidence that in his day the turkey was commonly found in Jewish domiciles.
The Magen Avraham makes no reference to any controversy regarding the kashrus of this bird, which was already a well-established member of Jewish households.
In short: According to the Divrei Chaim, turkey has been around and eaten in Eretz Yisroel for a long time, and we have a clear mesorah, therefore, it may be eaten and enjoyed.
The Shu”t Sho’el U’Meishiv (Telisoi, Vol. 1, siman 149) also mentions there being a mesorah to eat turkey in Eretz Yisroel, he writes: “In the year 5620 I was asked about it and I allowed it, and recently I have been asked again. I have received bundles and bundles of letters that in Turkey, Russia, London and various other places it is eaten without any doubts. I also heard testimony from HaRav HaGaon HaChasid MiShiptvakah (משיפטווקע) that they are eaten in Eretz Yisroel.”
As we mentioned above, the Darkei Teshuvah writes: “A kuntros came out from HaGaon Rav Meeas called “Oif Tahor” and he brings letters from great Rabbonim in the Holy City of Yerushalayim, that the birds found in the Holy Land appear to have the same description and the pictures look like they are the same, and they were eaten there without any questions.”
He also brings the Shu”t Mei Be’er (siman 19) who writes: “It’s already known that the Indik (Turkey) has a clear mesorah from the people of India, a kabbalah going back to Moshe Rabbeinu that it is a kosher bird. However, there is a dispute if we can rely on these people, and this was always a dispute until the Rivosh (ריב''ש) came along and determined that we can follow those that say it’s permissible, and he said that we can rely on the people from India, as there are people there with lots of yiras Shomayim, people in India are careful not to eat non-kosher food.”
[In Kovetz Ohr Yisroel (gilyan 36, pg. 251) it’s brought down from Rav Yitzchok Yehuda Yechiel MiKarmanah that the Rivosh (ריב''ש) is ר' ישראל בעל שם טוב].
Permissible Even Without a Mesorah
In addition to what we mentioned above, the poskim bring reasons to allow turkey to be eaten, even without having a mesorah.
The Darkei Teshuvah (Yoreh Deah 82:34) quotes the Shu”t Arugas HaBosem who writes: “The Rema which says that we can’t rely on simanim and we must have a mesorah, is talking specifically by a bird where it is unclear and there is a doubt if it is doreis or not. However, by a bird which we recognize very well, and it’s very common and raised by thousands of Jews, and we have never seen it be doreis, we don’t need to come on to a mesorah.”
It's clear from the Arugas HaBosem that although we usually do not rely on our observation that a bird is not doreis, since thousands of Jews have raised turkeys and never seen them being doreis, we can be absolutely certain that they do not, and we can therefore assume them to be kosher because of simanim.
The Netziv in Shu”t Meishiv Dovar (Vol. 2, siman 22) discusses eating a type of duck known as the Muscovy duck and in this Teshuvah he addresses the question of eating turkey without a mesorah. The Netziv writes: “Since it has already become widely accepted to eat it, and presumably when it started being eaten it was done with the guidance of a certain Chocham who decided that this duck is kosher, we can’t now start saying its forbidden and to spread bad rumors about previous generations and say that they ate treif. When it came to the swamp rooster (mentioned at the beginning, from the Gemara in Chullin), presumably they didn’t have any mesorah, rather, since it looked a chicken they assumed it was kosher, and only later did they discover their mistake and realize it was doreis. If, however, they would never have discovered this, it could be that this bird would have also become accepted as being kosher.”
However, R’ Yirmiyohu Kaganoff writes: “This appears to be based on a factual error — the Yiddish and Modern Hebrew name for turkey is “Indian chicken,” and it is so named in many other languages, based on the same confusion that resulted in the islands of the Caribbean being called the “West Indies.” Notwithstanding that these names merely reflect Columbus’s impression that he had discovered an area near India, the confusion led some to conclude that the Indian Jews possess an ancient mesorah that the turkey is kosher.
Did Benjamin Franklin really want the turkey to be the symbol of the United States of America?
In a letter to his daughter, Ben wrote: “For my own part I wish the eagle had not been chosen the representative of our country. He is a bird of bad moral character. He does not get his living honestly... He is therefore by no means a proper emblem for the brave and honest... The turkey is in comparison a much more respectable bird, and withal a true original native of America... He is... a bird of courage and would not hesitate to attack a grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade his farmyard with a red coat.”
To reinforce good old Ben’s argument, we note that whereas the turkey seems to have all four simanim of a kosher bird, the eagle has none (according to Rashi’s opinion). The Ramban explains that the Torah forbade the non-kosher birds because the Torah wants us to avoid the bad midos that they exhibit. One could assume that the kosher species may exhibit admirable traits that the Torah wants us to emulate. Certainly, the courage to observe mitzvos in times of adversity is a virtue worth emulating that we should contemplate the next time we eat turkey. (Quote from a write-up written by R’ Yirmiyohu Kaganoff)
According to the Netziv, even a bird which has no mesorah, where we can’t rely allow such a bird to be eaten, if somehow it became “muchzak” [established] as a kosher bird, and people began to eat it, we aren’t going to now say it is forbidden, unless we have clear proof showing that it is a non-kosher bird.
Considering the above, the Netziv explains that this is why it is ok to eat turkey. “You should know, that the indik (turkey) that we eat, many people have protested against it when it was brought over from India and there was no clear mesorah, and even today people avoid eating it. However, it has been accepted that it is kosher, and people don’t make a fuss about it, the reason is because it was muchzak to be kosher, and there is no clear proof showing otherwise”.
Conclusion:
Although a number of poskim and gedolim in previous generation were stringent and refrained from eating turkey, and some said that it is even forbidden, the majority of poskim do allow eating it as we saw above.
The Admor Maharash of Lubavitch (Igros Kodesh, Igros 6), the Chazon Ish and Steipler (Orchos Rabbeinu, Vol. 3, pg. 72) and Yalkut Yosef (Issur V’Heter, siman 82) all concur that it is perfectly kosher and ok to eat.
