There is also a lesson that can be derived from the signs of a kosher fowl: The signs of a kosher fowl are not explicitly mentioned in the Torah but rather were attested to by our Sages. The Sages clarified that we cannot rely on the signs alone; rather, there must be a tradition that this species of fowl is kosher.
When there is no known tradition regarding whether a species of fowl is kosher, a person’s word is accepted if he says, “My teacher (“Rebbe”) the hunter permitted this species.”
On the surface, why is a tradition necessary? One should be able to see the signs and know on one’s own. Nevertheless, the point of the law is that a person cannot rely on his own understanding. It is possible to study the Shulchan Aruch and – according to one’s own understanding – be committed to carrying out G-d’s law to the extent that he thinks he is even conducting himself beyond the letter of the law, yet at that very moment to be in the lowest depths. Every person must measure himself against the objective yardstick of tradition.
Implied in the Hebrew word for “tradition,” mesorah, is the meaning “dedication” and “devoted connection.” To refer back to the passage from the Shulchan Aruch mentioned above, to know what is kosher, it is necessary to have a devoted connection to a Rebbe, “a Rebbe that is a hunter,” [i.e.,] one who hunts for Jewish souls and is actively involved in saving them. He is “expert in them and their names,” knowing how to protect them from the counsel of the evil inclination.
