{"id":5141,"date":"2017-10-02T16:05:38","date_gmt":"2017-10-02T16:05:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.star-k.org\/articles\/?p=5141"},"modified":"2017-10-27T14:36:18","modified_gmt":"2017-10-27T14:36:18","slug":"the-braekel-controversy-a-birds-eye-view","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.star-k.org\/articles\/kashrus-kurrents\/5141\/the-braekel-controversy-a-birds-eye-view\/","title":{"rendered":"The Braekel Controversy: A Bird&#8217;s-Eye View"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Feathers are flying in <em>Eretz Yisroel<\/em>, as the <em>Poskim<\/em> debate the kosher status of the Braekel chicken. <em>Rav<\/em> Moshe Shaul Klein, <em>shlit\u201da<\/em>, a leading member of the <em>Beis Din<\/em> of <em>Rav<\/em> Shmuel Wosner, <em>zt\u201dl,<\/em> feels that its <em>kashrus<\/em> is superior to that of other chickens. However, <em>Rav<\/em> Moshe Sternbuch, <em>shlit\u201da<\/em>, feels that its <em>kashrus<\/em> is inferior. The rest of us are left confused. How can a chicken be \u201cmore kosher\u201d or \u201cless kosher\u201d, and how could respected <em>Poskim<\/em> take such contradictory positions? In order to answer these questions, we need to familiarize ourselves with the <em>halachos<\/em> of kosher birds.<br \/>\nThe Torah<a href=\"#1\"><sup>1<\/sup><\/a> lists the various species of non-kosher birds. The <em>Gemara<\/em><a href=\"#2\"><sup>2<\/sup><\/a> states that the Torah chose to list the non-kosher species, rather than the kosher ones, because the non-kosher list is shorter. In other words, there are a greater number of kosher than non-kosher species. However, the <em>Gemara<\/em><a href=\"#3\"><sup>3<\/sup><\/a> also tells us that the <em>ayoh<\/em>, a non-kosher species of bird, has one hundred sub-species. <em>Tosefos<\/em><a href=\"#4\"><sup>4<\/sup><\/a> states that the various other non-kosher species of birds also have many sub-species and, in fact, the total number of non-kosher birds is greater than the number of kosher birds. Other <em>Rishonim<\/em><a href=\"#5\"><sup>5<\/sup><\/a> disagree and conclude that there are a greater number of kosher birds. The <em>Rivash<\/em><a href=\"#6\"><sup>6<\/sup><\/a> states that even if one accepts the position that there are more kosher than non-kosher birds, the Torah does not allow a person to rely on the majority and obligates us to ascertain with certainty that a bird is kosher before eating it.<br \/>\nAlthough the Torah lists the non-kosher birds, we no longer know exactly to which species of birds the Torah is referring. The <em>Gemara<\/em><a href=\"#7\"><sup>7<\/sup><\/a>, therefore, provides alternative ways of ascertaining whether a bird is kosher. As codified in the <em>Shulchan Aruch<\/em><a href=\"#8\"><sup>8<\/sup><\/a>, all birds of prey are non-kosher. There is discussion amongst the <em>Poskim<\/em><a href=\"#9\"><sup>9<\/sup><\/a> as to how to <em>halachically<\/em> define a \u201cbird of prey\u201d. One of the defining characteristics of a bird of prey is that when perched on a string, it will place two toes on one side of the string and another two toes on the other side. Another distinguishing feature is that it will grab its food in the air without allowing it to reach the ground.<a href=\"#10\"><sup>10<\/sup><\/a><br \/>\nA bird which is not known to be a bird of prey needs to exhibit three other qualities in order to be considered kosher: it must have a crop, its gizzard must have a membrane which can be peeled off by hand; and it must have an \u201cadditional toe\u201d.<a href=\"#11\"><sup>11<\/sup><\/a> The <em>Poskim<\/em> discuss what may constitute an \u201cadditional toe\u201d.<a href=\"#12\"><sup>12<\/sup><\/a><br \/>\nMost people know little about the crop, gizzard and toes of birds. How then, do we know which birds are kosher? The <em>Gemara<\/em> tells us that one may consider as kosher any bird for which there is a <em>mesorah<\/em>, a tradition that this species of bird is eaten by <em>frum<\/em> people.<a href=\"#13\"><sup>13<\/sup><\/a> <em>Rashi<\/em> adds that we no longer have the expertise to decide whether or not a bird is a bird of prey. Therefore, we should not rely on our own analysis to determine if a bird is kosher and eat only birds for which we have a <em>mesorah<\/em>;<a href=\"#14\"><sup>14<\/sup><\/a> the <em>Shulchan Aruch<\/em> and <em>Rema pasken<\/em> this way.<a href=\"#15\"><sup>15<\/sup><\/a> Although no two birds look exactly the same, a <em>mesorah<\/em> will cover all birds which look similar without significant differences among them.<a href=\"#16\"><sup>16<\/sup><\/a> Practically speaking, we have a <em>mesorah<\/em> on the more prevalent varieties of chickens, as well as the Pekin duck.<br \/>\nIt would seem to be impossible to have a <em>mesorah<\/em> on turkey, as the bird was unknown to <em>frum<\/em> people before the discovery of America. However, when turkey was first introduced to Europe it was claimed that there was a <em>mesorah<\/em> so <em>frum<\/em> people began eating it. The <em>Netziv<\/em> writes that since turkey has all the characteristics of a kosher bird and has been eaten for many years, it may be consumed.<a href=\"#17\"><sup>17<\/sup><\/a> Although some have the custom to be stringent and not eat turkey, most people have the custom to accept it as kosher.<a href=\"#18\"><sup>18<\/sup><\/a><br \/>\nIn America, the production and sale of poultry is a multi-billion dollar business. Companies have invested millions of dollars in order to produce chickens with characteristics that are optimal for the industry. The \u201cideal\u201d chicken is one that grows fast, eats little, has few feathers, produces a lot of meat, and is easy to process. A chicken such as this is cultivated through sustained programs involving cross-breeding of chickens which have the desired traits, as well as possible transplantation of specific genes. The industry is highly competitive, and information regarding these programs is generally proprietary. Nowadays, the birds which are raised for poultry are products of this research and are all hybrids of unknown varieties of chicken.<br \/>\nIn 1998, Rav Shmuel Wosner wrote a letter<a href=\"#19\"><sup>19<\/sup><\/a> in which he expressed concern about this phenomenon. He stated that our birds are the result of the breeding of different varieties of chickens and genetic manipulation. He asserted that it has been verified that some of the species used in the breeding programs do not have any mesorah. Rav Wosner closed his letter with a call to reverse this development and only shecht chickens from breeds with a clear mesorah.<br \/>\nOther <em>Poskim<\/em> and experts disagree with both the factual information and the <em>halachic<\/em> implications. They argue that what takes place in the lab is merely an acceleration of a process which takes place constantly in the natural world. The claim that the industry employs genetic engineering has also been called into question, and any addition of microscopic genes may well be <em>halachically<\/em> insignificant.<br \/>\nSome <em>talmidim<\/em> of <em>Rav<\/em> Wosner, as well as others who shared his concern, formed a group dedicated to the reintroduction of purebred chickens. However, they discovered that such birds hardly exist any more since the industry has replaced them with more economically productive varieties. They have great difficulty locating any birds with unquestionable pedigrees that could be proven to be unadulterated descendants of the chickens that were eaten in pre-war Europe. Fortunately, there are some people who breed heirloom chickens. After considerable effort and expense, they located a farmer living in Belgium who raised heirloom chickens. The specific breed that he was raising is known as the Braekel chicken.<a href=\"#20\"><sup>20<\/sup><\/a> The farmer had kept detailed records of the pedigree of his chickens for many years, proving that his birds were purebred.<a href=\"#21\"><sup>21<\/sup><\/a><br \/>\nEggs were brought to Israel and the Braekel chicken was raised. The bird takes a longer time to mature than contemporary chickens used in the industry, does not taste as good, and looks different from other chickens. Advocates of the Braekel bird contend that the difference in appearance is due to the fact that the Braekel is the original species of chicken for which we have a <em>mesorah<\/em>, whereas birds used in the poultry industry are hybrids. However, when <em>Rav<\/em> Moshe Sternbuch saw the Braekel bird he argued that the opposite is true. The birds that are eaten every day are the ones for which we have an unbroken <em>mesorah<\/em>, and the Braekel is the species without a <em>mesorah<\/em>! Furthermore, some <em>Poskim<\/em> contend that the Braekel chicken positions its toes on a string in a manner which indicates that it is a non-kosher species; others dispute this assertion. This has developed into a heated debate, which has spilled over into the public arena due to the significant financial considerations at stake. This is the <em>halachic<\/em> reasoning behind the debate, and we will leave it to others to report on the various claims and counterclaims that have been proffered.<a href=\"#22\"><sup>22<\/sup><\/a> Some time ago, a breeder of a variety of heirloom chickens asked STAR-K for a list of breeds that could be deemed kosher. One of the breeds that he wanted to <em>shecht<\/em> was the Braekel chicken. Rabbi Heinemann, <em>shlit\u201da<\/em>, declined to do so due to his concerns regarding the <em>mesorah<\/em> of these birds.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><span id=\"1\">1. \u05d5\u05d9\u05e7\u05e8\u05d0 \u05e4\u05d9\u201d\u05d0 \u05d5\u05d3\u05d1\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd \u05e4\u201d\u05d9<\/span><br \/>\n<span id=\"2\">2.\u05d7\u05d5\u05dc\u05d9\u05df \u05d3\u05e3 \u05e1\u05d2 \u05e2\u201d\u05d1<\/span><br \/>\n<span id=\"3\">3.\u05e9\u05dd<\/span><br \/>\n<span id=\"4\">4.\u05ea\u05d5\u05e1\u2019 \u05e9\u05dd \u05d3\u201d\u05d4 \u05d5\u05d3\u05d9\u05dc\u05de\u05d0<\/span><br \/>\n<span id=\"5\">5. \u05e2\u05d9\u2019 \u05d1\u05e8\u05de\u05d1\u201d\u05df \u05d5\u05e8\u201d\u05df \u05e9\u05dd<\/span><br \/>\n<span id=\"6\">6.\u05e9\u05d5\u201d\u05ea \u05e8\u05d9\u05d1\u201d\u05e9 \u05e1\u05d9\u2019 \u05e7\u05e6\u05d1<\/span><br \/>\n<span id=\"7\">7.\u05d7\u05d5\u05dc\u05d9\u05df \u05d3\u05e3 \u05e0\u05d8 \u05e2\u201d\u05d0 \u05d5\u05d3\u05e3 \u05e1\u05d0 \u05d5\u05d0\u05d9\u05dc\u05da<\/span><br \/>\n<span id=\"8\">8. \u05e9\u05d5\u201d\u05e2 \u05d9\u05d5\u201d\u05d3 \u05e1\u05d9\u2019 \u05e4\u05d1 \u05e1\u05e2\u05d9\u2019 \u05d4<\/span><br \/>\n<span id=\"9\">9. \u05e2\u05d9\u2019 \u05d1\u05e4\u05de\u201d\u05d2 \u05de\u05e9\u05d1\u201d\u05d6 \u05e9\u05dd \u05e1\u201d\u05e7 \u05d0 \u05e9\u05e1\u05d9\u05db\u05dd \u05d4\u05e9\u05d9\u05d8\u05d5\u05ea \u05d1\u05d6\u05d4<\/span><br \/>\n<span id=\"10\">10. \u05e9\u05d5\u201d\u05e2 \u05e9\u05dd \u05d5\u05d8\u201d\u05d6 \u05e9\u05dd \u05e1\u201d\u05e7 \u05d1<\/span><br \/>\n<span id=\"11\">11.\u05e9\u05d5\u201d\u05e2 \u05e9\u05dd, \u05d5\u05e2\u05d9\u2019 \u05d1\u05e9\u201d\u05da \u05e9\u05dd \u05e1\u201d\u05e7 \u05d3 \u05e9\u05d0\u201d\u05e6 \u05d2\u2019 \u05e1\u05d9\u05de\u05e0\u05d9\u05dd \u05d4\u05dc\u05dc\u05d5 \u05d0\u05dc\u05d0 \u05d1\u05e2\u05d5\u05e3 \u05e9\u05d4\u05d5\u05d0 \u05e1\u05e4\u05e7 \u05d3\u05d5\u05e8\u05e1 \u05d0\u05d1\u05dc \u05d1\u05e2\u05d5\u05e3 \u05e9\u05d5\u05d3\u05d0\u05d9 \u05d0\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5 \u05d3\u05d5\u05e8\u05e1 \u05d3\u05d9 \u05d0\u05dd \u05d9\u05e9 \u05dc\u05d5 \u05d4\u05e1\u05d9\u05de\u05df \u05e9\u05d4\u05e7\u05d5\u05e8\u05e7\u05d1\u05df \u05e0\u05e7\u05dc\u05e3<\/span><br \/>\n<span id=\"12\">12.\u05e2\u05d9\u2019 \u05e9\u201d\u05da \u05e9\u05dd \u05e1\u201d\u05e7 \u05d4<\/span><br \/>\n<span id=\"13\">13.\u05d7\u05d5\u05dc\u05d9\u05df \u05d3\u05e3 \u05e1\u05d2 \u05e2\u201d\u05d1<\/span><br \/>\n<span id=\"14\">14.\u05e9\u05dd \u05d3\u05e3 \u05e1\u05d1 \u05e2\u201d\u05d1 \u05e8\u05e9\u201d\u05d9 \u05d3\u201d\u05d4 \u05d4\u05d9\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5 \u05d2\u05d9\u05e8\u05d5\u05ea\u05d0<\/span><br \/>\n<span id=\"15\">15.\u05e9\u05d5\u201d\u05e2 \u05e9\u05dd \u05e1\u05e2\u05d9\u2019 \u05d1 \u05d5\u05e8\u05de\u201d\u05d0 \u05e9\u05dd \u05e1\u05e2\u05d9\u2019 \u05d2<\/span><br \/>\n<span id=\"16\">16.\u05e2\u05d9\u2019 \u05e9\u05d5\u201d\u05ea \u05d7\u05ea\u05dd \u05e1\u05d5\u05e4\u05e8 \u05d9\u05d5\u201d\u05d3 \u05e1\u05d9\u2019 \u05e2\u05d3<\/span><br \/>\n<span id=\"17\">17.\u05e9\u05d5\u201d\u05ea \u05de\u05e9\u05d9\u05d1 \u05d3\u05d1\u05e8 \u05d7\u201d\u05d1 \u05e1\u05d9\u2019 \u05db\u05d1<\/span><br \/>\n<span id=\"18\">18.\u05d4\u05d0\u05d7\u05e8\u05d5\u05e0\u05d9\u05dd \u05d4\u05d0\u05e8\u05d9\u05db\u05d5 \u05d1\u05d6\u05d4, \u05e2\u05d9\u2019 \u05de\u05e9\u201d\u05db \u05d4\u05d2\u05e8\u201d\u05e9 \u05e7\u05dc\u05d5\u05d2\u05e8 \u05dc\u05d0\u05e1\u05d5\u05e8 \u05d1\u05e9\u05d5\u201d\u05ea \u05d4\u05d0\u05dc\u05e3 \u05dc\u05da \u05e9\u05dc\u05de\u05d4 \u05d9\u05d5\u201d\u05d3 \u05e1\u05d9\u2019 \u05e7\u05d9\u05d1 \u05d5\u05e9\u05d5\u201d\u05ea \u05d8\u05d5\u05d1 \u05d8\u05e2\u05dd \u05d5\u05d3\u05e2\u05ea \u05ea\u05dc\u05d9\u05ea\u05d0\u05d9 \u05d7\u201d\u05d0 \u05e1\u05d9\u2019 \u05e7\u05d4 \u05d5\u05e1\u05d9\u2019 \u05e7\u05e0\u05d1, \u05d5\u05e2\u05d9\u2019 \u05d1\u05d3\u05e8\u05db\u05d9 \u05ea\u05e9\u05d5\u05d1\u05d4 \u05e1\u05d9\u2019 \u05e4\u05d1 \u05e1\u201d\u05e7 \u05db\u05d5 \u05e9\u05d4\u05d1\u05d9\u05d0 \u05de\u05db\u05de\u05d4 \u05d0\u05d7\u05e8\u05d5\u05e0\u05d9\u05dd \u05dc\u05d4\u05ea\u05d9\u05e8 \u05d1\u05e1\u05d1\u05e8\u05d5\u05ea \u05e9\u05d5\u05e0\u05d5\u05ea (\u05d5\u05d4\u05d1\u05d9\u05d0 \u05e9\u05dd \u05de\u05e9\u05d5\u201d\u05ea \u05de\u05d9 \u05d1\u05d0\u05e8 \u05dc\u05d4\u05ea\u05d9\u05e8 \u05d1\u05e9\u05dd \u05d4\u05e8\u05d9\u05d1\u201d\u05e9, \u05d5\u05d4\u05d3\u05e8\u05db\u201d\u05ea \u05ea\u05de\u05d4 \u05e9\u05dc\u05d0 \u05e0\u05de\u05e6\u05d0 \u05d3\u05d1\u05e8 \u05de\u05d6\u05d4 \u05d1\u05e9\u05d5\u201d\u05ea \u05e8\u05d9\u05d1\u201d\u05e9, \u05d5\u05db\u05d1\u05e8 \u05d4\u05e2\u05d9\u05e8\u05d5 \u05e9\u05d0\u05d9\u05df \u05d4\u05db\u05d5\u05d5\u05e0\u05d4 \u05dc\u05e8\u05d9\u05d1\u201d\u05e9 \u05d4\u05e7\u05d3\u05de\u05d5\u05df \u05d0\u05dc\u05d0 \u05dc\u05e8\u2019 \u05d9\u05e9\u05e8\u05d0\u05dc \u05d1\u05e2\u05dc \u05e9\u05dd \u05d8\u05d5\u05d1)<\/span><br \/>\n<span id=\"19\">19.\u05e9\u05d5\u201d\u05ea \u05e9\u05d1\u05d8 \u05d4\u05dc\u05d5\u05d9 \u05d7\u201d\u05d9 \u05e1\u05d9\u2019 \u05e7\u05d9\u05d2<\/span><br \/>\n<span id=\"20\">20.\u05e7\u05d5\u05e0\u05d8\u05e8\u05e1 \u05de\u05e1\u05d5\u05e8\u05ea \u05d8\u05d4\u05e8\u05ea \u05e2\u05d5\u05e4\u05d5\u05ea \u05d9\u05d5\u201d\u05dc \u05e2\u201d\u05d9 \u05d0\u05d2\u05d5\u05d3\u05ea \u05de\u05e1\u05d5\u05e8\u05ea \u05d8\u05d4\u05e8\u05ea \u05e2\u05d5\u05e4\u05d5\u05ea \u05e2\u05de\u2019 \u05db\u05d1<\/span><br \/>\n<span id=\"21\">21.\u05e2\u05d9\u2019 \u05e9\u201d\u05da \u05e1\u05d9\u2019 \u05e4\u05d1 \u05e1\u201d\u05e7 \u05d5 \u05e9\u05d0\u05dd \u05e0\u05de\u05e6\u05d0 \u05e9\u05d4\u05e2\u05d5\u05e3 \u05d7\u05d5\u05dc\u05e7 \u05d0\u05ea \u05e8\u05d2\u05dc\u05d9\u05d5 \u05d0\u05d9\u05df \u05dc\u05e1\u05de\u05d5\u05da \u05e2\u05dc \u05d4\u05de\u05e1\u05d5\u05e8\u05ea \u05d5\u05d4\u05d5\u05d9 \u05de\u05e1\u05d5\u05e8\u05ea \u05d1\u05d8\u05e2\u05d5\u05ea<\/span><br \/>\n<span id=\"22\">22. See <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amimagazine.org\/2017\/08\/16\/the-battle-of-the-birds\/\">http:\/\/www.amimagazine.org\/2017\/08\/16\/the-battle-of-the-birds\/<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/hamodia.com\/2017\/08\/22\/story-behind-braekel-chicken-halachic-dispute\/\">http:\/\/hamodia.com\/2017\/08\/22\/story-behind-braekel-chicken-halachic-dispute\/ <\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theyeshivaworld.com\/news\/headlines-breaking-stories\/1347757\/commotion-surrounds-decision-eida-ravaad-regarding-braekel-chicken.html\">https:\/\/www.theyeshivaworld.com\/news\/headlines-breaking-stories\/1347757\/commotion-surrounds-decision-eida-ravaad-regarding-braekel-chicken.html<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/matzav.com\/the-war-of-the-chicken-breeds\/,\">http:\/\/matzav.com\/the-war-of-the-chicken-breeds\/,<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bhol.co.il\/ArticlePrint.aspx?id=122556\">http:\/\/www.bhol.co.il\/ArticlePrint.aspx?id=122556<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kikar.co.il\/194374.html\">http:\/\/www.kikar.co.il\/194374.html <\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.jdn.co.il\/breakingnews\/869993\">http:\/\/www.jdn.co.il\/breakingnews\/869993<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Feathers are flying in Eretz Yisroel, as the Poskim debate the kosher status of the Braekel chicken. Rav Moshe Shaul Klein, shlit\u201da, a leading member of the Beis Din of Rav Shmuel Wosner, zt\u201dl, feels that its kashrus is superior to that of other chickens. However, Rav Moshe Sternbuch, shlit\u201da, feels that its kashrus is inferior. The rest of us are left confused. How can a chicken be \u201cmore kosher\u201d or \u201cless kosher\u201d, and how could respected Poskim take such contradictory positions? In order to answer these questions, we need to familiarize ourselves with the halachos of kosher birds.<br \/>\nThe Torah<a href=\"#1\">1<\/a> lists the various species of non-kosher birds. The Gemara<a href=\"#2\">2<\/a> states that the Torah chose to list the non-kosher species, rather than the kosher ones, because the non-kosher list is shorter. In other words, there are a greater number of kosher than non-kosher species. However, the Gemara<a href=\"#3\">3<\/a> [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":5146,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[134,139,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5141","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kashrus-kurrents-2017","category-fall-kashrus-kurrents-2017","category-kashrus-kurrents"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Braekel Controversy: A Bird&#039;s-Eye View | STAR-K Kosher Certification<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Feathers are flying in Eretz Yisroel, as the Poskim debate the kosher status of the Braekel chicken. 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