Terefah
Encyclopedia
Terefah refers to any animal whose death is due to mortal injuries or physical defects.
The prohibition of eating terefah stems from the biblical verse, וְאַנְשֵׁי קֹדֶשׁ תִּהְיוּן לִי וּבָשָׂר בַּשָּׂדֶה טְרֵפָה לֹא תֹאכֵלוּ לַכֶּלֶב תַּשְׁלִכוּן אֹתוֹ (And you shall be holy people to Me, and flesh torn in the field you shall not eat; you shall throw it to the dog[s]). From this verse, the Rabbis applied its meaning to any kosher animal which had sustained an injury of any kind. Thus implying that regardless if a clean (kosher) animal suffered a mortal injury that occurred from wild beast or from a fall, the animal would become unfit (non Kosher) for ritual slaughter or human consumption. However, if the injury to the animal is not life threatening, and the animal will not die within a year of its injury, then the animal may be ritually slaughtered. According to the Talmud
, there were originally only 8 types of terefah, however, the author(s) of the Mishnah
added 18 more specific additions to the list. Eventually, Maimonides
added even more to finish the list of terefah conditions at 70. Joseph Caro organized all of these symptoms in the Shulhan 'Aruk (Yoreh De'ah
, 29-60) by categorizing them according to parts of the animal, their minute malady, and any disease, fracture, or abnormality they may posses.
The prohibition of eating terefah stems from the biblical verse, וְאַנְשֵׁי קֹדֶשׁ תִּהְיוּן לִי וּבָשָׂר בַּשָּׂדֶה טְרֵפָה לֹא תֹאכֵלוּ לַכֶּלֶב תַּשְׁלִכוּן אֹתוֹ (And you shall be holy people to Me, and flesh torn in the field you shall not eat; you shall throw it to the dog[s]). From this verse, the Rabbis applied its meaning to any kosher animal which had sustained an injury of any kind. Thus implying that regardless if a clean (kosher) animal suffered a mortal injury that occurred from wild beast or from a fall, the animal would become unfit (non Kosher) for ritual slaughter or human consumption. However, if the injury to the animal is not life threatening, and the animal will not die within a year of its injury, then the animal may be ritually slaughtered. According to the Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
, there were originally only 8 types of terefah, however, the author(s) of the Mishnah
Mishnah
The Mishnah or Mishna is the first major written redaction of the Jewish oral traditions called the "Oral Torah". It is also the first major work of Rabbinic Judaism. It was redacted c...
added 18 more specific additions to the list. Eventually, Maimonides
Maimonides
Moses ben-Maimon, called Maimonides and also known as Mūsā ibn Maymūn in Arabic, or Rambam , was a preeminent medieval Jewish philosopher and one of the greatest Torah scholars and physicians of the Middle Ages...
added even more to finish the list of terefah conditions at 70. Joseph Caro organized all of these symptoms in the Shulhan 'Aruk (Yoreh De'ah
Yoreh De'ah
Yoreh De'ah is a section of Rabbi Jacob ben Asher's compilation of halakha , Arba'ah Turim around 1300. This section treats all aspects of Jewish law not pertinent to the Hebrew calendar, finance, torts, marriage, divorce, or sexual conduct....
, 29-60) by categorizing them according to parts of the animal, their minute malady, and any disease, fracture, or abnormality they may posses.
The First Eight Types of Terefah
The Talmud enumerates 8 types of Terefah that would make an animal unfit for ritual sacrifice according to Mosaic law. These damages include: clawing, perforation, definciency, missing organs, severed organs, falling, tearing, and fracturing. They are defined as follows:- Clawing: the clawing of an animal by a wild beast or of a bird by a bird of prey
- Perforation: a perforation to the cavity of one of the following 11 organs: the pharynx, the membrane of the brain, the heart and its aorta, the gall bladder, the vena cava inferior, abomasum, rumenRumenThe rumen, also known as a paunch, forms the larger part of the reticulorumen, which is the first chamber in the alimentary canal of ruminant animals. It serves as the primary site for microbial fermentation of ingested feed...
, omasumOmasumThe omasum, also known as the bible, the fardel, the manyplies and the psalterium, is the third compartment of the stomach in ruminants...
, intestines, the lung and trachea. - Deficiency: the absence from birth of one of the lobes of the lung, or one of the feet
- Missing: the absence of converging sinews in the thigh, or the liver, or the upper jaw
- Severing: the severing of the membrane covering the spinal cord whether the spinal column be broken or not
- Falling: the crushing of one of the internal organs of an animal as the result of a fall
- Tearing: the tearing of most of the flesh covering the rumen
- Fracturing: such as the fracturing of most of its ribs