Chelev
Encyclopedia
The fat of animal sacrifices is subject to specific regulations in the Hebrew Bible
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible is a term used by biblical scholars outside of Judaism to refer to the Tanakh , a canonical collection of Jewish texts, and the common textual antecedent of the several canonical editions of the Christian Old Testament...
.
Although modern Judaism does not sacrifice animals on altars, there is some application of the rules regarding sacrificial fats to dietary practice.
Hebrew Bible
וְאֵת כָּל-חֶלְבּוֹ, יַקְרִיב מִמֶּנּוּ--אֵת, הָאַלְיָה, וְאֶת-הַחֵלֶב, הַמְכַסֶּה אֶת-הַקֶּרֶבAnd he shall offer of it all the fat (cheilev) thereof: the fat tail (alyah), and the fat that covereth the inwards,Lev. 7, 3
Hebrew language
In Hebrew the word for fat is ( khelev, often transliterated chelev) in the Hebrew Bible this is first used for the "fats" of Abel's offering, and most often used for fats of animal sacrifices on the altar of the Tabernacle or Temple and which the Israelites and the priests were forbidden to eaten. The same word is also used in the phrase "the fat of the land."On the other hand, shuman are called those fats which were not offered, and therefore kosher for human consumption.
Rabbinical interpretation
The punishment for eating chelev bemeizidBemeizid
The Hebrew adjective מזיד mezid means "deliberate." The adverbial form be-mezid means "deliberately." This Hebrew term is used in Jewish law to indicate that something was done on purpose. This matters in order to determine how culpable someone is for his actions...
(on purpose) is kareth
Kareth
In Judaism, Kareth is a divine punishment for transgressing Jewish law.It is the punishment for serious crimes that were not brought to justice by a human court...
. The atonement
Atonement in Judaism
Atonement in Judaism is the process of causing a transgression to be forgiven or pardoned.- In Rabbinic Judaism :In Rabbinic Judaism, atonement is achieved through some combination of*repentance*Temple service Atonement in Judaism is the process of causing a transgression to be forgiven or...
for eating it by mistake is to bring a korban hattath
Sin-offering
A sin offering is a biblical sacrifice offered to achieve atonement for the committing of an unintentional sin.-Etymology:The Hebrew noun hatta'at "sin" comes from the verb hata' "to sin." The first use is in the sentence "sin lies at your door" to Cain in Genesis 4. The noun hata'at can mean...
(atonement sacrifice).
The prohibition on chelev is only regarding those animal types which were used as a korban: cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
, lamb
Domestic sheep
Sheep are quadrupedal, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Like all ruminants, sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates. Although the name "sheep" applies to many species in the genus Ovis, in everyday usage it almost always refers to Ovis aries...
and goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
, which are the only kosher domestic livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
. Fats from avians
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
and deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
may be eaten, and different types of bovinae
Bovinae
The biological subfamily Bovinae includes a diverse group of 10 genera of medium to large sized ungulates, including domestic cattle, the bison, African buffalo, the water buffalo, the yak, and the four-horned and spiral-horned antelopes...
are in state of doubt.
In order that fat should be considered chelev it must look like a sheet of fats, like a thick fibrous skin that can be removed (see picture). Some tendon
Tendon
A tendon is a tough band of fibrous connective tissue that usually connects muscle to bone and is capable of withstanding tension. Tendons are similar to ligaments and fasciae as they are all made of collagen except that ligaments join one bone to another bone, and fasciae connect muscles to other...
s and muscle
Muscle
Muscle is a contractile tissue of animals and is derived from the mesodermal layer of embryonic germ cells. Muscle cells contain contractile filaments that move past each other and change the size of the cell. They are classified as skeletal, cardiac, or smooth muscles. Their function is to...
s are also removed due to the rabbinic law, since they are neighboring and resolving some chelev.
The chelev must be removed by a qualified menaker in a process called nikkur
Nikkur
Nikkur is the process of making an animal kosher by removing chelev and the gid hanasheh .It is much easier to perform nikkur on the front part of the animal...
(purging).
Kidney fats
The fats surrounding the kidneyKidney
The kidneys, organs with several functions, serve essential regulatory roles in most animals, including vertebrates and some invertebrates. They are essential in the urinary system and also serve homeostatic functions such as the regulation of electrolytes, maintenance of acid–base balance, and...
s are called chelev hakloyoth, and are considered non-kosher.
Abdominal fats
The sheet of fat which is covering the interior of the abdominopelvic cavityAbdominopelvic cavity
The abdominopelvic cavity is a body cavity that consists of the abdominal cavity and the pelvic cavity. It contains the stomach, liver, spleen, gallbladder, kidneys, and most of the small and large intestines. It also contains urinary bladder and internal reproductive organs....
is real chelev, except at some regions where it is covered with steak, not with skin or tendon. However even where it is covered with meat, there is some fat which is still forbidden, since could occasionally get uncovered while the animals walks. Therefore one must be well trained in order to identify kosher fat.
Digestive system fats
There are many fats around the digestive organs such as the stomachStomach
The stomach is a muscular, hollow, dilated part of the alimentary canal which functions as an important organ of the digestive tract in some animals, including vertebrates, echinoderms, insects , and molluscs. It is involved in the second phase of digestion, following mastication .The stomach is...
and intestine
Intestine
In human anatomy, the intestine is the segment of the alimentary canal extending from the pyloric sphincter of the stomach to the anus and, in humans and other mammals, consists of two segments, the small intestine and the large intestine...
s, and one must be highly educated and trained in order to identify them.
Tail fat
The tail fat of the fat-tailed sheepFat-tailed sheep
The fat-tailed sheep is a general type of domestic sheep known for their distinctive large tails and hindquarters. Fat-tailed sheep breeds comprise approximately 25% of the world sheep population, and are commonly found in northern parts of Africa, the Middle East, Pakistan, North India, Western...
, called "alyah" in Hebrew, is a large fatty membrane located on the hindquarters of certain breeds of sheep. The written Torah identifies the alyah as cheilev, and forbids its consumption.
Today only Karaite Jews maintain the prohibition against eating the alyah. Mainstream rabbinic opinion considers the alyah to be kosher, despite references in the Talmud suggesting otherwise.
External links
- Laws of Judaism concerning eating fat from the Torah and Maimonides’ Code of Jewish Law
- Getting the Knack of Nikkur
- Chabad
- OU Film