Aug 29, 2017

The Braekel chicken as a drive to chumra

The continued fight over the kashrut status of the Braekel chicken continues to be very strange. The only part of it that makes any sense to me, and the only part of the debate that I really appreciated, is what was said by Rabbis Meir Mazuz and Moshe Mordechai Karp.

Both of these rabbis are of the opinion that the chicken is perfectly fine and kosher just like the "white" chickens. Rabbi Mazuz spoke about how this was the basic chicken and when they first came to Israel they had to rely on the Ashkenazim for a mesorah on white chickens, as they had never seen them before. Rav Mazuz brings some proofs as to the status of the chickens and added his comment that there is no need to keep adding unnecessary chumros and arguments.

Rav Karp, Rav in Kiryat Sefer, commented on a poster that claimed in the name of many gedolim, including Rav Elyashiv under whom Rav Karp studied, that one should preferably not eat the Braekel chicken but should eat Turkey instead. Rav Karp is disturbed by the claims, as a result of the Braekel debate, that eve regular chicken are problematic and he says that Rav Elyashiv and Rav Kanievsky ate, and still eat, chickens with no concern. Rav Karp says he has no knowledge specifically about the Braekel chicken but then criticizes all the time new halachic decisions are announced that were never discussed by the gedolim and definitely never issued public psak on the matter. He says someone who wants to be machmir for himself and not eat something is fine and good but should not go about announcing it and warning the public. Now they are prohibiting chickens that was always eaten by the gedolim and tomorrow they will prohibit eggs, and it is as if there is no torah and mesorah and there is nobody to protest this.
sources: Kikar, Haredim10

I particularly appreciate the railing against the searching for chumros and prohibitions...






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3 comments:

  1. R' Goldmeier

    -This is the exact opposite of what the article quotes Rav Moshe Mordechai Karp as saying. The article says that he feels there is nothing wrong with the normal chickens that people have been eating, and that is what Rav Elyashiv and yblct"a Rav Chaim Kanievsky ate/eat without concern.

    As far as the issue of the Braekel chicken he says that he does not know about it, and will not get involved.

    It is also worth nothing that consumption of Turkey predates the minhag to only eat birds with a mesora, so while there is a machlokes about the mesora of Turkey it may not be the best comparison.

    ReplyDelete
  2. you are right. I didnt read it carefully enough. I will fix it. though from the context it still seems his complaint about the chumros applies to the Braekel discussion.
    thanks for catching my mistake

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  3. I'm just wondering - if the Braekel does not qualify as a kosher chicken, is in included in the ban on shechting chickens used for Kaparos in Ramat Gan?

    I smell a business opportunity!!!

    :-)

    ReplyDelete