Terminology

We use a lot of words on this site, some from the Jewish legal realm, some of the agricultural or animal welfare realm and we want you to be able to understand all of it! If you find a word on our site that you don’t understand and it’s not listed here, please contact us!

ba’al tashchit –  the prohibition of wasting (usually in reference to food)

tsar balei chayim – the prohibition of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal

shechitah – the term for the slaughter of an animal for food, done according to Jewish Law. This is done with an incredibly sharp knife, performed only by a shochet, a pious Jew expertly trained in the practice.

shochet – a Jewish ritual animal slaughter