Hey there and welcome back to Take One, the podcast that brings you just one fair-minded page of Tomulid each day.

I'm not going to lie to you.

Today's daf Chulin 20 is hyper-technical. Most of it consists of a big argument around an important,

but still, let's be honest here, kind of esoteric question. The question of whether or not the

Torah requires us to perform proper ritual slaughter or shechita on

birds is shechting birds a requirement from the Torah. We neophytes, sadly, lack the sophistication

required to grasp the beautiful intricacies therein. But Rashi, as always, gives us something majestic

to chew on. Raising a theme, we'll discuss

at great length later on in this tractate. Regardless of where you fall on the discussion of

birds and Shechita, he teaches us, if you find a bird that has been belludgeoned to death,

you're not allowed to eat it. And there's a great and profound lesson for us here.

Judaism is not an aesthetic religion.

It does not call on us to refrain from the pleasures of this world.

Instead, it encourages us to do something even more difficult, to take ordinary, material

things like having sex or eating meat, and elevate them,

imbue them with meaning and sanctity, and by doing so, by living mindfully and spiritually,

bring this world a little bit closer to heaven.

And that's very much the role of Shahita, kosher ritual slaughtering.

The Torah clearly commands us to take great care to ensure the physical and even emotional well-being of animals.

We're not allowed, in fact, we're strictly prohibited to cause them any undue suffering or pain,

and we are commanded to treat them very well, to take care of them, yet at the same

time, we're allowed, in fact, often encouraged to eat them. And this seeming paradox is the key

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