At the demonstration, when we unwrapped the large package prepared by the butcher, lo and behold, it became clear that there was a mistake: the butcher had sent the hindquarters of the animal rather than the front portion. He had prepared a shiur on the various treifot found in that part of the animal. I recall one demonstration where Rabbi Belsky gave instructions ahead of time to have the front portion of an animal brought to the program. Rabbi Belsky was famous for his public demonstrations in which he would dissect an animal and explain the different treifot, infirmities and defects in the limbs and organs of the animal which would render it non-kosher.
#GID HANASHEH PICTURES HOW TO#
During the summer months, Rabbi Belsky would bring boys from Camp Agudah to a plant in Goshen, New York, to illustrate how to perform nikkur on a deer. Using special scalpels, he performed the nikkur on the deer. To resolve this, Rabbi Belsky consulted with various surgeons. The nikkur, the removal of the gid hanasheh, had to be done in a way that would not ruin the hindquarters and the desired cuts of meat could be obtained. Thus, since the prohibition of chelev does not apply to deer, the minhag of not performing nikkur did not apply either hence, nikkur could be performed on the deer. Rabbi Belsky consulted with Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, zt”l, who stated that the minhag of not preforming nikkur was due to the difficulty in properly removing all of the chelev. So the halachic question that needed to be resolved was whether the minhag of not performing nikkur applied to deer. The prohibition of gid hanasheh applies to deer, but not the prohibition of chelev. With regard to deer, were nikkur not permitted, the desired cuts of meat would not be available. There is a prevalent minhag, generally followed in the United States, that even though it may be physically possible to perform nikkur on an animal, we generally do not perform it, and simply refrain from consuming the hindquarters of animals. Nikkur is the process of removing the prohibited sciatic nerve (gid hanasheh) and the forbidden fats (chelev) from the hindquarters of an animal. One halachic concern was whether it was permissible to perform nikkur on deer. Some years ago, the OU was approached to certify the shechitah of deer for the purpose of obtaining kosher venison. Let me share with you a few examples of Rabbi Belskly’s remarkable scientific knowledge and how he applied it to kashrut issues. He had a profound impact on me with his wisdom to analyze and solve problems. One non-Jewish plant manager sent the following message to the OU shortly after Rabbi Belsky’s petirah : “Just found out about his passing.
Plant managers were often amazed by Rabbi Belsky’s grasp of the intricacies of the machinery, which often exceeded their own knowledge, and were also struck by his courteous and dignified demeanor. Not only was his expertise in animal anatomy invaluable in determining difficult kashrut questions, but his technical skill and mechanical aptitude were critical in analyzing kashrut problems concerning the machinery and equipment used in plants that produce and process OU-certified products. Rabbi Belsky’s vast scientific knowledge was often useful in analyzing halachic issues and was especially helpful concerning kashrut issues that OU Kosher had to deal with. Rabbi Chaim Yisroel Belsky, senior halachic consultant, OU Kosher, with Rabbi Menachem Genack, CEO, OU Kosher.
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