Glatt or Not: Lungs and Triefos

(1) The following [defects] render cattle terefah:If the esophagus was pierced; If the windpipe severed; If the membrane of the brain was pierced; If the heart was pierced as far as its cavity thereof; If the spine was broken and the cord severed; If the liver was gone and none of it remained; If the lung was pierced, Or if part of it was missing Rabbi Shimon says: only if it was pierced as far as the main bronchi... This is the rule: if an animal with a similar defect could not continue to live, it is terefah.

(1) There are eight types of terefot, and their signs are D"N (final), HN"K (initial), N (initial), P"Sh: attacked (derusah), perforated (nekuvah), missing (haserah), removed (netulah), torn (keruah), fallen (nefulah), severed (pesukah), and broken (sheburah).

(1) If the lung was punctured, the animal is invalid.

(1) The Laws of Checking Lungs (25 sections) 1) One need not proactively check (without cause to assume there would be an injury) any part of the animal for treifot (specific terminal injuries) except the lungs of domesticated and wild species of mammals to see if there are any sirchot (strands of connective tissue). Anyone who "breaches the fence" to eat meat without checking the lungs should be bitten by a snake.

(2) There are five minor lobes (definition: [parts that] are similar to ears) in the lungs, three to the right and two to the left when the animal is suspended by its feet and its innards are facing the butcher such that the right side of the animal and the right side of the butcher are the same. And there is one additional small lobe on the right side which is called the small roselike lobe and it doesn't stand in line [of the other] lobes, rather, it's distanced from them towards the front side. And if one is missing from the right or the left, or if there are two on the right and three on the left, the animal is invalid. Rema: The shapes of the right minor lobes are not similar to [the shapes] of the left [minor lobes], and if the shapes are switched, the animal is invalid. And so too, if the middle minor lobe on the right is larger than the one below it, the animal is invalid. And if the upper minor lobe on the left is larger than the upper minor lobe on the right, the animal is invalid. And so too, if the major lobe on the right is larger than [the major lobe] on the left, all of this is called switched, and the animal is invalid. And the roselike lobe, if it's missing, or if there are two of them or if it's found on the left side, it is valid. Rema: And in our countries the custom is to rule invalid whether two roselike lobes were found or if it was missing or if it's place was changed, ...

(3) If the number of lobes increased, if the extra lobe was on the side of the [other] lobes or in front of the lungs, which is on the side of the heart, it is permitted. And if it was on its back, which is on the side of the ribs, this is an invalid animal; and this is when it's [the size] of a myrtle leaf after it's inflated, but if it's less than that, it is valid. Rema: And there are those who rule stringently and forbid all extra [lobes] that aren't in the row of lobes... And in our countries the custom is to validate an extra [lobe] on the front side, and one shouldn't change the custom.

... Rema: Even though we are permitting an extra lobe in the plain of the lobes, nonetheless we learn that there should not be more lobes on the left side than the right, such as 4 on the left and 3 on the right. If , however, they were equal in number on both sides such as 3 and 3 or 4 and 4 and they all stood in the plain of the lobes it would be permissible. If there appears to be a split in a lobe it counts to permit but not to forbid, since we are not concerned with splits to forbid.

A lobe which is smaller than a myrtle leaf when inflated is considered missing and renders the animal a treifa

If one of the right lobes is missing the varda fills in for it. Rema: There are those who say it does not fill in for it and this is the custom (Rashi, Tosfos, Rosh)

A lung that does not have the divisions of the lobes is a treifa. If a split appears between the lobes the size of a myrtle leaf, whether at the origins of the lobes or the middle or ends, it is permissible. Rema: there are those who permit even with recognition of the lobes or the slightest split (see 35:5) even if it is not the size of a myrtle leaf. One can rely on this opinion, if there would be considerable loss, to declare it permissible.

The lower minor lobe of the right side is usually thicker and longer than the middle lobe. It is also taller than the lower minor lobe of the left side. If it is completely stuck to the right major lobe but these signs still appear in the place that would be considered the minor right lobe it is considered recognizable and permissible... All of these things we check and evaluate after blowing up the lung since in the life of the animal the lung is inflated. There are those who say that with kids and lambs one would not declare the animal treifa if one did not find recognizable lobes, even without any distinguishing feature or split at all for this is common, since in young animals there may be missing lobes and when they grow up the lobes develop.

All of these things (lobe requirements) that were said only apply to domesticated and wild mammal species. Birds, however, do not have separations between lobes like a mammal and even if you did find one there is no known count of lobes.

The lungs are surrounded by 2 membranes. If one were punctured without the other or even if both were punctured but the punctures were not one behind the other it is permissible. It is permissible until both membranes are punctured one behind the other. Rema: There are those who forbid the animal if both membranes were punctured even if the punctures were not one behind the other and this is the custom.

If the lungs were punctured but healed up (a membrane grew over the hole) it is still treifa.

(1) The Laws of Checking Lungs (25 sections) 1) One need not proactively check (without cause to assume there would be an injury) any part of the animal for treifot (specific terminal injuries) except the lungs of domesticated and wild species of mammals to see if there are any sirchot (strands of connective tissue). Anyone who "breaches the fence" to eat meat without checking the lungs should be bitten by a snake. Rema- We have the custom to also inflate every lung, even if there is nothing wrong with it. In some places they are lenient and don't inflate the lungs unless there was a sircha removed by rubbing, and this is the main understanding.

(4) A minor lobe connected to another minor lobe or to the major lobe, whether slightly connected or connected along the entire lobe, if they are connected "out of order" it is treifah and if it is connected "in order" it is kosher, even without checking (the lung for a hole). Beit Yosef- However, if he inspected the sircha that was "in order" and one found a hole the animal is treifa. The sircha is not considered "in order" except when it is connecting two lobes one next to the other from chituch (flat side overlapped by the neighboring lobe) of one to the chituch of the other, even if the sircha is diagonal or penetrates into the neighboring lobe. However, if the sircha goes from the back of a lobe to the back of the neighboring lobe or even from the chituch to the back of the neighboring lobe, or from the outer edge of the lobe to the outer edge of the neighboring lobe or from the edge of the lung to chituch of the other, or even from the point of one to the point of the other that is next to it, or even from the point of one the chituch of the other that is next to it, it is called "out of order." Rema- There are those who say that even when the sircha is "in order" it needs to be checked to make sure there is no hole in the lung. Because we are not experts in checking for things that can be problems one should consider any sircha (including "in order") treifa, and there are those who say it is kosher if the sircha extends from the origin of the lobes up to the middle of them (by width) even if it is open on both sides. This is indeed the custom to permit it if it is "in order" in this way. Similarly, if there is a membrane connecting a minor lobe to a minor lobe or a minor lobe to a major lobe spanning from the origin of the lobes until the middle of them we do not consider it treifa, as it is normal to find it like this and it is not a sircha. This membrane is only normally found between minor lobes or between the major and minor lobes but not in other places, and if a membrane is found connecting a lobe to another place it is a sircha (and forbidden). Anywhere (on the lung) that the sircha is permitted, even if there is another sircha connected to that same sircha it is called a "folded sircha" and it is permissible.

(8) A sircha which extends from the lung and is hanging, unconnected to anywhere else, (the animal is) kosher and (the sircha) does not require checking.

A lung that has been pierced in the area of the separation of the lobes on the back of the lobe facing the back and the back seals the hole with a sircha extending from the meat between the ribs (intercostal muscles) or from both the meat between the ribs and the rib itself, it is permissible. However, if the sircha is connected to the rib bone only it is treifa... Rema: For us there is none of theses distinctions apply nor the later distinctions explained in the end of this chapter (not included in source sheet) because we have already established the custom in these lands to forbid all sirchas, and one should not change this custom since this is an ancient custom in Germany and France, from which we (Eastern European Jews) are descendants. Therefore one should not permit any sircha unless it is connecting two minor lobes, in order, from less than half their length to their origin. This also applies between the lower minor lobe and the major lobe. I have also already explained (see 39:13 below) that our custom is to be lenient regarding a sircha which is disconnected by tugging and rubbing.

In all cases that a sircha on the lung has been forbidden there is no difference whether the sircha is as thin as a hair or as thick, strong, and wide as a thumb, not like those who pull on the sircha with their hands and if it comes off they rule leniently. All who follow this custom are feeding treifos to Israel.

There is someone who has written that you put your finger under the sircha and lift it up slightly. If it breaks from slight lifting it is a sircha that is less than a day old and permissible. One should not be lenient like this except with an animal owned by a Jew, and one should only rely on this leniency with a God-fearing checker.

There are those who say that the checker inserts his hands into the animal carcass quickly without gentleness of hands and if any sircha breaks when he inserts his hands he removes the lungs and checks them. If it is a sircha he will find the head of the sircha in the lung or the back and if not it is a rir (string of mucous) and permissible. One should not be lenient like this except with an animal owned by a Jew, and one should only rely on this leniency with a God-fearing checker. Rema: There are those who permit checking by rubbing and tugging on sirchas and they say that a true sircha, if someone tugged on it all day it would never come off. Therefore any place in the lung from which a sircha is pulled off we rule leniently and say that it was not a sircha but a rir. Even though this is a major leniency it has been established as a tradition by all those who reside in these lands and one should not stop them from using this leniency since there is what to rely upon. Nonetheless, the checker needs to fear God and know how to carefully check gently and not with force. There are places that it is not the custom to pull and rub sirchas on the varda if it is connected to somewhere else and any place to which it is attached makes it a treifa. There are other places that are lenient even with this. It would appear to me that one should follow the first custom to not pull on any sircha from the varda or any sirchas that are not in order, since the law that any sircha that is not in order is a treifa is found in the Gemara and no one disagrees with it one may not rely on the lenient opinion regarding pulling and rubbing. However, the accepted opinion in our cities is to pull and rub on all sirchas, with no difference between types of sirchos. It is correct to be concerned for what I wrote above if it is not a major loss. It is also the custom in our cities to declare any sircha found in kids, lambs, and tender calves treifa and not to pull on them at all, since there is a tradition to declare them treifa because the sircha is still soft and would get cut off due to the pulling.