Is Braekel Chicken Kosher?

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Leading rabbonim in Eretz Yisroel are divided regarding the kashrus of the newly arrived Braekel chicken. Because it originated centuries ago in a part of Belgium where there was no Jewish kehillah, some poskim maintain that it does not have the tradition requisite for birds and may not be eaten.

Rav Nissim Karelitz of Bnei Brak and other leading rabbonim permit the bird, some writing in a letter: “We have been introduced to a chicken called ‘Braekel’ and see nothing about it that goes against mesores, but we checked the issue to remove any doubts.”

However, Rav Moshe Sternbuch, av beis din of the Eidah Hachareidis, examined and discussed the bird for four hours with leading shochtim and concluded that it is forbidden.

“After consultation with veteran shochtim who regard the chicken as unusual and having no mesores [I decided it should not be eaten],” he wrote. “And every other unusual bird has the same halacha and is regarded as treifa as we find in Shu”t Divrei Chaim (45), who concludes that even if all the gedolei Yisroel declare it kosher, it is considered treifa.

{Matzav.com Israel News Bureau}


20 COMMENTS

  1. Whose m’soreh identifies every single min listed in Torah or Yrushalmy or Bavli? Hopefully there is a lot more depth to this story, and you will provide us with it (no one else will). No one was eating tsikin or toyky 1500 years ago in E”I or Golah. They hadn’t arrived yet from America or SE Asia. Don’t be PIGEONS and DUCK the issue.

  2. Does anyone know where Brakel chickens are currently being sold?

    R, Zalman Leib Teitelbaum
    Claims that the Brakel chicken is even more Kosher then the chickens we are currently eating!

    “Kosher l’mhadrin min hamehadrin”

    Yet his brother R’ Aaron Teitelbaum, came out with a two-page ruling that the Brakel is 

    “Chazir Treif….

    This is so perplexing we are dealing with MESORAH and this is extremely sensitive!

    “IN BENJAMIN FRANKLIN WE TRUST”

    THE ALMIGHTY DOLLAR STANDS ABOVE MESORAH

  3. Many Rabbanim who have forbidden braekel believe it to be a hybrid with another bird (or animal) very likely an interbreeding between a non-kosher one according to the simanim they tested it.

    • shush dont bring logic to this discussion. or the fact that potato’s on pesach should be forbidden or other new world crops allowed to eat also.

  4. Where was this braekel 50 years ago? 100 years ago?
    Didnt the people around that area ate them? Why not ask some older residents there?

  5. Midioraisa, a bird does not need a mesorah to be eaten. The Rema paskens that we need a mesorah on a bird that its kosher to eat it. The turkey was permited before the Rema’s p’sak was accepted worldwide.

  6. ‘Rav Nissim Karelitz of Bnei Brak and other leading rabbonim permit the bird.’

    Perhaps you could name the leading rabbonim that also permit the bird (and haven’t retracted)? As far as I am aware, only one of the rabbonim of the Sheeris beys din has agreed to permit it (the other two are not passing comment). More recently, some have made the claim that Rav Eliyashiv permitted it many years ago, but the claim is unsubstantiated and, given the track record of the investors, probably untrue (even though it has a very authentic ring to it).

    On the side of those who prohibit the fowl, you omitted Rav Landau, appointed the Rav of Bnei Berak (over kashrus, eruvin and mikvaos) after his father; Rav Rubin, whose kashrus is greatly respected in EY and the world (the mashgichim who work for all three, say his is the best!).

  7. This where something is amiss here:
    If Rav Nissim Karelitz had already ruled its kosher,how come others do not communicate with him and ask him, “perhaps he knows of any Mesorah”?
    They would rather rule the matter based on a couple of shochtim, who have experience in one region?
    Had they been when Turkey was introduced, they would have ruled in null as well.
    The fact is many did refrain (and still do) from eating Turkey. However, I recall the S’Dei Chemed quoting some that there was a mesorah in Jerusalem, hence, he (and/or others) permitted it.

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