| While vsgetarianiem may be the route for some Jews, it is my opinion that it is not the route for most Jews, even for those of us who keep kosher. What is needed is a return to compassionate shkitah (slaughter) for those who choose to eat meat on occasion. In the old days we did not buy our kosher meat in the grocery story. We had a local butcher whose method of slaughter was well known to all who bought from him. If he cleaned his knife blade with his tears, so much the better. When he said the prayers that allowed him to perform the slaughter, we knew he did so with the proper khavannah. Today, the animals are killed by people who do not care about the suffering of the animal and how they can minimize it. Their prayers are but mere formality. Their inspections of the carcass are effected by whether the number of non-kosher carcasses will cause them a loss of profit.We need to get back to a more localized shokkteem who will honor the animal for giving its life for our needs and away from these bottom line, profit based ethics.
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