The 4 Biggest Mistakes Modern Shochtim Are Making
Shechita is a mesorah built on precision, discipline, and clarity in halacha. But like any craft, misunderstandings creep in—especially when ideas are passed down without being carefully checked against the sources or practical reality.
In our shechita training, we consistently see a few recurring mistakes that hold people back, create counter productive “chumros”, and in some cases even lead to worse outcomes for both the animal and the kashrus of the shechita.
Here are three of the most common issues—and what to do about them.
1. “Monkey” Knife Sharpening
Probably the most concerning trend we see today is how many shochtim have never actually been taught how to sharpen a knife.
Instead, they’re given a set of instructions: take this stone, do a certain number of strokes on one side, switch sides, then move to the next stone. Repeat the process and you’re done.
We call this “monkey knife sharpening.” Just go through the motions—without understanding what you’re doing or what you’re trying to achieve. But sharpening isn’t about counting strokes. At its core, sharpening a chalaf means forming a proper bevel by creating a burr. That burr is the clearest indication that you’ve apexed the edge and done the work correctly.
Without understanding how to raise and control a burr, you’re not really sharpening—you’re just mimicking the motions of sharpening.
And that’s exactly what we’re seeing. Shochtim who can follow a routine, but don’t actually know how to diagnose, fix, or truly sharpen a knife. In fact, because they were never taught properly, we often meet people who have spent months unable to get a knife truly sharp or smooth enough—simply because they were never shown what to look for or how to get there.
The reality: If you haven’t been taught how to create a burr and build a proper edge, you haven’t been taught how to sharpen—you’ve been taught how to imitate it.
2. Avoiding Low-Grit Stones (and Hurting Your Knife Because of It)
We’re seeing a growing trend of shochtim who have never been trained to use low-grit sharpening stones (around 220–250 grit). That’s a serious gap.
At the most basic level, all sharpening stones do one thing: they create scratches. Lower grit stones have larger particles that create larger scratches; higher grit stones have smaller particles that refine those scratches into a smoother edge.
Low-grit stones are not for polishing—but they are essential for:
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Establishing a proper bevel
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Repairing nicks
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Fixing uneven edges
Without them, a damaged or worn chalaf can become nearly impossible to fix efficiently. Trying to do that work on a 1000+ grit stone can take hours—or simply won’t work.
The reality: Confidence with low-grit stones makes you a far more capable shochet. They’re not optional—they’re foundational.
3. Misunderstanding Derasa: “You Can’t Use Pressure”
One of the most widespread misconceptions is that applying pressure during shechita is inherently a problem of derasa. It’s not.
In the Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh Deah 24), derasa is defined by how the cut is performed—specifically, that the shechita must be done with holacha v’hova’ah (a back-and-forth motion). A chopping action (derisa) invalidates the shechita because it lacks this slicing motion. There is no discussion of “how much pressure” is too much, nor any measurement given.
The Rema in Yoreh Deah 24-5 adds that if one completely severs a bird’s head in one motion, we are concerned for derasa. But the concern is not the force itself—it is that such a cut suggests the shochet may not have used the required back-and-forth motion at all.
Notably, the Shulchan Aruch himself does not assur such an animal, ostensibly because there is no actual proof that the butcher didn’t use a back and forth motion just because the head was cut off.
If derasa was a pressure issue, then wouldn’t using enough pressure to cut the animal’s head off be the greatest measure of force that was possible to use and obviously be derasa according to all the de’os?
The result of this misunderstanding? Shochtim who barely apply pressure, “playing violin” with the knife—and sometimes failing to perform a proper shechita at all.
The reality: A shochet should use whatever pressure is necessary to achieve a smooth, continuous shechita with proper holacha v’hova’ah. The focus is on motion, not artificially limiting force.
4. Shechting Too Low on the Neck (Especially in Waterfowl)
While less common than the first two, this mistake can have serious consequences—particularly with certain species.
The prohibition of hagrama—cutting outside the valid area—is discussed in the Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh Deah סימן כ׳–כ״א), where the proper מקום שחיטה on the neck is defined and boundaries are established.
The Rema advises aiming toward the middle of the neck to avoid straying into hagrama. But in practice, applying this too rigidly can create real problems.
Different animals respond very differently depending on where they are shechted:
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Smaller animals (hens, small birds, sheep): the middle of the neck is generally effective. That said, even here we prefer aiming toward the bottom of the upper third of the neck. This helps reduce the chance—though less common—that an animal does not expire, and it also makes the simanim easier to check.
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Roosters, cattle, turkeys: when shechted too low, they may remain conscious longer, and in some cases blood flow can become obstructed—leading to improper death and the need for intervention and possible kashrut issues as a result.
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Waterfowl (ducks, geese): shechting in the middle of the neck will leave them alive for 5–10+ minutes, which is both inhumane, terrible to watch, and causes kashrus concerns. These animals require a much higher shechita to ensure a proper outcome.
There are people who will start in the middle of the neck of fowl and on a shallow angle and then finish their shechita towards the top of the neck and this can work quite well on certain animals.
Ultimately (no matter how you shecht) going too high also introduces risks of hagrama –this isn’t guesswork.
The reality: Proper placement is species-specific and must be learned from a qualified, experienced shochet—not from general rules alone. If animals are not expiring quickly and cleanly, that’s a sign something is off.
Closing Thoughts
The common thread behind all of these issues is a lack of proper, hands-on training.
Too many shochtim today are learning without strong, experienced guidance. They’re picking up bits of halacha or technique, but not developing the real-world skills needed to perform consistent, proper shechita.
This is especially problematic now that many new shochtim are learning to shecht away from the factory, where they can't be continuously guided by many older more experienced shochtim and supervisors.
Shechita is not something you learn from theory alone.
To become proficient, a shochet needs:
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A skilled, experienced teacher who has done this work in the field
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Training in a full range of sharpening skills, including proper use of low-grit stones
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A clear, accurate understanding of core halachos like derasa and how they actually apply in practice
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Hands-on experience learning how different animals behave and how shechita must be adjusted for each one
Without that foundation, problems are inevitable.
If you’re serious about training properly in shechita, learn more about our offerings on our Shechita Traning page.
