Earlier questions such as In vitro meat — further questions dealt with meat grown from stem cells of slaughtered animals. This question is specifically about meat grown from stem cells taken from live animals. Indian-American Scientist Has Discovered A Way For Us To Eat Meat Without Killing Animals says:



This may be considered eiver min hachai as well as the other considerations that may arise to make it non-kosher. Does anyone have sources that might shed light on what this would do halachically?

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    Why are you assuming all animal products require shechitah? Is it because we scientifically define the cell as "alive" while milk isn't? The scientific definition of life isn't directly correlated to Torah's definition of life (Ben pakua, for one instance, and microscopic organisms for another). I'm interested to see responses to this, but I doubt we can say the torah classifies individual organs, let alone cells, as "alive" and therefore requiring shechitah... – Isaac Kotlicky Mar 23 '16 at 14:06
  • @IsaacKotlicky The question would be that unless an animal has undergone shechita, then anything taken from that animal (while it is alive) cannot be eaten. Note that milk, while a product of the animal is not part of the animal like the meat. An organ taken from a living animal is different from an organ taken from a slaughtered animal. – sabbahillel Mar 23 '16 at 14:39
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    Can hair cut from the animal or wool be consumed? I don't think anyone classifies it as an "eiver" regarding other purposes. An organ is a visible object. An individual cell (which is what they're using here) is halachically nothing. Again, the existence of microorganisms has no impact on Kashrut, since they are considered halachically insignificant. Even the copepod issue with NY water was a question of visibility - no one disputed that they were present. Being "alive" and/or "from a living creature" doesn't necessarily imply a requirement for shechitah. – Isaac Kotlicky Mar 23 '16 at 14:47
  • @IsaacKotlicky Since the cells are grown to a significant size, then they may not be microscopic. The article does not specify the size of the original "sample" either. All of these items that you bring up would have to be dealt with in an answer. That is why I asked the question. I do not have an answer to these matters. – sabbahillel Mar 23 '16 at 15:30
  • I know, I'm just working the shakla vetariya with you. See the maggot question - it's clear that eating visible flies is a problem, but you don't need to be concerned with invisible specks. The distinction here is that it would seem no one holds that the resulting "grown" meat is halachically "alive" and therefore it would seem to generate much like a "meat plant" growing from a substrate – Isaac Kotlicky Mar 23 '16 at 15:47

Yes, it can be kosher.

We need a good definition of Ever min Hachay.
Here is a first trial in order to improve the understanding of the topic. Firstly Rambam Kedusha Maachalot Assurot, 1--3

‏הלכות מאכלות אסורות פרק ה ‏ ‏

1 According to the Oral Tradition, we learnt that [the intent of] the Torah's statement "Do not partake of the soul together with the meat" [is to] forbid a limb cut off from a living animal. With regard to a limb cut off from a living animal, it was said to Noah [Genesis 9:4]: "But flesh, together with its soul, its blood, you may not eat."

The prohibition against [partaking of] a limb from a living animal applies to kosher domesticated animals, wild beasts, and fowl, but not to non-kosher species.[1]

2 The term ever [translated as "limb"] applies both to a limb that has flesh, sinews, and bones, e.g., a hand or a foot, and to an organ that does not have a bone[2], e.g., the tongue, the testicles, the spleen, the kidneys, the heart, and the like. [There is, however, one difference.] When an organ does not possess a bone, the prohibition [against partaking of] a limb from a living animal applies whether one cut off the entire organ or only part of it. When, by contrast, a limb possesses a bone, a person is not liable [for violating the prohibition against] a limb from a living animal unless he separates it in its complete state, with its flesh, sinews, and bones. If, however, he only removes flesh from the living animal, he is liable for [the prohibition against partaking of] a trefe [animal] as explained, and not because of a limb from a living animal.[3].

3 One is liable for lashes only for partaking of an olive-sized portion of a limb from a living animal. Even if one eats an entire limb or organ, if it is the size of an olive, one is liable; if not he is exempt.

If one cut off a olive-sized portion of flesh, sinews, and bones from the limb according to its natural form and ate it, one is liable, even if it possessed only the smallest amount of meat. If, however, one separated a limb which he tore off from a living animal and detached the flesh from the sinews and the meat, he is not liable for lashes unless he eats an olive-sized portion of the meat alone. [4]The bones and the sinews are not included in the olive-sized portion since he changed [the limb's] natural form.

Concerning produces See Rambam Zerayim Terumot, 11, 21

Produce that grows from terumah is considered as ordinary produce with regard to all matters except that it is forbidden to non-priests. Our Sages decreed that it be forbidden to non-priests like terumah [as a safeguard], lest a priest maintain possession of impure terumah with the intent of sowing it and producing [a crop of] ordinary produce and this lead to undesirable consequences. Therefore, it is permitted to eat the products [of such plantings] with impure hands and a person who has immersed himself that day may partake of them like ordinary produce

Halacha 22

Produce grown from produce grown [from terumah] are like ordinary produce with regard to all matters. [This applies] even to types of produce whose seeds do not decompose provided the new growth exceeds the root in the second generation of produce. [In such a situation,] the new growth elevates the root even if the seed does not decompose and the entire [plant] is permitted to be eaten by non-priest[5]

‎[1] For Jewish people, Ever min Hachay, the prohibition to eat a member from a live animal concern only animal species which are permitted for consomation (clean species) .
[2] Organs that are smooth (without bones and ligaments) have status of limb. If we take from a smooth limb a slice of meat, this slice is prohibited as Ever Min Hachay
[3] I think that the stem cells are sampled from the animal itself as we make in biopsy. If the origin of the stem cells is a smooth organ, as the tong, maybe Issur Ever min Hachay. But anyway there is the Lav of Basar min Hachay for smooth parts on bone organs
[4] If we extract a "hard" limb, in partially full form, that is meat, ligaments and bones, in quantity of Kazayt, this sample is called itself Ever min Hachay. If after this procedure we cut up meat this meat is prohibited as Ever min Hachay.
[5] After many mitosis (cells reproduction) we have obviously Giduley Gidulin. Even if Ever min haChay is similar to teruma it is allowed. But without this the stringency of teruma is very specific to teruma only.

Provisional conclusion

  • the meat is allowed.
  • I am not sur that his status is Bessari (he come not from a mother, and from a mother that produces milk, as request according to the drashot of Bassar Vechalav)

I think that the problem is solved. After having wrote this, I see in the link above (meat in vitro. I think thare is no difference. the mitosis is anyway in vitro), they Cited a Shut Cheshek Shelomo. I would like to see it. I see

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  • @sabbahillel I renewed the answer. – kouty Sep 23 '16 at 10:04

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