Is ostrich a Kosher bird?
• ANSWER: While the Torah gives the special signs to recognize Kosher animal species (ruminants and split hooves) and kosher fish species (scales that can be easily removed and fins), there are no signs for birds species. The Torah simply lists the names of the bird species that are not Kosher in their Hebrew names. But what is the correct translation of these names? We don’t know for sure. And if we don’t know what can we do? The only recourse then is to rely on tradition. Our forbearers relied on their forbearers and they relied on their forbearers, etc. The relatively few fowls that we consider Kosher today have been traditionally around century after century. Thus any bird species for which there is no tradition of being a Kosher species cannot be accepted to be Kosher. There is no tradition that the ostrich had been a Kosher species. As such it is unacceptable in Kosher circles. While it is against the law and against Halacha to raise sows in Israel, there are many ostrich farms i
