Gid hanasheh facts for kids
Gid Hanasheh (Hebrew: גִּיד הַנָּשֶׁה Gīḏ hanNāše, literally "forgotten sinew", often translated as "displaced tendon") is the term for sciatic nerve in Judaism. It may not be eaten by Jews according to Halacha (Jewish Law). The laws regarding the prohibition of gid hanasheh are found in Tractate Chullin, chapter 7.
Biblical Source
The Torah (Genesis 32) recounts that Jacob fought with an angel (according to Rashi, this was Esau's guardian angel) who could not beat him. At the end of the fight, the angel strikes a nerve in Jacob's leg, causing him to limp. The verse then states: "Therefore the Israelites do not eat the displaced nerve (gid ha-nasheh) on the hip joint to this very day." (Genesis 32:33)
Removal
The removal of the gid hanasheh and chelev (forbidden fats) is called nikkur. Since it is labor-intensive to remove all the forbidden parts of the hindquarters of an animal, the entire hindquarters are usually sold to the non-kosher market outside of Israel and a few other markets with sufficient Jewish populations to justify the expense.
In the situation of a ben pekuah the nerve is permitted to be eaten. This potential reduction in expense is part of a project that began in Melbourne to create a herd of ben pekuah animals.
