Are Rabbits Kosher? Your Questions Answered.

Last Updated on March 17, 2023 by Marjon Ramos

Rabbits are not kosher because they don’t chew their cud and don’t have split hooves, which are required by the Torah in order to be considered kosher.

Kosher animals include cows, sheep, goats, deer, chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, pigeons, salmon, tuna, pike, flounder, carp, and herring.

An example of non-kosher animals is pigs, rabbits, squirrels, deer, dogs, cats, camels, horses, catfish, sturgeon, swordfish, lobster, shellfish, crabs, water mammals, reptiles, amphibians, worms, and insects.

Now that I’ve given you the gist of the article, read on as I explain in more detail why rabbits are not kosher:

How do you define kosher?

For an animal to be considered kosher, it must chew its cud and have split hooves.

For example, cows, sheep, and goats are kosher because they chew their cud and have split hooves.

Pigs have split hooves but don’t chew their cud, so it’s not kosher.

Cud is a portion of food that returns from an animal’s stomach back to its mouth to be chewed a second time.

In addition, all warm-blooded kosher animals must undergo kosher slaughter (shechitah) and salting before being eaten.

Thus, even if the animal is kosher but the kitchen (the way it’s slaughtered, equipment, and utensils) is not, it wouldn’t be considered kosher to eat.

As for fish and seafood, in order to be considered kosher, they must have fins and scales.

Why are rabbits not kosher?

In order to be considered kosher, an animal must chew its cud and have split hooves.

While rabbits have “toes”, those are not considered split hooves as required by the Torah.

Finally, rabbits are not kosher because they are not ruminants (large-hoofed herbivores that chew their cud).

Rabbits graze and process grass the same way we digest our food.

Conclusion

Rabbits are not considered kosher because they don’t chew their cud and their hooves are not split.

Both of which are required by the Torah to be considered kosher.

Rabbits graze and digest grass and other food the same way we digest our food.

And while rabbits have ‘toes’, it’s not a split hooves like cows, sheep, or goats.