Dear Rabbi, A delicate question, I hope you will have the patience to answer me,.I am a jew who eats kosher. I’d like to understand something very important to me. I know that the meat is slaughtered by a Shokhet. Once the Shokhet did his task, what exactly is the job of the Rabbi who certifies the kosher meat? What does he control? Is not enough to have a certificate where the shokhet attests that he slaughtered kehalakha? And in the case of meat-based foods such as kosher "sausages", how does the certification process by the rabbi work? I would like to read something about all this process, maybe there on line some articles? I hope to receive your answer. Thank you very much

First of all, it is important to understand the the shochet is an expensive exercise. The shochet has very hard intensive work and works on and off during the day - but is paid for the whole day because this is the nature of his work. The Rabbi who gives the hecsher (or someone learned who is appointed by him), checks the animal which was slaughtered to make sure it is not treif. This involves over 10 inspections of certain body parts. Next, the Rabbi is incharge of the salting of the meat to remove all the blood. Once the blood is removed the Rabbi ensures that this kosher meat will not get mixed in any way with the other unkosher meat. Remember this whole process is taken place in massive factories with thousands of meat products, and strict supervision is needed to make sure the kosher meat stays separate. Every meat product is different, in the case of the sausages for example - the Rabbi needs to make sure that all additional products including the skin like cover of the sausages is also kosher. There have been stories in recent years where problems were found with these sausage covers. I can recommend this shiur on the philosphical aspect of Kashut : //www.yeshiva.org.il/midrash/shiur.asp?cat=196&id=7283&q=kashrut Alternatively, this is a shiur on the Halachic process of salting meat. //www.yeshiva.org.il/midrash/shiur.asp?cat=353&id=13844&q=meat Rabbi Binyamin Bemberger