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The Rambam writes in Mishne Torah Hilchot Melachim uMilchamot Chapter 1:

Neither a butcher, barber, bath-attendant, nor a tanner should be appointed king or High-Priest. This is not because of an inherent fault, but because their professions are less prestigious, and the people will always treat them lightly. A person who has served in one of these professions for even one day, is disqualified for the monarchy.

How much work do you need to do to be considered one who has worked in the profession? Eg: How much meat cutting makes me a butcher? Shechting? Cutting off a limb? Trimming the fat off the brisket? Weighing the deli meat and putting a sticker on the bag?

Avraham
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Clint Eastwood
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2 Answers2

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The word for butcher in Hebrew is ״קצב״ which literally means “chopper” - the kind of act that requires lifting an axe/knife and lowering it back down, in order to chop the meat together with the bone (see Rambam, laws of a murderer 6:13)

שלום
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    This is a good first step towards an answer, but the question is how many times one would have to perform this action in order to be possul for malchut or kehuna gedolah. Extra credit- would performing this action within the Beit haMikdash as part of the avodah disqualify a candidate from being Kohen Gadol? – יהושע ק Apr 16 '23 at 09:19
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I don't think it's as much about a profession associated action serving as a tipping point as much as it is about whether the action under scrutiny is characterized as one performed in a professional capacity.

The Kesef Mishneh (ad loc.) writes:

ונ"ל דה"מ כשעשה כן דרך אומנות אבל אם עשה דרך שחוק כדרך הבחורים שמספרים זה את זה אין בכך כלום והיינו דקאמר משום דזיל אומנתייהו אלמא מתורת אומנות נגעו בה

It appears to me that this is the case when it is performed in a professional capacity, however if one does it trivially like the way that youths cut each other's hair, there is nothing to be made of it, here we are concerned with whether one goes about professionally and in a professional way does such

According R. Karo's reasoning (as applied to barbery) it is not one particular action (e.g. chopping limbs, trimming fats, etc.) that serves as the tipping point on whether one is deemed a butcher, but rather whether one performs any of those actions in a professional capacity (which I personally am inclined to understand to mean for compensation).

Deuteronomy
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  • So do you distinguish between doing it professionally for one day and doing it one day for pay? – Clint Eastwood Apr 16 '23 at 23:36
  • I'm not seeing a practical distinction between your two locutions. – Deuteronomy Apr 16 '23 at 23:50
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    @Avraham "Even though the latter is for pay, it isn't the same as being in the profession for a day. " Why not? What is the practical difference (nafqa mina) between the two instances. In both cases the conduct was of a temporary nature and in both cases the conduct was in return for payment. It isn't just a favor that one extended (otherwise there would be no payment). It seems to me that payment in conjunction with a certain caliber of conduct (i.e. not בדרך שחוק) is what renders it as having been done בתורת אומנות. – Deuteronomy Apr 17 '23 at 17:38
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    To your question of "what's the difference" I'd say the whole svara is that the profession is disgraceful, and there's a big difference between someone who was in that profession versus someone who has done that task. For example, if we consider a janitor to be a low-status profession, I would not consider the bochur who got paid by the lady next door to help clean for Pesach "a janitor." But it's difficult to understand what the KM means by "דרך שחוק." To ask back: do you really think there is a big difference between yeshiva guys cutting each other's hair for free versus cutting for $10? – Avraham Apr 17 '23 at 17:59
  • @Avraham re: whether youths are doing action for free - yes, that is my operative assumption, the the KM is coming to reject the habha amina that performing an activity for another person in a non-professional capacity (i.e. no payment) is a disqualifier. As for the at home consumption of your own butchering, I don't think that case even enters the arena of discussion, your labor is for yourself there is no other party to be in service of. – Deuteronomy Apr 17 '23 at 19:07
  • re: differing between someone in a "profession" vs one who does a task, again I think payment is a definin characteristic of a professional. Comparing apples and oranges isn't helpful. Apples to aples would be someone who is paid as a janitor vs someone who volunteers as a janitor Or a oneoff paid house cleaner vs an ongoing house cleaner. As for whether I think there is a big difference between a yeshibha bahur getting paid vs not for the haircut - yes, I do. The one getting paid clearly esteems his labor as skilled (מעשה אומן) and others so esteem him as well, thus commanding of a price-tag. – Deuteronomy Apr 17 '23 at 19:09
  • In any event, I hear what you are saying (whilst maintaining my position) don't think there is a way to be makhri'ah here without additional textual testimony but I appreciate the dialogue. דרך שחוק and תורת אומנות require definitions with greater precision than we can offer definitively. Thank you. – Deuteronomy Apr 17 '23 at 19:11
  • @Avraham noted and edited :) – Deuteronomy Apr 17 '23 at 23:22