According to Rabbi Yishmael, it was specifically when the Jewish people entered Eretz Yisrael—when they were required to refine the physical world—that they were commanded concerning shechitah. Rabbi Akiva agrees with this principle but maintains that, as an incidental allowance, meat killed by nechirah was permitted to them in the wilderness.
The verse states:
“When Hashem your G‑d expands your boundary, and you say, ‘I would like to eat meat…’”
Rabbi Yishmael maintains that this verse teaches that while the Jewish people were in the wilderness, they were forbidden to eat ordinary meat merely to satisfy their appetite—meat that was not brought as a sacrifice. When they entered Eretz Yisrael, referred to by the words “when Hashem expands your boundary,” properly slaughtered ordinary meat became permitted to them.
Rabbi Akiva maintains that in the wilderness they were permitted to eat meat killed through nechirah, without the regular procedure of shechitah. Upon entering Eretz Yisrael, meat killed through nechirah became forbidden to them.
According to Rabbi Akiva, the words “when Hashem expands your boundary” teach a rule of proper conduct: A person should eat meat only when he possesses ample means and wealth.
Rashi explains in accordance with Rabbi Yishmael that ordinary meat was permitted to the Jewish people upon their entry into Eretz Yisrael. Yet Rashi also explains that a person should eat meat only when he has ample means.
We must therefore say that Rabbi Yishmael and Rabbi Akiva do not disagree concerning the essential principle. Their disagreement concerns only the details. Rashi can therefore incorporate the explanations of both opinions.
The explanation is as follows:
While the Jewish people were in the wilderness, they were separated from materiality. They therefore had no need for the spiritual service represented by shechitah, and they ate only sacred meat.
When they entered Eretz Yisrael, however, they became responsible for refining the physical world. To refine physicality, a higher Divine power is required, as indicated by the words:
“When Hashem your G‑d expands your boundary.”
It was therefore specifically at that time that ordinary meat eaten to satisfy one’s appetite was permitted to them. This is the view of Rabbi Yishmael.
Rabbi Akiva—whose approach is always to emphasize the merit of the Jewish people—agrees with this principle. He adds only that ordinary meat was incidentally permitted to them in the wilderness through nechirah.
The holiness of the Jewish people brought about a certain degree of refinement even within the meat itself. The purpose of shechitah at that time would therefore have been only to prevent unnecessary suffering to the animal. Since eating such meat was merely an incidental occurrence, they were not given a formal commandment regarding shechitah.
There is an additional dimension to this matter.
Our Sages explain that “veshachat—he shall slaughter” also means “vemashach—he shall draw.” Shechitah spiritually draws the animal from the domain of materiality into the realm of holiness.
While the Jewish people were in the wilderness, this task was beyond their power. It was specifically upon their entry into Eretz Yisrael that they were granted the power to accomplish this refinement. Therefore, it was only then that they were given the commandment of shechitah.