There are over 10 million vegetarians in the U.S., including the recently-converted Bill Clinton. Much has been written about vegetarianism from a Torah perspective, in which the reasons why people adopt a vegetarian regimen are analyzed to see if anything in these philosophies runs counter to the Jewish outlook.
One of the great medieval Jewish philosophers, Rabbi Joseph Albo, explains vegetarianism and animal rights based on the biblical story of the great sibling rivalry between Cain and Abel. Here's the story in a nutshell:
The Torah tells us (Genesis 4:1) that Adam "knew" Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain and Abel. Abel became a shepherd, while Cain became a farmer. After a period of time, Cain brought an offering to God from the crops, while Abel brought his offering from the choicest of his flock.
God accepted Abel's offering, but rejected Cain's. This made Cain frustrated and angry at his brother. So one day when they were alone in the field, Cain rose up and killed Abel. As a punishment, Cain was doomed to wander the world from place to place.
Is this just another tale of jealousy and murder, or is there a deeper message?
Rabbi Albo, in his Sefer Ha'Ikkarim (Book of Fundamentals), addresses this serious question about the Cain and Abel story:
What did Cain do so wrong that God rejected his offering? After all, as a farmer, it made perfect sense to bring a gift from the fruits of his labor.
Furthermore, we find that a third son named Seth was subsequently born to Adam and Eve. Only regarding this son does the Torah write that Adam “begot in his likeness and his image" (Genesis 5:3). This implies that only Seth was in the image of his father, who in turn was created in the image of God. Yet Cain and Abel were not worthy of that description. Why?
Related Article: Judaism and Vegetarianism
Two Brothers, Two Worldviews
To answer these questions, let’s go back to the sixth day of creation, when Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden. God commanded them, saying:
"Behold, I have given to you all herbage-yielding seed that is on the surface of the earth, and every tree that has seed-yielding fruit; it shall be yours for food. And to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the sky, and to everything that moves on the earth, within which there is a living soul, every green herb is for food." (Genesis 1:29-30)
These verses indicate that in the Garden of Eden – the ideal utopian existence – Man and beast were to share the same herbal diet. At this time, Man was forbidden by God to kill animals for food. (Permission was granted to Noah, only after the Flood, which took place many generations later.) In other words, according to the Torah, the ideal world as represented by the state of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden is that people should be vegetarians!
The ideal state of Adam and Eve is vegetarian.
Now imagine Cain and Abel in the Garden of Eden, eating the exact same diet as the animals around them. When Cain saw that it was forbidden to kill animals for food, he concluded that there is no real difference between humans and animals. Just as animals are purely physical beings, so too, humans apparently exist solely in the physical dimension. Cain thought, given that inherent equality, that just as we are not to cause harm to our fellow man, we must likewise be concerned for the welfare of animals, and neither cause them harm nor eat them.
That is why, when Cain wanted to present an offering to God, he didn't bring an animal sacrifice – because he regarded men and animals as equals, and, accordingly, felt he had no right to take the life of an animal, even as an act of divine worship. So Cain offered a gift from the crops of the earth.
Abel, on the other hand, understood that man was superior to animals, and could apply his uniquely human intellect to cultivating fields and shepherding flocks. This, Abel believed, gave man limited rights over animals, including the right to use animals in the service of God (albeit not the right to kill animals for one’s own needs). So Abel’s offering was of the animal world.
Rabbi Albo explains: More than an issue of two brothers “not getting along,” they had very different worldviews regarding the relative moral status of men and animals.
Cain's error was dangerously misleading. He failed to realize the great difference between humans and animals, in that Man has a Divine soul, as opposed to animals which are purely physical beings.
In light of this, Rabbi Albo explains the verse where God told Cain: "Surely, if you improve yourself, you will be forgiven. But if you do not improve, sin rests at the door" (Genesis 4:7). God was telling Cain that while at birth, Man and beast seem equal, only Man is capable of improving himself and rising to the highest levels. If he does not, sin rests at his door. Animals, on the other hand, have no such potential for greatness, and whatever level they are on at birth, there they shall always remain.
Then came Cain’s big mistake. According to Rabbi Albo, Cain failed to understand the reason for the rejection of his sacrifice and continued to assume that his own value system – that man and animals are inherently equal – was correct. The next fatal step was for Cain to conclude that just as taking the life of an animal is permitted (albeit not for food), so too is taking the life of one’s fellow man. Thus Cain killed Abel.
Only Seth, the third son born to Adam and Eve, properly understood that animals were forbidden, because of the negative effect of slaughtering, not because they were equal to humans, but for a far more subtle moral consideration: Knowing that an animal had to die for supper could possibly have a detrimental effect on one’s character, causing a loss of some of the refinement, sensitivity and compassion that God requires of us at all times.
But Seth was clear that a human being is unique in the possession of a Divine spark. It is for this reason, says Rabbi Albo, that only Seth was mentioned in the Torah as “born in the image” of his father Adam, and in the image of God.
The Descendants of Cain
Succeeding generations as well continued to believe that man and beast were inherently equal, explains Rabbi Albo. Rather than sensitizing people to the welfare of animals, this approach led to the false notion that violence against people was equally acceptable. The result: A breakdown of the social order, which God rectified by means of the Flood.
Only after the Flood did God make an accommodation for Man’s misguided philosophy. Meat became permitted as food, as the way to emphasize Man’s superiority over the animal kingdom.
Biblical prohibitions ensure against the abuse of nature.
Of course, it goes without saying that man is responsible for the animal and plant worlds that were placed on Earth to serve him, and this relative moral superiority does not give us license to abuse the animals and our environment, even as we use them for benefit. In fact, God gave us two biblical prohibitions – against causing unnecessary pain to animals, and against destroying the environment – in order to ensure these abuses don't happen.
So while killing animals for food may have a subtle negative effect, at the same time we must be clear that the utopian ideal of vegetarianism is not in any way rooted in the notion that animals somehow have “equal rights.” On the contrary, animals were put here in order to serve Man, who sits on top of the pyramid. Any utopian ideal is based on a concern for the moral degeneration of man himself.
Alas, in our own times, we have witnessed a phenomenon not unlike the misguided notion of the biblical Cain and his descendants, whereby some have declared that “man and beast are equal.” This is a dangerous idea, as Dennis Prager writes in his book, Think a Second Time:
Only if there is a God in whose image human beings are created, is human life sacred. If human beings do not contain an element of the Divine, they are merely intelligent animals. For many years, I have been warning that a totally secular worldview will erode the distinction between humans and animals. The popular contemporary expression "All life is sacred" is an example of what secularism leads to. It means that all life is equally sacred, that people and chickens are equally valuable.
That is why the head of the leading animal rights group, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), has likened the barbecuing of six billion chickens a year to the slaughter of six million Jews in the Holocaust... Such views don't so much enhance the value of animal life, as they reduce the value of human life.
Meat-Eating Scholars
Which brings us to a fascinating passage in the Talmud (Pesachim 49b):
An am ha'aretz (ignoramus) is not allowed to eat meat, for it says, "This is the law [Torah] concerning mammals and birds" (Leviticus 11:46). [The word “Torah” is interpreted as:] Someone who learns Torah is allowed to eat an animal or a bird, whereas someone who is ignorant of the Torah is not allowed to eat an animal or a bird.
How are we to understand this Talmudic passage? Does this mean that anyone who wants to order a rib steak at a local kosher restaurant has to first be tested by a rabbi to see how much Torah knowledge he has?!
One of the great Jewish philosophers, the Maharal of Prague, explains:
The more we share with animals, the less the argument for human superiority.
Eating an animal requires real confidence in the inherent superiority of Mankind. We share a lot with animals. In fact, the more we find that we share with them – we eat, sleep, procreate, laze around, breathe, and a host of other activities – the more the argument for our “superiority” shrinks.
But if we consider the less tangible aspects of Man – Divine soul, ability to conquer his urges, ability to perceive God's essence, etc. – then the argument tilts in the opposite direction. Humans who rise above the physical world are on a much higher plane. And given this wide gap, taking the life of an animal for food is a natural extension of that human superiority.
In fact, it is a mitzvah to eat meat on Jewish holidays as a sign of celebration.
Yet what of the person who doesn't utilize those God-given gifts which make Man morally superior to the animal kingdom, and instead spends life doing much of the same activities as his four-legged counterparts? For him, there is no moral license to eat an animal simply because he has the power to do so. Hence, the Sages pronounce the ignoramus prohibited from eating meat.
In summary, it seems that while the ideal is for Man to be vegetarian, as were our ancestors in the Garden of Eden, there are dangers inherent in such a philosophy. Thus Man is allowed, even encouraged, to eat meat as a reminder of his superiority to the animal world, as reflected in his Divine soul.
It is not clear whether the world will return to its original utopian vegetarian state when the Messiah comes. But that’s a whole other discussion...
(25) Kelly, April 1, 2019 5:37 AM
Somewhat disagree w author
I agree with the comments that we don’t need to prove that we are superior to animals. The Earth has a natural balance without our ego. My other thought has ALWAYS been..what makes me deserve to live on a higher pedestal over animals other than the fact I was lucky enough to be born a human and they were unlucky enough to be born to be killed. So here’s this chicken born and here’s this baby born. You’re telling me the only reason the baby is luckier is because they have a soul? Animals can live and survive better on this Earth than humans. Wild dogs can dig a den, birds make a nest...but man cannot survive without having a negative impact on the Earth. I don’t believe that only man has a soul. I believe the Bible has been misinterpreted. We are all organic robots the way I see it. Just like the movies, they always make robots appear in mans image... as God made humans appear in his image. And why would God want us to live by faith. Why doesn’t he just make everything present and known instead of waiting for suffering to get so bad to come back. And people lived to 900 back in the Bible days and miricles were every day occurrences. Somewhere along the way something is being left out...
(24) Julie Lindur, March 25, 2019 11:54 AM
Vegetarianism/Carnivorism
To interpret the Bible we must have a clear mind. God made plant life, human animals and other animals, all of which were to eat the plant life. Other interpretations deny this was God’s reason for creation in that order. I believe God made all animals equal insofar as murderous death and suffering was prohibited for all creatures but man was given the gift of a superior brain.
(23) Richard, February 18, 2018 3:24 PM
I have a problem with the author's commentary
" Humans who rise above the physical world are on a much higher plane. And given this wide gap, taking the life of an animal for food is a natural extension of that human superiority." There are several issues! #1. The sanctity of life. One does NOT have to regard oneself as being EQUAL to animals to respect and preserve the lives of all of Hashem's creatures. Respecting life raises us above the animal kingdom precisely because we have a level of consciousness that they do not and we have choices! #2. It is precisely this which guides us NOT to kill animals for our own nutritional needs when we have such an abundance of non animal choices. If we don't have a choice, that is a different matter. Life is precious and we should preserve it when we are able and it does not result in a harmful situation such as wasps in ones garden (if you are allergic).
(22) sally, November 22, 2011 5:11 AM
question, who can answer?
I have trouble understanding, why, if men werent allowed to eat meat before Noah, was abel a shepherd. what for? and also, Rabbi Zauderer teaches us here that Cain's offer was rejected because he didnt understand the concept of men superiority, but that doesnt seem fair. who was there to teach him, and why punish him for not being smart enough??
(21) Raymond, October 4, 2011 7:24 PM
Thanks
Thanks for this insight. I didn't realize this. Very well written!
(20) Anonymous, October 4, 2011 3:55 AM
The article confuses healthful eating with animal rights with Judaism!
The author confuses eating healthfully with animal rights and tries to throw in some Judaism that is totally irrelevant! I am a religious Jew who is a vegetarian for HEALTH reasons. Medical science is continually proving that a plant-based diet is the most healthful one. Those countries whose diets are plant-based are far healthier than those who eat the typical American diet, and their disease rates skyrocket when the typical American diet is introduced to their culture. At the same time, I believe (and Judaism teaches) that animals are here to serve humans, and the greatest honor an animal can have is to be a carbon (offering). I wear fur, leather, and snakeskin boots, but I don't eat dead animals because they are not healthful. Just as I keep kosher to have a soul connection to Hashem, I eat living, vegetarian food (including faux chicken matzah ball soup) to keep my body healthy. In Judaism, the body is the temple of the neshama, so I'm obligated to keep it in as good shape as possible! Judaism also teaches respect for animals and mandates a lack of cruelty, but not that animals are equivalent to humans! These are the important points that should have been made.
(19) TMay, October 3, 2011 7:46 PM
thoughts
"And to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the sky, and to everything that moves on the earth, within which there is a living soul," It seems to me that what is being said is that animals and birds have living souls. Humans have living souls which is why Einstein argued that the soul dies when the human dies. I disagree with him. If humans were not eating animals then, why was Abel wasting his time being a shepherd? Were they already taking wool from sheep and turning it into clothing using looms? Really, Adam and Eve's children? Seems to me that it was a waste of time to me to be herding animals at that stage. Sacrifice to God doesn't make sense to me either. God gives you a beautiful live lamb and you kill it. "Here, God. The lamb is a miracle that it was born, born alive, and everything works, so I killed it. Enjoy." How about giving up profit as a sacrifice, keep the animal alive and pay for its room, board and medical bills and let it enjoy life, like the pardoned turkeys once a year, or donate to a zoo. There was a man in Holland who was saving animals who ran away from the slaughter house. He was trying to pay for the upkeep of cows, sheep, pigs. That is sacrifice. But I adore my pets. I looked it up in the Stone Edition Chumash and its interpretn is that humans and animals and birds all eat vegetarian. Humans have eye teeth for eating flesh and we have grinding teeth for vegetables. The fact that we can eat both, that we are omnivores, we share with rats, raccoons, bears. Our eyes face forward like a predator and not sideways like a deer nor cow. I do not buy that eating vegetarian makes one a superior person nor a compassionate person. Hitler was a vegetarian. I agree with Prager that PETA's Holocaust on a plate campaign lowers the value of humans, and Jews in particular, and does not raise the value of chickens. Everyone has a limit, even vegetarians. I think their live and let live attitude would stop at fleas, mosquitoes, wasps, and mold.
Rabbi Shraga Simmons, October 4, 2011 12:39 PM
everything has a higher purpose
Modern man will kill cows to satisfy a need for burgers and shoes. So if using animals is justified for physical benefit, then all the more so for spiritual benefit! (For the record, all offerings had a practical, physical benefit as well. The vast majority were eaten -- e.g. the Passover offering was roasted and eaten at every Seder table. Even with offerings that were burned, the animal’s leather was used by the kohanim.)
Lori, October 4, 2011 7:11 PM
Hitler was NOT a vegetarian
Recheck your information - Hitler was not a true vegetarian. He temporarily stopped eating meat upon medical recommendation due to digestive issues he was having, not because of a compassion for animals.
(18) Carole Hess, October 3, 2011 10:06 AM
missed the mark.....
The Creation story begins with God creating the heavens and the earth and all that is in it. It goes on to describe man's unique place in it all-- who he is in relation to the rest of creation: made in the Divine image; what this means: holding "sway" over the animal kingdom; what all of this life shares in common: the breath of life ; and what was given to all as food: the green plants. And all of this was pronounced by God as "very good." Are we together on this so far? Next came man's disobedience to his maker. He tried to hide, he tried to pass the blame on to Eve, she tried to blame the snake. As a result, the "very good" situation was broken and humans were cast out having failed to live up to who they were made to be. The rest of Torah and the prophets are concerned with repairing the breach as one disaster follows another, the first being Cain's murder of Abel. My Torah, the Alter translation, says only that the Lord "did not regard Cain and his offering". Like the story of Job, there is no explanation why. But with the rejection of the offering comes God's admonition: "Why are you incensed ...For whether you offer well or whether you do not, at the tent flap sin crouches and for you is its longing but you will rule over it." Cain ignores God's words and immediately murders his brother. We are only on chapter four of Genesis, and man who was made in the Divine Image, given sway over all of creation, has disregarded his Creators commands- going from disobedience to the shedding of blood. Fast forward to today. Our relationship to the earth and all of creation is parasitic, his food blood-soaked ( sorry- there's no way of removing it - koshering is an illusion to soothe a guilty conscience!) his environment becoming increasingly sucked dry. Why? One only needs to read the first four chapters of Genesis for the answer. The key to our survival is in Chapter one. You have no right or cause to declare humanity the pinnacle of creation.
Anonymous, October 4, 2011 12:41 PM
there is a hierarchy to all living forms
A tomato plant is not on the same level as a hummingbird. So too a chicken is not on the level of a person. It would be irresponsible of us to pretend otherwise, and not use all the available resources to raise our world to its highest possible plane.
Daniela, October 6, 2011 4:28 PM
To Carol
I think it would be very worth your while to read the series of articles on this web site called "Serpents of Desire - Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden". It will explain a great deal to you of why this article is indeed correct and how you are missing a great deal of information regarding the purpose of humans, animals and the sin Adam and Eve committed. Human beings are indeed the pinnacle of Creation.
(17) buzz alpert, October 3, 2011 4:16 AM
The joy of vegetarianism
I have been a vegetarian since 1985. A vegan vegetarian since 1991. I am 73. I still do push-ups, sit-ups, etc, run up stairs two at a time, carry 50 lb bags of birdseed, sleep 5 hours and explode with energy and have a 6 pack stomach. My doctor says it's my lifestyle. I don't smoke or drink or take illegal drugs. I am a former infantry sgt. in the Marines and spent 10 years fighting the Nazis & the Klan in Chicago's streets. I don't eat anything that lives because I have suffered many injuries & surgeries and I want nothing to suffer for my benefit. For me every meal is a celebration of life! I do not care to be superior to anyone or anything. Though I am not very religious I wonder what question the Master of the Universe would ask someone trying to enter heaven? I think He would say, "How have you treated my creation?" That would include the earth and all the things therein. I don't tell anyone to do what I do, but I don't have a freind my age who doesn't take multiple pills and could keep up with me physcially. Could you eat red meat in moderation? I'm sure, but we Americans stuff oursevles with it and ruin our health. Does my dog have a soul? I have no idea, but I know she's better and more decent than many people I know and see every day. If there is a heaven, and I have no idea either way, I would want my loyal friend there with me. Be assured I am not telling people to become a vegetarian, but in general vegetarians lived longer and healthier lives. And please don't forget that burger you eat had a mother & a father. That's a joke!
Anonymous, October 3, 2011 10:40 PM
THAN YOU !
Dear friend, thank you so much for your wonderful comment. I am sharing ALL points of view you shared. I am too a vegetarian since i was 12 and i am now 49. I too do not care to be superior to anything. I too have dogs and had dogs and share the same feelings. I do not eat my fellow brothers and sister in animal form. How cruel is this ? HOW PEOPLE WANT TO CLEAN UP THEIR BLOODY HANDS ? just keeping two fridges and two kitchen pots ??? We are not in need to kill to feed ourself nowadays and those who do so are doing it only out of sense gratification.Just for the "pleasure" of being superior. Thank you so much for sharing. May those of good heart recognise soon what they have to choose. X
Anonymous, October 4, 2011 12:45 PM
save the dog or the stranger?
Dennis Prager presents the ethical situation: If your dog was drowning, and a stranger was drowning, which one would you save? For those who would save their dog, I would argue that is part of the problem with our world today -- the lack of respect for fellow human beings as holy, elevated beings created in the image of God.
Skeptical, October 6, 2011 5:59 PM
Nazi regime fell in 1945
I don't understand your claim to have been a Marine fighting Nazis -- you would have been 6 when the war ended....
(16) Dan Brook, October 3, 2011 3:14 AM
The Vegetarian Mitzvah
"Man has a Divine soul, as opposed to animals which are purely physical beings" Yet, our Torah speaks of the animals also having nefesh chayim, living souls. While this is not to say that people and animals are equal in all ways, it is also not to say that people and animals are not equal in some ways and in this particular holy way. "the ideal is for [people] to be vegetarian" Yes, and we should all strive toward that ideal, just as we should strive toward other ideals. For more information on this fascinating subject, please visit The Vegetarian Mitzvah at www.brook.com/jveg. In short, while Jews are not required to be vegetarian, we have the choice and vegetarianism upholds various other mitzvot as well as the highest teachings and values in Judaism.
Anonymous, October 6, 2011 4:33 PM
"Living Soul"
In Jewish thought, when it says "Living Soul" it means "Animal Soul". We do indeed have this, as all animals do. But what we have that animals don't is a "Human Soul" which is sometimes called a "Speaking Soul". We have both. This is why we are not equal, but also why we have an obligation to act responsibly.
(15) Margarita, October 3, 2011 1:53 AM
eating meat
I think that it is a personal choice if people want to be vegetarians or not. for me this is personal and i do not believe that if eating animals would be wrong for us we would be instructed on how to slaughter them Kosher way. furthermore, i think it is disgraceful to compare animals to people, for there is a clear difference in it. furthermore, i think it is wrong to believe that just because one is vegetarian he /she is on a higher level in any way, for things are not that simple. for personal reasons i have changed my diet, but it does not make me a better or worth human being or Jew because of it. Kosher is a corner stone for me and i do believe that traiff food is really bad. as for how much healthier vegetarian food is - have we all forgotten what melons has done to us? or all the additives and chemicals that are added to it? please stop judging people and find the way to see and accept your fellow human, remembering that people are more important than animals.
(14) Rachel, October 3, 2011 1:21 AM
Vegetarianism is not always a philosophy
For many, it's a health necessity (certainly so for Pres. Clinton) While the article is interesting purely on the issue of Cain & Avel, I think it's a stretch to assume that those who follow special diets are doing it for philosophical reasons. And I've been complaining for years about the mentality at many kosher markets, which can be summed up as "It's kosher, what more do you want?" Well, actually, I also want to know if it contains transfats, is high in cholesterol, contains ingredients to which I'm allergic, etc. It seems that some assume that because we keep kosher because it's a mitzvah, that other diets are also based primarily on ethical choices -- an unfair assumption for the millions who have other reasons to say no to a kosher brisket or piece of chicken. And it's disturbing when one sees grossly obese Torah-observant people -- especially young people. Surely one can rejoice at the holidays & Shabbat while also eating moderately and getting enough exercise. Again, this is not about ethics nor aesthetics -- it's about health.
(13) Noam, October 3, 2011 12:45 AM
Misses the point of vegetarianism, and of Judaism
This article acknowledges that the Torah ideal is vegetarianism, and that the Torah is completely opposed to the horrific cruelty that is routine on the modern factory farms that produce our kosher meat. But then ignores these key points, instead trying to justify meat-eating. But this is the crux: unless you feel that going veg will make you more likely to murder people, you should not be eating meat. A look at vegetarian societies around the world shows that respect for all life does not come at the expense of respect for human life. On the contrary, teaching compassion for animals builds a muscle that makes people more likely to show compassion for their fellow humans, too. Indeed, eating meat has done the opposite, leading us to completely ignore our Jewish obligations of consideration for animals, resulting in atrocities on a massive scale: animals by the billions routinely starved, mutilated, beaten to death, scalded to death, living in their own filth, and worse. Sins that continue to be ignored by most religious Jews. It has made us callous, putting selfish desires ahead of moral imperatives. If the author's point is that we should all be vegetarian, but remember that the life of a human who follows the Torah is worth more than the life of an animal, then fine, few would disagree. But if this is an apology for eating meat in spite of the terrible cruelty involved, forbidden by Jewish law, then he has missed the point of vegetarianism entirely. (By the way, the author mischaracterizes PETA's Holocaust exhibit, for which they have apologized)
tova Saul, October 3, 2011 2:37 PM
bravo
well said
Anonymous, October 4, 2011 12:48 PM
rights and responsibilities
I don't think that "going veg will make you more likely to murder people." But on one level it leaves open a possibility that a person could begin to have a misplaced sense of humanity's rights and responsibilities vis a vis the rest of the world.
(12) Anonymous, October 2, 2011 9:48 PM
how can we heal the world and kill it at the same time?
As a vegetarian I must say that sure as humans, we are superior to animals. We have intellect and abilities that they do not possess. This is why we should not harm them! It should be our job to protect the animals of this world as well as the world itself. That is part of our mission. That is how we heal the world. How can we even begin to heal the world and bring Moschiach if we kill G-d's creatures?
Anonymous, October 4, 2011 12:49 PM
distinction between use and abuse
It's important to make a distinction between use and abuse. The question becomes increasingly difficult as one considers Judaism's position on care and concern toward animals. Beyond the general biblical prohibition against causing pain to animals ("Tzar Baalei Chaim"), there is a whole list of mitzvot designed for the protection of animals, including: to unload a donkey whose load is too heavy, to give your animal a day off of work on Shabbat, not to muzzle an animal when working in the field (i.e. don't prevent it from eating what it sees), and many others. In fact, according to the Code of Jewish law, it is even forbidden for to sit down to dinner before feeding your pet.
(11) Rina Deych, RN, October 2, 2011 6:20 PM
Veganism More Kosher
Part 2: My grandfather, a Tzadik, and one of the first kosher butchers in Boro Park, Brooklyn, in the 1920s, rescued many cats, dogs, and birds. We had homeless people living in our house, too, until my grandfather could help them get jobs and their own SROs. Since the age of 8, I would ask my grandfather about how the animals were treated and killed. He always assured me that they are given wonderful lives and die painless deaths, with the swiftest stroke of the sharpest blade. I believed him and continued to eat meat into my adulthood. One day, my grandfather had to visit a slaughterhouse. He came home and could not stop crying about what he’d seen. He gave up his business and stopped eating meat. Compassion is compassion. I became a nurse 32 years ago because I could not stand to see anyone suffer, without doing something to help alleviate that suffering. I became a vegetarian for the same reason 27 years ago, after seeing the Animals Film, which showed scenes from slaughterhouses, fur farms, and other animal exploitative industries. The Torah was written before the advent of factory farms or CAFOs (Confined Animal Feeding Operations). Back then, there weren’t so many people on the planet, nor did the population consume meat three times per day, like the meat industry promotes nowadays. Animals live in awful, squalid conditions and die horrifically painful deaths all for our palates. Eating their meat, along with the antibiotics, hormones, steroids, and pesticide residues that have been fed to them, is unhealthy for human consumption, contributing to cardiovascular, renal, endocrine diseases, and many forms of cancer. Additionally, animal agriculture is responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than all forms of transportation, combined. So please, do tell, Rabbi Zauderer, which would appear to be the Halachically superior diet (“superiority” issues aside)? Rina Deych, RN / Vegan Nurse
Tova Saul, October 3, 2011 3:38 AM
Bravo
Best comment ever.
Anonymous, October 4, 2011 12:52 PM
a kosher life demands ethical responsibility
There is a mitzvah concerning the protection of animals which relates to your comment. This is the prohibition of muzzling an animal when working in the field, thereby preventing it from eating what it sees. The Sages explain that animals derive pleasure from the act of eating, and muzzling unjustly deprives them of that basic pleasure. Based on this, Rabbi Feinstein forbade feeding animals chemicals in place of food, since this would deprive them of the pleasure of eating. ("Igros Moshe" EH 4:92) Interestingly, animals which are raised in cramped conditions and fed chemicals are frequently found to be NOT Kosher, due to various problems and disease found in the organs of these animals.
(10) Rina Deych, RN, October 2, 2011 6:18 PM
Veganism More Kosher
Part 1: It would seem the Rabbi Zauderer has a terribly distorted anthropocentric fixation, possibly stemming from some inherent insecurity. What else can explain this obsession with maintaining some kind of moral “superiority” over non-human animals? Along with our so-called superior intelligence, we have learned how to create bigger, more lethal ways of destroying the planet and all life on it. Conversely, animals, in their “soul-less inferiority” know how to live in harmony with and tread lightly on the planet. Reading this piece makes it clear to me that we, as a species, are spiritually in our larval stage of evolution. Why is there this common misconception that there needs to be a contest between the interests of humans and the interests of other animals?
Anon, November 13, 2019 6:14 AM
I get it: you're not superior to animals, only to the people who consider themselves superior to animals.
Your last sentence puts animals on par with people by implying that people are animals (and animals are "other animals"). This is exactly the wrong attitude the rabbi drew our attention to in this article. It's like the mother who calls her pet her "other child." That's just sick.
As far as the planet, by all means save the planet. No one is arguing about that. You've conflated two separate issues.
(9) Andrea, October 2, 2011 6:12 PM
highly illogical
This is absolutely wrong. We all know we were created vegan, but some people still try to give all kinds of empty excuses to go on eating corpses. I find this highly illogical, as well as really cruel to our brothers and sisters -animals... but we mustn't forget that we are ALL animals (if not, what are we? Are we plants? Are we minerals? Are we bacteria, fungus or any kind of seaweed? I don't think so...). This rabbi should think about himself and listen to his REAL Divine Spark, and see the Eye of God and really feel what it feels to be in His Presence. When any human being does this, he/she NEVER eats meat again, NEVER kills another being, and of course starts seeing the world in a completely different way... So, why don't we all try it? Want PEACE? Go vegan! Want Justice? Go vegan! Want the Messiah to come soon? GO VEGAN! That's what God is waiting for!!
semi-vegetarian, December 17, 2018 12:45 AM
We are souls, not animals.
You're providing a good example of the rabbi's comment that some mistakenly think that "man and beast are equal" and animals are entitled to equal rights. While animals must be properly cared for, they are not our brothers and sisters, and we humans are not animals. We are neshamot (souls); we have been placed in bodies in order to fulfill our purpose in this world, a purpose that involves growth and connection to Hashem and to other humans; that does not make us animals, as we have capacities well beyond theirs. Choose veganism if you feel that is the path for you, but don't impose it on others who may choose differently.
(8) richard, October 2, 2011 4:59 PM
This article seems too black or white. In life we have choices.
Perhaps I am an ignoramus! While mankind clearly has metaphysical characteristics that we have not observed in the animal or vegetable world, we are endowed with free will and the ability to make choices. All of creation is a miracle! With all of our knowledge and experience, we cannot create the simplest of edible foods from scratch without a pre existing template. Just because we are surrounded by miracles and we are, potentially the highest on the scale of living creatures ( although some might argue that point), We can still choose what to ingest. If we are surrounded by plenty, we can choose what will cause the least harm in satisfying our dietary requirements. If our choices are limited, than we can move up the food chain. In my view, the author has simplified the issue to promote a limited point of view.
(7) Anonymous, October 2, 2011 4:53 PM
I hate this!
As a vegetarian and orthodox jew I am very upset that this article conveys the belief that eating animals is a good thing. it can never be right to eat a living creature. far from elevating the neshama it lowers it to the physical level instead of the spiritual. How can eating an animal corpse be holy? it is mans weakness that makes him do it. There is no spirituality in this weakness. It is horrible.
(6) Alyza, October 2, 2011 4:43 PM
It is not a mitzvah if it harms your health
I eat chicken only twice a year, the rest of the year I abstain. Why? Because if I don't my health is harmed. My cholesterol rises and I have chest pains. I know I am superior to animals, but for me eating them goes against the mitzvah to guard my health.
(5) Amy, October 2, 2011 4:21 PM
Cain and Abel in the Garden of Eden?
It was my understanding that Cain and Abel were not conceived until after Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden. I, therefore, don't understand the author's references to C and A in the Garden.
Dovid Zauderer, October 3, 2011 1:30 PM
My Mistake
You are indeed correct - Cain and Abel were born after their parents were expelled from the Garden of Eden (see Genesis 3:23-4:2). That doesn't take away from the main point ... which was that from Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden until the Flood, all of mankind was forbidden to eat meat, so that Cain and Abel would have been vegetarians.
(4) Gila Manolson, October 2, 2011 3:48 PM
OK, but...
So my reaction would be: OK, eat meat, but only infrequently (for health and environmental reasons), only organic (also for health reasons), and only free range (or "humane"--for animal welfare reasons). Better yet, skip eating meat and wear leather if you need a reminder of the difference between humans and animals. Refusing to eat animals whose lives were a living animal hell (as in today's factory farms), whose production is catastrophic for the environment, and whose flesh contains high levels of pesticide residues, antibiotics, and growth hormones is keeping the mitzvot of not causing pain to animals, caring for the environment, and guarding ones' health. I can do that and still find plenty of ways to recognize that animals aren't on a par with humans.
(3) Carol, October 2, 2011 3:37 PM
Lions are naturally carnivorous, unlike humans. Carnivorous animals differ physiologically from humans in that they have sharp teeth and claws, short intestines, have thick fur and sleep at least 16 hours a day to preserve body heat. Humans and herbivores do not have these characteristics. Before the flood, humans lived very long lives, contrasted with much shorter life spans after meat was permitted, Not only is meat unnatural as food for humans, but heart disease, artheriosclerosis, cancer, and a myriad of other conditions and diseases are directly attributable to eating flesh. Tthe rampant obesity among us belie the argument that meat is eatened for protein. I have yet to meet someone who measures the recommended serving size, and gout is attributed to excess protein. The dangerous additives in cold cuts outweigh any possible nutrition. In addition, the vast amount of energy and cropland required to feed cattle could be used to end starvation in the world. Most people would not be willing to slaughter their own food . I've witnessed schechita and don't find it humane. I for one, could not slaughter a chicken or cow to satiate my taste buds and to expect someone else to do what is repulsive to me is hypocritical. Rabbi Yehuda the Prince stated that the obligation to eat meat for simcha only applied when the Temple was in existence, and afterwards it should be done with wine.
(2) Tova Saul, October 2, 2011 3:10 PM
What does one have to do with the other?
Anyone with their head screwed on straight understands that people have a Divine spark and free will that separates us from the animal world. How does it follow, as this article says, that therefore we must eat them? Just because someone's a vegetarian, it in no way means that they therefore believe that people and animals are the same thing, for heaven's sake. It just means they have their good reasons for not eating it. I am always amazed at Shabbat tables when some of the men ridicule or tease someone who is not joining in the meat fest at the table. I've come to the conclusion that these men want to feel that they are extra good Jews, but at the same time are threatened at the idea that maybe they shouldn't indulge in so much meat (given the hell the industry causes to billions of animals per year and the awesome destruction to ecosystems and wildlife it causes). These men therefore have a defensive mechanism that compels them to attack vegetarians at the table, rather than face their own inner guilt that maybe----just maybe----they shouldn't be eating so much of it, if at all, in this day and age of factory farming and wiping out of other species as a result of creating pastureland. And I believe that Hashem gives vegetarians brownie points. And----Hashem would never COMMAND us to eat meat. It's not a Torah law, like many would have us believe.
Jeffrey Cohan, October 3, 2011 1:52 AM
Kol HaKavod to Tova!
Some animals eat other animals. Eating meat lowers us to the level of those carnivorous animals. The Torah is quite clear on this point: Vegetarianism is the preferred form of kashrut.
(1) Anonymous, October 2, 2011 12:33 PM
Very interesting, Rabbi Z!
Great to see an article on here by such a rad Rabbi. :o) Write more ok?! I waver on turkey and red meat depending on how succulent it is and how my tummy's doing...so just reserving it for high holidays seems to work. Hope that's cool. - Shana Tova!!