Treatment of Animals
Level: Intermediate |
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"Herod also got together a great quantity of wild beasts,
and of lions in very great abundance, and of such other beasts as were either
of uncommon strength or of such a sort as were rarely seen. These were trained
either to fight one with another, or men who were condemned to death were
to fight with them. And truly foreigners were greatly surprised and delighted
at the vast expenses of the shows, and at the great danger of the spectacles,
but to the Jews it was a palpable breaking up of those customs for which
they had so great a veneration." -Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews.
A righteous man knows the soul of his animal - Proverbs
12:10
Judaism places great stress on proper treatment of animals. Unnecessary cruelty
to animals is strictly forbidden, and in many cases, animals are accorded
the same sensitivity as human beings. This concern for the welfare of animals
is unusual in Western civilization. Most civilized nations did not accept
this principle until quite recently; cruelty to animals was not outlawed
until the 1800s, and even now it is not taken very seriously.
The primary principle behind the treatment of animals in Jewish law is preventing
tza'ar ba'alei chayim, the suffering of living creatures. Judaism expresses
no definitive opinion as to whether animals actually experience physical
or psychological pain in the same way that humans do; however, Judaism has
always recognized the link between the way a person treats animals and the
way a person treats human beings. A person who is cruel to a defenseless
animal will undoubtedly be cruel to defenseless people. Modern psychology
confirms this understanding, with many studies finding a relationship between
childhood animal cruelty and adult criminal violence. Sadly, the converse
is not always true: Hitler loved animals; PETA wrote a
letter to Arafat telling him,
when he wants to blow up a bus full of Israelis, could he please not hurt
a donkey to do it.
In the Bible, those who care for animals are heroes, while those who hunt
animals are villains. Jacob,
Moses and King David were all shepherds, people
who cared for animals (Gen. 30, Ex. 31, I Sam. 17). The
Talmud specifically states that Moses was chosen
for his mission because of his skill in caring for animals. "The Holy One,
Blessed Be He, said 'Since you are merciful to the flock of a human being,
you shall be the shepherd of My flock, Israel.'" Likewise
Rebecca was chosen as a wife for
Isaac because of her kindness to animals. When
Abraham's servant asked for water for himself,
she volunteered to water his camels as well, and thereby proved herself a
worthy wife (Gen. 24).
On the other hand, the two hunters in the Bible, Nimrod and
Esau, are both depicted as villains. The Talmud
tells the story of a great rabbi,
Judah Ha-Nasi, who was punished with years
of pain because he was insensitive to the fear of a calf being led to slaughter.
In the Torah, humanity is given dominion over
animals (Gen. 1:26), which gives us the right to use animals for legitimate
needs. Animal flesh can be consumed for food; animal skins can be used for
clothing. The Torah itself must be written on parchment (animal hides), as
must mezuzah scrolls, and
tefillin must be made out of leather.
However, dominion does not give us the right to cause indiscriminate pain
and destruction. We are permitted to use animals in this way only when there
is a genuine, legitimate need, and we must do so in the manner that causes
the animal the least suffering. Kosher
slaughtering is designed to be as fast and painless as possible, and
if anything occurs that might cause pain (such as a nick in the slaughtering
knife or a delay in the cutting), the flesh may not be consumed. Hunting
for sport is strictly prohibited, and hunting and trapping for legitimate
needs is permissible only when it is done in the least painful way possible.
Under Jewish law, animals have some of the same
rights as humans do. Animals rest on Shabbat,
as humans do (Ex. 20:10). We are forbidden to muzzle an ox while it is working
in the field (Deut. 25:4), just as we must allow human workers to eat from
the produce they are harvesting (Deut. 23:25-26). They can partake of the
produce from fields lying fallow during the sabbatical year (Ex. 23:11).
Several commandments demonstrate concern for the physical or psychological
suffering of animals. We may not plow a field using animals of different
species (Deut. 22:10), because this would be a hardship to the animals. We
are required to relieve an animal of its burden, even if we do not like its
owner, do not know its owner, or even if it is ownerless (Ex. 23:5; Deut.
22:4). We are not permitted to kill an animal in the same day as its young
(Lev. 22:28), and are specifically commanded to send away a mother bird when
taking the eggs (Deut 22:6-7), because of the psychological distress this
would cause the animal. In fact, the Torah specifically says that a person
who sends away the mother bird will be rewarded with long life, precisely
the same reward that is given for honoring mother and father (Ex. 20:12;
Deut. 5:16), and indeed for observing the whole Torah (Deut. 4:40). This
should give some indication of the importance of this law.
We are permitted to violate Shabbat to a limited
extent to rescue an animal in pain or at risk of death. For example, we can
move them if they are in pain, move objects that we would not otherwise be
permitted to touch to relieve their pain, we may give them medicine, and
we may ask non-Jews to do things that would violate Shabbat to help a suffering
animal.
In the Talmud, the
rabbis further dictated that a person may not
purchase an animal unless he has made provisions to feed it, and a person
must feed his animals before he feeds himself (interpreting Deut. 11:15).
Jewish law does not prohibit keeping pets, and indeed many observant Jews
have dogs, cats or other household pets, though Jewish law does raise some
complications for pet owners.
As with all animals, we are required to feed our pets before ourselves, and
make arrangements for feeding our pets before we obtain them. Also, like
all animals, household pets are entitled to Sabbath rest, thus you cannot
have your dog retrieve the paper for you on
Shabbat, etc.
Some sources consider pets are considered to be muktzeh, within the category
of objects that cannot be handled on Shabbat. I haven't been able to get
a clear idea of what exactly is and is not permitted with an animal on Shabbat.
I have seen several sources say that walking a dog is permitted, but if an
animal runs away on Shabbat, it is not permitted to trap the animal.
It is permissible to feed non-kosher food to
pets, as long as you do not consume it yourself. This falls under the general
rule that it is permissible to use products of non-kosher animals as long
as you don't eat them; for example, it is permissible to use a toothpaste
that contains non-kosher ingredients as long as the toothpaste is not fit
for human consumption, and it is permissible to wear gloves made from pig
suede. However, it is not permissible to derive any benefit from a mixture
of meat and dairy; therefore, any food you feed your pet cannot contain both
meat and dairy.
Similarly, during Pesach, there are rules for
pets, but they are not as strict as for people. It is impermissible to have
any chametz (leavened grain products) in your home, or to derive any benefit
from chametz, thus you cannot use chametz to feed your pets. However, you
can feed your pets food that contains kitniyot.
Star-K's website usually has a good list
of KFP pet foods when the time comes. You can also feed your pets Passover
table scraps, and you can feed matzah meal or farfel to feed fish or rodents.
I used to have a hamster who loved Passover: carrot and potato peelings,
celery tips, and all the matzah farfel he could eat! If you cannot find suitable
food, you must temporarily sell the pets to a non-Jew, as you temporarily
sell your other chametz to a non-Jew during the holiday.
It is a violation of Jewish law to neuter a pet.
The Torah prohibits castrating males of any
species (Lev. 22:24). Although this law does not apply to neutering female
pets, neutering of females is prohibited by general laws against tza'ar ba'alei
chayim (causing suffering to animals). Please note that, while the law prohibits
you from neutering your pet, it does not prohibit you from owning a pet that
is already neutered. If you want a neutered pet, I strongly encourage you
to adopt from one of the many reputable shelters, such as
Spay and Save (where I adopted
one of my cats), Kitty Cottage
or the Delaware Humane Association.
I also heard a amusing story about an Orthodox Jewish woman who gave her
unaltered female cat birth control pills, but I don't know how much truth
there is to that story. It certainly would not be a violation of Jewish law
to do so.
It is a violation of the general prohibition against tza'ar ba'alei chayim
to have your pet physically altered in any way without a genuine, legitimate
need. For example, declawing cats and docking the ears or tails of dogs are
forbidden. Again, there is no law against owning an animal in this condition,
so you should look into adopting from a shelter if you want such an animal.
The cat that I adopted from Spay and
Save was neutered and declawed by her previous owner.
The vegetarian diet was considered the ideal for humanity. Note that in Genesis
1:29, G-d gives humanity all fruits and vegetables for food, but no meat.
Meat is not permitted until after the Flood (Gen. 9:3). Even offerings before
that time did not involve the death of animals: a traditional midrash indicates
that Abel and Cain's offerings (Gen. 4) were wool and flax.
Certainly, a vegetarian diet simplifies the process of keeping
kosher, as it eliminates the need to separate
meat and dairy! In fact, I once heard a joke about a vegan who decided to
keep kosher, but he thought it was too easy for him, so he designated certain
vegetables "meat" and certain vegetables "dairy," and certain vegetables
"pareve," and he wouldn't eat them together! Most vegetarian foods are kosher;
in fact, many vegetarians who do not keep kosher rely on kosher certifications
to make sure that the foods they buy are vegetarian! Beans, grains, fruits,
vegetables, and dairy products can all be eaten and in any combination, though
you should seek reliable kosher certification to make sure that they weren't
prepared on the same equipment as non-kosher food and that they don't have
any hidden non-kosher ingredients.
It is traditional to eat meat to celebrate on Shabbat and festivals, but
it is not a requirement. There is no holiday or observance for which it is
a mitzvah (commandment) to eat meat, and most
symbolic foods eaten for holidays are not meat. In fact, on
Shavu'ot, it is traditional to eat dairy meals
(which could not be eaten with meat). Meat is a traditional part of Shabbat
and festival meals to make them more festive, but as long as you eat something
special, something out of the ordinary, that should be sufficient to create
the necessary festive atmosphere.
The one area that may cause concern for vegetarians is the use of animal
parts for ritual purposes. The Torah is written
on parchment (animal skins), as are the scrolls in a
mezuzah and the
tefillin. The tefillin are made of leather.
The shofar blown at Rosh Hashanah is a ram's
horn. Jewish law requires all of this. What is a religiously observant vegetarian
to do? The Jewish vegetarian website
JewishVeg points out that
only a very small number of animals are used for this purpose, and also notes
that Jewish law allows us to make these ritual items using animals that died
of natural causes (though no one is currently advertising that they are doing
so -- an overlooked business opportunity?) Also keep in mind: the animal
products currently used are merely a byproduct of the vastly larger meat
industry. If there comes a time when the meat industry does not provide
sufficient byproducts, you may find more Jewish ritual objects made from
animals that died of natural causes.
© Copyright 5756-5767 (1995-2007), Tracey
R Rich
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