Feeding the Children of Abraham:

Judaism has a history of concern and compassion for animals that may well be an integral part of the faith. Several key figures in the history of Judaism may have risen to prominence at least partially due to their treatment of animals. Most notable is the person of Moses, giver of the Torah and one of Judaism's greatest prophets. An interesting Midrash (rabbinic interpretation of scripture) illustrates the importance of Moses's compassion to animals as a factor in his selection by Yahweh.

While our teacher Moses was tending the sheep of Jethro in the wilderness, a kid ran away from him. He ran after it until it reached Hasuah. Upon reaching Hasuah, it came upon a pool of water [whereupon] the kid stopped to drink. When Moses reached it, he said, "I did not know you were running because [you were] thirsty. You must be tired." He placed it on his shoulder and began to walk. The Holy One, blessed be He, said, "You are compassionate in leading flocks belonging to mortals; I swear you will similarly shepherd my flock, Israel." (Exodus Rabbah 2:2)

This Midrash, then, seems to indicate the selection of Moses as Judaism's greatest rabbi, leader, and prophet came about not only because of his rhetorical skills, strength in battle, or intelligence, but because of his compassionate actions towards animals.¹¹ In fact, these other attributes seem to be overshadowed by this particular act of kindness.

A similar Midrash also circulates about David, king of Israel and Judah. Much as Moses was chosen to shepherd the people of Israel as he did his sheep, David was also selected to care for the Jewish people because of his kind treatment of his non-human flock. Tradition relates David first allowed the smaller sheep to graze upon the tender grass, then sent the old sheep to eat the ordinary grass, and finally allowed the young, vigorous sheep to feed upon the tougher grass.¹² Like the Midrash concerning Moses, this story illustrates not just the wisdom and justice of David, but also the kind effort he devoted to his sheep.

Similar stories exist involving a variety of great Jewish figures. Noah, Jacob, and Joseph all earn praise for the kindness and concern they bestow the animals in their care. Rebecca (unknowingly) proved her suitability as a wife for Isaac when she gave water to Eliezer, then ran to water his camels as well.¹³ In all of these cases, the person earns special recognition for their treatment of animals, over and above their other positive traits.

In addition to the previous accounts of famous Jewish personages, there are also several rabbinical stories that express a strong concern for animals. One of the most popular, about Rabbi Judah the Prince, exists in several forms. The essence of each is similar to the following.

A calf being led to slaughter thrust his head in Rabbi Judah's sleeve and wept as if begging for refuge. Rabbi Judah said to the calf, "Go! For this [slaughter] were you destined (or created)." Because Rabbi Judah lacked compassion, he was punished with a painful illness. One day his servant was about to sweep out a litter of kittens from their corner. Rabbi Judah told her to leave them alone, saying, "It is written: 'And God has compassion for all His creatures.'" His illness ended exactly at that moment. (Bava Metzia 85a)¹⁴

Additional stories abound. Rabbi Israel Salanter did not show up to recite the Kol Nidre prayer one Yom Kippur eve. It was soon learned he had happened upon a neighbor's calf and led it home; this act of mercy was his Yom Kippur prayer. One rabbi was beaten after he freed some caged birds, another chose to celebrate the Sabbath stuck in a muddy road, rather than drive his carriage's horses to death.¹⁵

Underlying all of these stories, of both the Jewish heroes and rabbis, is the concept of tsa'ar ba'alei chayim, the Jewish injunction not to cause pain to any living creature. The absolute origin of this teaching is unclear. Some, including Maimonides and Rabbi Judah ha-Hasid, think it is a biblical teaching, originating in Numbers 22:32, "Wherefore hast thou (Balaam) smitten thine ass?"¹⁶ Others cite different Torah passages and some see its origin in an oral teaching given to Moses at Sinai.¹⁷ In any case, its importance here is that it clearly shows an established Jewish concern for animals. From this concern we can then find and put forward ethical arguments for Jewish vegetarianism.

Activists should be aware that the spirit and application of tsa'ar ba'alei chayim is also some matter of debate. Some feel that the command to cause no pain to animals arises out of a concern for humans, not animals. Like some philosophers and theologians of other systems, these Jewish thinkers see anti-cruelty prohibitions as an effort to prevent human degeneracy and cruelty to other humans.¹⁸ While there may be some indication in various religious texts for this position, many others point to what could be called the inherent value of animals. Maimonides writes, "...all the other beings (non-human animals) too have been intended for their own sakes, and not for the sake of something else."¹⁹ A modern rabbi points out that animals worship and praise their Creator as members of a "universal chorus" with humans.²⁰ Furthermore, animals have been included in all of the covenantal statements between God and the Israelites.²¹ If these examples don't definitively prove tsa'ar ba'alei chayim originates in a concern for the animals themselves, they certainly make a strong case for such belief.
Vegetarianism has quite a long history in Judaism. Jewish tradition has long held that the Edenic period was a time of vegetarianism.²² This idea originates in the first chapter of Genesis, as follows:

God said, "See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food." And it was so. (Genesis 1:29, NRSV)

So the original commandment, the original kashrut, is for a completely vegetarian diet²³. But this diet did not last. The first change came with the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. Humanity's disobedience to God brought about a host of changes, among them a modification in the original diet. People were now commanded to toil in the fields, adding grains and other field plants to their diet (Genesis 3:17-19). This is an important point: even though humanity had committed a serious wrong, the change in their diet did not include meat. So while the banishment from Eden was a profound event, it was not enough to negate Yahweh's command of a vegetarian diet.

This vegetarian diet was not negated until the time of Noah. Human wickedness had increased dramatically. People were not only eating meat, but were even tearing the limbs off of live animals for food. Yahweh allowed Noah to eat meat at this point as a response to this worldly situation. God provides Noah with the minimum acceptable guidance for the time: tearing off the limbs of animals is forbidden.²⁴ God does not put meat-eating forward as a commandment, but rather grants it as a concession to human wickedness.²⁵ The restrictions placed on Noah, while far from God's original wish, were at least an attempt at restricting the suffering caused to animals by others at the time.

A final dietary shift, or attempt at a change anyway, occurs as the Israelites are wandering in the desert. Yahweh sends them down a heavenly food called manna. Designed to please the palate and to provide nutrition, this vegetarian food (it was said to resemble coriander seed) was soon rejected by the Israelites who begged for meat. To satisfy their lust for flesh, God sent quails to the Israelites, "But while the meat was still between their teeth, before it was consumed, the anger of the Lord was kindled against the people and the Lord struck the people with a very great plague." (Num. 11:33, NRSV) Some Jewish thinkers see this final episode as God's last attempt (until the Messianic period in some reads) to return the Israelites to the original vegetarian diet, and see the plague as a sign of the negative consequences of eating meat.²⁶

There is, then, some compelling historical evidence for Jewish vegetarianism. It appears to have been the original diet, divinely mandated by God, and one to which he wanted His people to return. Only the utter failure of humans to keep to the diet compelled God to grant the concession of meat-eating. Though these examples seem fairly clear, they are not well-known or mentioned nowadays. More obvious to both Jews and non-Jews alike is another Jewish dietary code, the kosher laws.

Kosher means "fit to eat" and refers to meat slaughtered according to a specific Jewish method and of certain, acceptable animals. The proper method of slaughter, shechitah, involves the slitting of the animal's throat with a razor-sharp knife, and is performed by a specially trained, religiously pious Jewish butcher. Permitted animals are those with cloven hooves who chew their cud (there are also special qualifications for fish and birds). The kosher laws have biblical origins, and were further expounded in postbiblical Jewish law. There is no consensus among Jews as to the purpose of the kosher laws; most Jews who continue to observe them see the issue as a divine mandate from God, to be followed for that, if no other purpose. ²⁷

Several points regarding kosher law are important for our discussion. Perhaps most obvious is the problem of reconciling tsa'ar ba'alei chayim with the practice of slaughtering animals for food. Most Jews, in fact, see shechitah slaughter as a form of tsa'ar ba'alei chayim. In keeping with the Noachic law forbidding the dismembering of animals and their attendant suffering, shechitah is seen as a humane method of obtaining permissible meat. Research seems to support the notion that shechitah, at least when performed by highly competent butchers, does lead to a quick and relatively painless death.²⁸

But many animal rights activists find fault with shechitah for a variety of reasons. Some have argued that shechitah may well have been the most humane manner of slaughter in the past, but suggest that current methods like the use of the captive bolt pistol render animals instantly insensible, and is therefore in better keeping with tsa'ar ba'alei chayim.²⁹ However, both methods are subject to abuse, whether through the improper cutting procedure of a poor shochet (ritual butcher) or through poorly aimed use of the captive bolt by slaughterhouse workers. As the number of animals slaughtered increases, the sheer pace of killing can cause both ritual and secular methods of slaughter to stray from any humane intent they may have originally held.

There is a larger problem for Jewish shechitah aside from the suffering at the time an animal's throat is cut. Because of hygiene laws, shechitah cannot be performed on the ground as has been traditionally been done. Instead, the slaughter must be accomplished with the animal suspended off of the ground in the typical slaughterhouse manner. But where the animals are normally electrically stunned before being hoisted, animals killed by shechitah methods are shackled and hoisted while fully conscious. These animals suffer tremendous pain, often breaking bones and the spirit of shechitah and tsa'ar ba'alei chayim in the process³⁰. But Orthodox law calls for the animal to be "healthy and moving at the time of slaughter" and thus prevents stunning.³¹ This law of ensuring animals were mobile and healthy was probably intended to guard against eating the meat of sick, diseased animals. But in the current situation it seems that there would be no difference health-wise between a fully conscious animal and one stunned and slaughtered immediately; maintaining this practice seems to be more an exercise in literalness than in reducing animal suffering.

This issue is particularly susceptible to reform because alternative methods of kosher slaughter have been available for nearly 35 years. While a larger number of slaughterhouses use these more humane devices, especially in Jewish communities outside the United States, many more do not.³² Knowing that ritual slaughter will continue, at least in the near future, activists must work for the bare minimum on the issue: an end to shackle and hoisting methods of kosher slaughter.

One caveat on the issue of kosher slaughter. Animals rights activists must be very cautious to avoid any actions that could be taken as anti-Semitic. There have been many instances in the past, especially in Europe, of collusion between animal activists and racist or anti-Semitic groups.³³ To be fair, the animal activists were typically unaware of the aims of their allies. However, this is no consolation to the Jews who were targeted and may have left a tendency to view future attempts to control or refine shechitah as anti-Semitic as well. Perhaps the best way for activists to avoid this pitfall is through a better understanding of shechitah and its purpose. Activists should keep in mind the humane intent of the shechitah process, and recognize its altruistic underpinnings. The following anecdote underlines the seriousness Jews attach to shechitah.

...someone asked, "How did he do? (the new shochet)" One of the men sighed. "What's the matter? Didn't he recite the prayers?" "He did." "Didn't he sharpen the knife?" "He did." "Didn't he moisten the blade?" "He did." "What was wrong then?" "Well," the man said, "our old shochet used to moisten the blade with his tears."³⁴

For most people passionately concerned about the lives of animals changing methods of slaughter will not be enough. The next step then is to promote vegetarianism among Jews. The kosher laws can be a potent force in the advocacy of vegetarianism. The ease with which Jews can remain kosher through vegetarianism and the "unkosherness" of the kosher meat industry are the two points activists will find most useful.

Activists have several areas they can address in considering "unkosher" kosher meat. The first is particularly valuable because of its appeal to Orthodox and Conservative Jews, who are typically concerned with upholding traditional, literal interpretations of Judaism. As we have seen earlier, shechitah and kosher law attempt to provide for the humane slaughter of food animals. From their inception these teachings have existed in stark contrast to the previous practice of mutilating live animals, as well as other forms of cruelty to animals. Few Jews today probably know just how often these proscriptions are being violated in current slaughter practice.

Chickens are especially mutilated in today's intensive factory farming systems. These birds are "debeaked", that is, they have a portion of their beaks sliced off with a hot blade. Contrary to the claims of many poultry producers this process is far from painless and can cause blisters, burns, and permanent growths and deformities. Poultry also often have their toes, wattles, and combs cut off.³⁵

Cattle also suffer similar disfigurement and mutilation. Most cattle are typically dehorned, branded, and castrated. Some ranchers also cut or notch the ears of their cattle for easy recognition. All of these procedures are typically performed without anesthetics and are quite painful to the animals.³⁶ Both cows and chickens suffer painful mutilation at the hands of agribusiness, and in violation of shechitah and tsa'ar ba'alei chayim. Clearly, meat from animals raised this way should not be considered kosher.³⁷

There is another crystalline violation of kosher rules which should be pointed out. In the discussion of stunning it was hinted at that shackling and hoisting was a violation of Jewish law and humane considerations. Not only do we recognize that the pain and terror of shackling and hoisting is contrary to Jewish precepts against unnecessary suffering, but it also produces meat that is blemished. Meat must be free of blemishes to qualify as kosher, yet half of the shackled and hoisted cattle have their legs bruised, and one to ten percent have their legs broken.³⁸ Even though this practice seems to be a blatant violation of kosher laws, some American rabbinical authorities still feel the meat is permissible.³⁹ There can be little foundation for such belief, especially in light of rabbinical prohibition of stunning. It seems rather arbitrary that stunning should be rejected as a violation of Jewish law, but that the more grievous violation that comes through shackling and hoisting should be allowed.

If we go a little further from strictly literal interpretations of kosher law and shechitah we will see that most modern agribusiness practices violate the spirit and intent of these religious laws. One clear example of such a violation can be found in how food animals are raised in factory farms. Whether the animals in question are chicken, turkeys, veal calves, lamb, or cattle, they are most likely closely confined now, or soon will be through further agribusiness "refinement" of space saving procedures.⁴⁰ Not only is this sort of confinement contrary to Jewish traditional notions of shepherding, but it also conflicts with Jewish law. Jewish tradition holds that all creatures deserve rest on the Sabbath day; domesticated animals should not be penned in, but free to roam and graze on the Sabbath day.⁴¹

"Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath unto the Lord your God; you shall not do any work - you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. (Exodus 20:8-10, NSRV)⁴²

Of course nothing like this ever happens, nor is it even possible, in a factory farm. Instead, animals are kept confined in an artificial environment 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Their first glimpse of sunlight and whiff of fresh air will probably come only as they are removed for slaughter. Activists must make the case that animals raised in factory farming conditions should not ever be considered kosher.

Similarly, the way in which factory farmed animals are fed seems to break with kosher laws. Of greatest importance is what these animals are fed. Kosher animals are supposed to be thorough herbivores; eating the flesh of predators or animals that eat other animals is forbidden. Yet how many Jews know exactly what agribusiness is feeding to the animals they still consider kosher? In addition to the grain and vegetable crop leftovers, animal food is "supplemented" with a variety of substances: cement dust, cardboard, newspaper, sawdust, plastic hay, municipal garbage, and animal manure from chickens and pigs.⁴³ While this might be enough to show a disregard for Jewish respect of what is "natural" and intended by God (animals should eat the foods they would eat in nature, not sawdust), it is what comes next that should be particularly disturbing to Jews. Additionally, these animal feeds are often supplemented with animal parts: feathers, feet, organs, intestines, heads, dried blood, and meat from condemned carcasses.⁴⁴ What sort of implications does this have for a Jew who thinks he is eating kosher meat from a herbivorous animal? Can there be any justification to consider meat from animals fed other animals should be viewed any differently by kosher law than meat from a predatory animal?

Some might suggest that Jews have no reason to switch to vegetarianism to keep kosher. It could be argued that tighter regulations on kosher meat could be imposed, animals could be reared in a "free-range" environment and fed their normal diet. Maybe some provisions could be made for Sabbath observance, and slaughter could be performed in the more humane ASPCA pens. Perhaps all of this could happen, but to truly ensure that kosher ideals are observed at all steps and all phases would be an extremely costly and tremendously unwieldy undertaking. The price of such meat would also rise dramatically, reflecting the true cost of non-intensively raised animals.

A better option, and one in accord with Jewish ethics and tradition would be for Jews to embrace vegetarianism. Far from being a move away from traditional Judaism, vegetarianism may well offer many Jews the opportunity to live more in line with Jewish teachings. A large majority of American Jews do not keep kosher, even among the Orthodox and Conservative.⁴⁵ Adopting a vegetarian diet easily enables Jews to follow the kosher laws, and to follow them properly. Doing so frees Jews from the myriad complex laws of ensuring meat is properly raised and slaughtered, as well as laws pertaining to the mixing of milk and meat, cross-contamination of utensils and dishes used for meat and milk dishes, and waiting periods between consuming dairy and meat products.⁴⁶

Not only does a vegetarian diet allow Jews to more fully observe the laws of kashrut, but it may also allow more Jews to become kosher. The ease with which a vegetarian can keep kosher would certainly compel many Jews to return to kosher practice or even begin for the first time.⁴⁷ Vegetarianism may also serve to protect and preserve kosher observance. With the number of kosher Jews decreasing, the easy and inexpensive vegetarian diet offers a simple way to maintain kashrut.⁴⁸

Jews may also realize several spiritual benefits by adopting a vegetarian diet. Many Jewish scholars have equated meat consumption with lust, gluttony, indulgence, and disaster.⁴⁹ In response, some Jews argue that a vegetarian diet helps to make the body an "instrument of the soul" by opening it to higher moral impulses.⁵⁰ Vegetarianism may also create feelings of kindness to other humans. Some hope that people will not retain cruel and hostile traits towards other humans once they have begun to treat animals kindly. Such a general increase in compassion and holiness is in tune with the Torah's goal of teaching Jews to sense and appreciate the Divine Presence in the world.⁵¹

Vegetarianism may impact Jewish spirituality on an even grander scale. Those Jews that subscribe to prophetic messianism can find a powerful tool in vegetarianism, a practice that may hasten the coming of the messiah. Some Jews feel that acting in ways consistent with the coming Messianic world will speed the messiah's arrival.⁵² As they envision this future world to be peaceful and vegetarian⁵³, it thus becomes important for Jews now to become vegetarians.

Environmental issues are also a major part of vegetarian advocacy. It is becoming more well-known that animal agriculture, especially on today's modern scale, has devastating environmental consequences: energy waste, food waste, water pollution, degradation of topsoil, destruction of forest, and so on.⁵⁴ Thankfully, Judaism has a rich tradition of caring for the Earth.

Jewish concern about the planet comes from recognizing that the Earth and all on it were created by, and belong to, God.⁵⁵ So it is God who permits and forbids what is done with God's Creation. One of the laws God handed down is bal tashchit, "thou shalt not destroy," a law grounded in the Torah.

If you besiege a town for a long time, making war against it in order to take it, you must not destroy its trees by wielding an ax against them. Although you may take food from them, you must not cut them down. Are trees in the field human beings that they should come under siege from you? You may destroy only the trees that you know do not produce food; you may cut them down for use in building siegeworks against the town that makes war with you, until it falls. (Deuteronomy 20: 19-20, NSRV)

Jewish scholars would later extend this proscription to encompass all trees and eventually to the waste or wanton destruction of anything at all.⁵⁶ Activists can immediately see the value of this teaching towards promoting vegetarianism. The "farming" of modern day agribusiness is intimately involved in the wanton destruction of nature, God's nature. If Jews wish to honor the tradition of bal tashchit, they must either radically change the way their meat is produced, as well as drastically restricting the amount of meat they consume, or they must embrace an ecologically sound vegetarian diet.⁵⁷

Jewish teaching may also mandate that the Jewish community must step in and prevent their members from making environmentally damaging choices. Jewish law has addressed other communal issues in the past, where the choices of some in the community may impact the well-being of other community members. In today's global village, where one's lifestyle choices here can affect another's lifestyle there, it is not surprising that some Jews have claimed poor food choices (meat and animal products) violate bal tashchit and may be prohibited by the community.⁵⁸ Bringing attention to the messages of bal tashchit and of personal and communal responsibility for the planet is something activists should devote much time towards.

A final area of concern for activists to address in their effort to promote vegetarianism to Jews is that of health. Like the environmental problems associated with meat eating, meat's deleterious effects on human health are also becoming more known among the general populace. The list of diseases connected with the consumption of animal foods is long: heart disease and a variety of cancers (the top two causes of death in the U.S.), diabetes, stroke, and obesity, just to name a few.⁵⁹

As with the environment, Judaism also has a strong tradition of caring for the health and well-being of its members. Jews are admonished to protect life above all else, and but for crimes of murder, idolatry, and sexual impropriety, any law must be violated if it will save a life.⁶⁰ Likewise, the Torah also forbids one from intentionally harming themselves or placing their life in danger.⁶¹ Hygiene and concern with eating properly to maintain the sanctuary of the human body is an additional concern of Judaism.⁶²

With the knowledge of meat's ill-effects on human health, Jews would be acting more in line with Torah and tradition by adopting a vegetarian diet, or at least significantly curtailing their meat consumption. Eating meat is certainly as much of a threat to one's health as the possibility of swallowing a leech by putting one's mouth on a pipe of flowing water or drinking from an uncovered container which may have been poisoned by a snake, two prohibitions Jews already honor.⁶³ Safeguarding the health of all Jews is the responsibility of each Jew as well as of the Jewish community. Activists should work to bring vegetarianism's health-promoting effects to the attention of the Jewish community.

A final issue of health and well-being centers on the slaughterhouse workers themselves. The Jewish tradition and its prophets have long been advocates of social justice; the Torah contains any number of passages condemning those who mistreat and abuse the poor and unfortunate. What would the prophets say about the workers in a slaughterhouse? Workers in a poultry processing plant, for example, toil at one of the most dangerous jobs in America (more injuries than mine or construction workers) for some of the lowest pay in the food industry.⁶⁴ The danger and toil of this sort of work leads to 60 to 100 percent annual turn over rates in many plants⁶⁵, prompting employers to hire immigrants, minorities, and women for these positions. A Judaism concerned with social justice should consider the oppressive conditions it foists upon those who prepare and process their meat.⁶⁶

A variety of approaches to convince Jews of vegetarianism's benefits have been examined. None of the suggestions requires radical rethinking or a break in tradition. In fact, many Jews see vegetarianism as a return to an older tradition, a tradition of compassion, environmental concern, and vitality.⁶⁷ Activists need to revivify these often overlooked, but integrally Jewish traditions.

Christianity and Vegetarianism