Treatment of Animals
Jewish law prohibits causing unnecessary suffering to animals
Animals can be used to satisfy legitimate needs, like food and clothing
Pets are permitted, but cannot be physically altered, and may cause complications
Jewish law is compatible with a vegetarian diet, but involves some use of leather
"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
Tza'ar Ba'alei Chayim: Cruelty to Animals
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, and those who love animals do not always value human life: Hitler loved
animals; the animal rights group PETA wrote a letter to Arafat telling him,
when he blows up a bus full of Israelis, could he please not hurt any donkeys.
(the letter is no longer on their website, but remains in the
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). A traditional story tells
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
Ha-Nasi, who was punished with years of kidney stones and other painful
ailments because he was insensitive to the fear of a calf being led to
slaughter; he was relieved years later when he showed kindness to animals.
(Talmud Baba Metzia 85a)
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
the scrolls for mezuzot and
tefillin, 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 to prevent it from
eating 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).
Animals 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 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 a cat),
Kitty Cottage (where I adopted two
others) or the
Humane Association. I also heard an 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.
For Jewish Vegetarians
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! (see Kashrut) 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 "meat"
vegetables with "dairy" vegetables!
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, and do not require kosher certification if they
are not processed. If they are processed, 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.
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