The Treatment of 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 unique to Judaism; Christianity
does not share this value, nor did most civilized nations until quite
recently. Cruelty to animals was not outlawed until the 1800s.
Judaism expresses no definitive opinion as to whether
animals are capable of experiencing physical or psychological pain as
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, and a person who cares for the lowest of creatures
will certainly care for his fellow man.
Jacob, Moses and David were all shepherds, people
who cared for animals. 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 Rebekah 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.
On the other hand, the two hunters in the Bible, Nimrod
and Esau, are both depicted as villains. A great rabbi who was insensitive to the fear of a calf being led to slaughter was
punished with years of pain.
In the Torah,
humanity is given dominion over animals, and has 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, that is, animal hides.
However, 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.
The laws regarding treatment of animals are referred
to as Tzar Baalei Chayim, prevention of cruelty to animals.
Under Jewish
law, animals have some of the same rights as humans do. Animals
rest on Shabbat, as humans
do. We are forbidden to muzzle an ox while it is working in the field,
just as we must allow human workers to eat from the produce they are
harvesting.
Several commandments demonstrate concern for the physical
or psychological suffering of animals. We may not plow a field using
animals of different species, because this would be a hardship to the
animals. We are required to relieve an animal of its burden, even if
we do not know its owner, or even if it is ownerless. We are not permitted
to kill an animal in the same day as its young, and are specifically
commanded to send away a mother bird when taking the eggs, 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. This should give some indication of
the importance of this law.
We are permitted to violate the Sabbath to some extent to rescue an animal in pain or at risk of death.
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.
Jewish law does not prohibit keeping pets, and indeed
many observant Jews have dogs, cats or other household pets.
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.
As far as I have been able to ascertain, it is permissible
to feed non-kosher food
to pets. As I understand it, 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. Likewise, it is permissible
to feed non-kosher food to your pets, as long as you do not consume
it yourself.
The laws of Passover,
however, are somewhat broader. During Passover, 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.
You must either feed your pet something that contains no chametz (such
as 100% beef dog food, kosher for Passover table scraps, or matzah meal
to feed fish or rodents) or temporarily sell the pets to a non-Jew,
as you temporarily sell your pots and pans 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. Although this law does not
apply to neutering female pets, neutering of females is prohibited by
general laws relating to unnecessary cruelty to animals.
It is a violation of the general prohibition against
cruelty to animals 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.
Sources: Judaism 101 |