Animal Welfare and Judaism

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Recommended: Animal abuse as an ethical issue

Every so often we turn on the news and hear of an animal cruelty case, whether it be animal fighting, hoarding, malnutrition, or over-breeding. Animal cruelty is a serious issue and it was not outlawed until the 1800’s. Judaism, however, has always stressed the importance of proper treatment of animals. Unnecessary cruelty to animals has always been strictly forbidden, and in many cases, animals are supposed to be treated with the same sensitivity as human beings. In fact, the Jewish Code of Law specifically says “It is forbidden, according to the law of the Torah, to inflict pain upon any living creature. On the contrary, it is our duty to relieve the pain of any creature, even if it is ownerless or belongs to a non Jew”.

Judaism places a high value on preventing the suffering of living creatures, regardless of whether the creature is human or animal and it recognizes that there is a link between the ways a person treats animals and the way a person treats human beings. For example, it is thought that a person who is cruel to a defenseless animal will also be cruel to defenseless people. Modern psychology studies confirm this idea through studies that found a connection between animal cruelty and criminal violence.

Evidence of animal welfare is also seen in the Torah. The Torah depicts characters that care for animals as heroes and characters that hunt animals as villains. For example, Jacob, Moses, and King David were all shepherds who cared for animals, and Midrash Exodus Rabbah 2:2 says that Moses was chosen specifically because of his skill of caring for animals. Oppositely, two hunters in the Bible, Nimrod and Esau, were both depicted as villains and the Talmud tells the story of Rabbi Judah Ha-Nasi being insensitive t...

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...and dairy together because it is cruel to have an animal soak in its mother’s milk.

It is very evident that the Jewish people strongly believe in treating animal’s right. The Torah mentions several times that all animals should be treated humanely and even says that treating animals right will give you the same reward as someone who followed the whole Torah.

Works Cited

"Jewish Vegetarian Quotations." Judaism and Vegetarianism. Jewish Vegetarians of North America. Web. 09 Feb. 2012. .

"Judaism and the Treatment of Animals." Jewish Virtual Library - Homepage. The American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise, 2012. Web. 09 Feb. 2012. .

Rich, Tracey R. "Treatment of Animals." Judaism 101. 2011. Web. 09 Feb. 2012. .

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