Thirteen Reasons Jews Should Not Be Vegetarians (and Responses)

1. The Torah teaching that humans are granted dominion over animals (Genesis 1:26) gives us a warrant to treat animals in any way we wish.

Response: Jewish tradition interprets "dominion" as guardianship, or stewardship: we are called upon to be co-workers with God in improving the world. Dominion does not mean that people have the right to wantonly exploit animals, and it certainly does not permit us to breed animals and then treat them as machines designed solely to meet human needs. In "A Vision of Vegetarianism and Peace," Rav Kook states: "There can be no doubt in the mind of any intelligent person that [the Divine empowerment of humanity to derive benefit from nature] does not mean the domination of a harsh ruler, who afflicts his people and servants merely to satisfy his whim and desire, according to the crookedness of his heart. It is unthinkable that the Divine Law would impose such a decree of servitude, sealed for all eternity, upon the world of God, Who is 'good to all, and His mercy is upon all his works' (Psalms 145:9), and Who declared, 'The world shall be built with kindness'"(Psalms 89:33). This view is reinforced by the fact that immediately after God gave humankind dominion over animals (Genesis 1:26), He prescribed vegetarian foods as the diet best suited to humans (Genesis 1:29).

2. The Torah teaching that only people are created in the Divine Image means that God places far less value on animals.

Response: While the Torah states that only human beings are created "in the Divine Image" (Genesis 5:1), animals are also God's creatures, possessing sensitivity and the capacity for feeling pain. God is concerned that they are protected and treated with compassion and justice. In fact, the Jewish sages state that to be "created in the Divine Image," means that people have the capacity to emulate the Divine compassion for all creatures. "As God is compassionate," they teach, "so you should be compassionate."

3. Inconsistent with Judaism, vegetarians elevate animals to a level equal to or greater than that of people.

Response: Concern for animals and the refusal to treat them cruelly and slaughter them for food that is not necessary for proper nutrition and, indeed, is harmful to human health, does not mean that vegetarians regard animals as being equal to people. Also, as indicated, there are many reasons for being vegetarian other than animal rights, including concern for human health, ecological threats, and the plight of hungry people.

Because humans are capable of imagination, rationality, empathy, compassion, and moral choice, we should strive to end the unbelievably cruel conditions under which farm animals are currently raised. This is an issue of sensitivity, not an assertion of egalitarianism with the animal kingdom.

4. Vegetarianism places greater priority on animal rights than on the many problems related to human welfare.

Response: As indicated, vegetarian diets are not beneficial only to animals. They also improve human health, help hungry people through better sharing of food and other resources, put less stress on endangered ecosystems, conserve valuable resources, and reduce the potential for war and violence. In view of the many global threats related to today's livestock agriculture, working to promote vegetarianism may be the most important action that one can take for global survival.

5. By putting vegetarian values ahead of Jewish teachings, vegetarians are, in effect, creating a new religion, with values contrary to Jewish teachings.

Response: Jewish vegetarians are not placing so-called vegetarian values above Torah principles. They are saying that basic Jewish teachings that mandate that we treat animals with compassion, guard our health, share with hungry people, protect the environment, conserve resources, and seek peace, point to vegetarianism as the ideal God-directed diet for Jews today. Rather than rejecting Torah values, Jewish vegetarians are challenging the Jewish community to apply Judaism?? glorious teachings.

6. Jews must eat meat on Shabbat and Yom Tov (Jewish holidays).

Response: According to the Talmud (T. B. Pesachim 109a), since the destruction of the Temple, Jews are not required to eat meat in order to rejoice on sacred occasions. This view is reinforced in the works Reshit Chochmah and Kerem Shlomo and Rabbi Chizkiah Medini's encyclopaedic work Sdei Chemed, which brings many classical sources on the subject. Recent scholarly articles by Rabbi Alfred Cohen and Rabbi J. David Bleich also conclude that Jews do not have to eat meat in order to celebrate the Sabbath and Jewish festivals. The fact that several chief rabbis, including Shlomo Goren, late Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi of Israel, and Sha'ar Yashuv Cohen, Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi of Haifa, have been or are strict vegetarians also strengthens this argument.

7. The Torah mandates that we eat korban Pesach and other korbanot (sacrifices).

Response: The great Jewish philosopher Maimonides believed that God permitted sacrifices as a concession to the common mode of worship in Biblical times. It was felt that had Moses not instituted the sacrifices, his mission would have failed and perhaps Judaism would have disappeared. The Jewish philosopher Abarbanel reinforced Maimonides' position by citing a midrash (Rabbinic teaching) that indicated that the Israelites had become accustomed to sacrifices in Egypt, and thus God tolerated the sacrifices but commanded that they be offered only in one central sanctuary in order to wean the Jews from idolatrous practices.

Without the Temple, sacrifices are not required today. And, Rav Kook felt that there will only be sacrifices involving vegetarian foods during the Messianic Period. He based this on a midrash that states: "in the Messianic era, all sacrifices will cease, except thanksgiving offerings (which could be non-animal) which will continue forever." 8. Jews have historically had many problems with some animal rights groups which have often opposed shechita (kosher slaughter) and advocated its abolishment.

Response: Jews should consider switching to vegetarianism not because of the views of animal rights groups, whether they are hostile to Judaism or not, but because it is the diet most consistent with Jewish teachings. It is the Torah, not animal rights groups, which indicates how far the treatment of animals is from fundamental Jewish values. The powerful Jewish teachings on proper treatment of animals was eloquently summarized by Samson Raphael Hirsch: "Here you are faced with God's teaching, which obliges you not only to refrain from inflicting unnecessary pain on any animal, but to help and, when you can, to lessen the pain whenever you see an animal suffering, even through no fault of yours."

9. The restrictions of shechita minimize the pain to animals in the slaughtering process, and thus fulfill Jewish laws on proper treatment of animals.

Response: This ignores the cruel treatment of animals discussed above in the many months prior to slaughter.

10. If Jews do not eat meat, they will be deprived of the opportunity to do many mitzvot (commandments).

Response: By not eating meat, Jews are fulfilling many mitzvot, such as showing compassion to animals, preserving health, not wasting, feeding the hungry, and preserving the earth. In addition, by abstaining from meat, a Jew reduces the chance of accidentally violating several prohibitions of the Torah, such as mixing meat and milk, eating non-kosher animals, and eating forbidden fats or blood.

There are other cases where Torah laws regulate things that God would prefer that people not do at all. For example, God wishes people to live at peace, but he provides commandments related to war, knowing that human beings quarrel and seek victories over others. Similarly, the Torah laws that restrict taking beautiful female captives in wartime are a concession to human weakness. Indeed, the Sages go to great lengths to deter people from taking advantage of such dispensations.

11. Judaism teaches that it is wrong not to take advantage of the pleasurable things that God has put on the earth? Since He put animals on the earth, and it is pleasurable to eat them, is it not wrong to refrain from eating meat?

Response: Can eating meat be pleasurable to a religious person when he or she knows that, as a result, their health is endangered, grain is wasted, the environment is damaged, and animals are being cruelly treated? One can have pleasure without doing harm to living creatures. There are many other cases in Judaism where actions that people may consider pleasurable are forbidden or discouraged, such as the use of tobacco, drinking liquor to excess, sexual relations out of wedlock, and hunting.

12. A movement by Jews toward vegetarianism would lead to less emphasis on kashrut (dietary laws) and eventually a disregard of these laws.

Response: Quite the contrary. In many ways, becoming a vegetarian makes it easier and less expensive to observe the laws of kashrut. This might attract many new adherents to keeping kosher, and eventually to other important Jewish values. As a vegetarian, one need not be concerned with mixing milchigs (dairy products) with fleichigs (meat products), waiting 3 or 6 hours after eating meat before being allowed to eat dairy products, storing four complete sets of dishes (two for regular use and two for Passover use), extra silverware, pots, and pans, etc., and many other considerations incumbent upon the non-vegetarian who wishes to observe kashrut strictly.

13. I enjoy eating meat. Why should I give it up?

Response: If one is solely motivated by what will bring pleasure, perhaps no answer to this question would be acceptable. But Judaism wishes us to be motivated by far more: doing mitzvot, performing good deeds and acts of charity, sanctifying ourselves in the realm of the permissible, helping to feed the hungry, pursuing justice and peace, and so on. Anyone who takes such Jewish values seriously should, I believe, be a vegetarian. And in view of the current agricultural, health, and environmental realities discussed above, there has never been a better time to switch to vegetarianism.

Even if one is primarily motivated by considerations of pleasure and convenience, the negative health effects of animal-centered diets should be taken into account. One cannot enjoy life when one is not in good health.

Additional information may be obtained at jewishveg.com, from my book Judaism and Vegetarianism, and from books by Roberta Kalechofsky, especially Vegetarian Judaism.