The Planet-Saving Mitzvah: Why Jews Should Consider Vegetarianism

J udaism has to be a daily spiritual and social practice, not simply a ritualized one, if it is to be meaningful to Jews and relevant to others. Beyond being spiritual, we are called upon to uplift ourselves and to make the world a better place for ourselves, our families, our communities, and others. In Why Be Jewish? Rabbi David J. Wolpe writes that “Judaism emphasizes good deeds because nothing else can replace them. To love justice and decency, to hate cruelty and to thirstforrighteousness—thatistheessenceofthehumantask.”Thehumantask,therefore, is to be a mensch: a good, kind, and compassionateperson. One of the ways to follow our rich tradition while putting Judaism’s highest ideals into daily practice is to choose vegetarianism. In the words of Rabbi Fred Scherlinder Dobb, “I see vegetarianism as a mitzvah”—a sacred duty and good deed. Maimonides postulated thirteen principles of the Jewish faith, while Rabbi Moses Cordovero wrote about The Thirteen Divine Attributes. Here are thirteen categorical imperativessuggestingwhyJewsshouldseriouslyconsidervegetarianismandthenmovein that direction: J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 0 9 W W W. T I K K U N . O R G T I K K U N 29 ThePlanet-SavingMitzvah: WhyJewsShouldConsiderVegetarianism by Daniel Brook Daniel Brook, a vegetarian since working on Kibbutz Sa’ar in Israel, is an author, speaker, and instructor of sociology at San Jose State University. He welcomes comments via vegnik@gmail.com. PHOTO BY RISA ALYSON STRAUS Cleaning cucumbers for pickling at the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center’s ADAMAH program, which integrates organic farming, sustainable living, Jewish learning, community building, and contemplative spiritual practice (www.isabellafreedman.org/ adamah). 1. Righteousness and Charity. Even though it is often difficult, we do all have the power to break bad habits and soul search for better ways of living. Becoming vegetarian sets a lifelong course of righteousness. Righteous people regard—and guard—the lives of animals (Proverbs 12:10). According to Albert Einstein, if people aspire toward a righteous life, their “first act of abstinence is from injury to animals.” A tzadik, or righteous person, is held in the highest regard because of righteous actions. The Torah and Talmud are filled with stories of people rewarded for their kindness to animals and punished for their thoughtlessness and cruelty to them. In the Torah, Jacob, Moses,andDavidwereallshepherdswhocaredforanimals.Mosesisspecificallypraisedfor how he showed compassion toward a lamb, as well as people. Rebecca was acceptable as a wife for Isaac because she showed concern for animals, offering water to thirsty camels in addition to the thirsty person who asked for it. Noah is considered righteous as he cared for the lives of the many animals on the Ark. In contrast, two hunters mentioned in the Torah, Nimrod and Esau, are represented as villains. Further, according to legend, Rabbi Judah the Prince, compiler and editor of the Mishnah, was punished with years of pain for his insensitivity to the fear of a calf on its way to slaughter (Talmud, Bava Mezia 85a). InthewordsofTorahcommentaryfromRabbiMosesCassuto,“Youarepermittedtouse the animals and employ them for work, have dominion over them in order to utilize their servicesforyoursubsistence,butmustnotholdtheirlifecheapnorslaughterthemforfood. Your natural diet is vegetarian.” Indeed, all of the promises of sustenance and food for the IsraelitesintheToraharevegetarian:vineyardsandgardens,wheatandbarley,figsand pomegranates,grapesanddates,fruitsandseeds,nutsandgum,olivesandbread,milkand honey.Eventhemanna,“likecorianderseed”(Numbers11:7),wasvegan.Incontrast,when theIsraelitesintheSinaidesertcalloutforandconsumemeatandfish,manysufferanddie in a plague and are buried in the Graves of Lust. Judaism stresses the importance of tzedakah, that we be kind, assist the poor and weak, and share our food with the hungry. Yet about three-fourths of major U.S. crops such as corn, wheat, soybeans, oats, and alfalfa are fed to the billions of animals destined to be slaughtered for meat, while millions of people worldwide die from hunger and its cruel effects each year. This is an avoidableshanda (shame) on the world. In the Talmud, Rabbi Assi states, “Tzedakah is equivalent to all the other religious precepts combined” (Baba Batra 9a). The way of the tzadik is the way of chesed (lovingkindness ), compassion, charity, and righteousness for all living beings. Vegetarianism is a majorformoftzedakah,onadailybasis,whichcandoasmuchforthegiverasforthereceiver. 2. Tikkun Olam. While Judaism teaches that we are to be shomrei adamah, partners in tikkunolam—re...