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Eat or Be Eaten???

More on the Jewish View of Physical Violence…
According to Jewish Law, Do Children Have the Right to Defend Themselves Against Bullies???
What Do I Do When My Kids are “Picked-On”?

The “School-Yard” Jungle

It’s inevitable…

As in ALL Things…The Torah Has The Answer

You just have to know where to look and who to ask…

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This is a fascinating Jewish perspective. It is clear that Torah Judaism places vegetarianism on a high moral and spiritual plane. Allowing us to eat meat was a concession on the Creator’s part to our baser, less spiritual instincts (which He, of course, created us with…but created us with them in order to be able to reward us for conquering and mastering these lower instincts!) But it is clear to the great Rabbis amongst us that we have not as yet reached anything CLOSE to the spiritual levels of perfection that would enable us to pursue vegetarianism with proper and pure motivation. Rabbi Lior suggests that we work on the more basic flaws in our human personality BEFORE attempting to tackle the higher, more sophisticated challenges. Only then will we have the pure motivation necessary to truly partake of these spiritual delights.
In other words, considering the rather dismal state of our animal-selves when it comes to how we treat each other…we might want to consider improving upon those attributes…act nicer to other human beings…before we consider expending SO much effort towards the animals, by refraining from eating them…(NOT in any way condoning cruelty or unkindness to animals, which the Torah expressly forbids, just not attempting to self-righteously and arrogantly proclaiming our vegetarianism for animal-altru-istic motives)

Rabbi Lior: Vegetarianism not right for our times


‘Only when world ascends spiritually and we have mercy on people will we be able to be vegetarians,’ says prominent Religious Zionism leader. ‘Vegetarianism out of compassion is a mistake’

Reprinted from YNet News Kobi Nahshoni

Whoever avoids eating meat or has chosen a vegetarian lifestyle for the sake of having mercy on animals is wrong, according to Rabbi Dov Lior, a prominent Religious Zionism halachic authority.

“We still are not compassionate towards people in our times, so having mercy on animals is irrelevant,” explained the rabbi. “Only when the world ascends spiritually and we have mercy on people will we be able to be vegetarians.”

Lior is serving as Kiryat Arba’s rabbi and is considered a prominent leader in the National Haredi movement.

Rabbi Lior addressed the issue in a scholarly article published on Saturday in the “Gilui Da’at” pamphlets distributed at synagogues. “There is no objecting to making sacrifices (in the Temple) on claims of cruelty to animals,” opened the author in reference to a central topic in the weekly Torah portion.

According to him, “When the Torah allowed the slaughter of animals for human consumption, it thus permitted slaughter for higher needs (for mitzvot).”

Regarding the Torah’s permission to kill animals in order to eat them, the rabbi wrote that Jews can “raise up the mundane.”

“When a person from Israel eats, if he does so for a holy purpose, he sanctifies the material, something that does not exist among the nations of the world, for whom eating has no connection to holiness,” Rabbi Lior explained.

As an example, the rabbi mentioned the Hasidic custom of tasting the rabbi’s leftovers after he “discovers sparks (of wisdom) within the food.”

Rabbi Kook’s philosophy
Rabbi Lior believes that “the time has yet to come” for vegetarianism out of compassion for animals: “I remember when the Russians sent a dog to space there was an outcry about cruelty to animals. I wonder: How is it that when ships sink in Haifa we do not hear these cries? HaRav Kook said about this that when the world ascends spiritually – we will be vegetarians.”

The non-profit organization Anonymous for Animal Rights said in response, “The short and impressive book by Rabbi Kook, ‘A Vision of Vegetarianism and Peace,’ is available for reading on the internet, and we are certain that whoever reads it not out of a clear interest of continuing to eat meat at any price will find a difference spirit presented than the one in Rabbi Lior’s statements.”

According to Anonymous, Rabbi Kook even took the discussion beyond killing animals for their meat and addressed harm caused to animals used for milk and wool. The organization claimed that if Rabbi Kook “were to see the situation today in which 300 million animals are put to death after lives of constant suffering in Israel every year, he would not think it appropriate to take part in this.”

Israel’s Green Movement said that “Rabbi Lior’s response shows ignorance of the subject. Eating meat damages humans first and foremost and their ability to exist on the face of the earth. The environmental effect of the livestock economy is enormous and one of the major factors in the eradication of human’s life support systems. Raising animals for food is one of the factors with the largest effect on global warming, deforestation, soil erosion, and contaminated water sources.”

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Jacob taught son Joseph about the importance of escorting guests on their way…So what does this have to do with breaking calve’s necks?…And what the heck is an egla arufa?…Fear not, Marty Roberts explains all…Also…Hundreds of missiles on Sderot and Southern Israel…What else is new?…So what is anybody doing about it?…IS anybody doing anything about it?…All this and more on “The Marty Roberts Show”…Listen to the show below…