The eighth biblical portion of Leviticus, Emor, 21:1-24:23, the thirty-first of fifty-four portions, contains some enlightening and humane rules. But, it also leaves us with a question that has been asked for centuries without an adequate answer.
In prior essays, we saw many Torah rules that benefit all humans and societies. They are compassionate and improve individuals and inanimate objects.
For example, Leviticus 19:33 says, “If a stranger lives with you in your land, do not wrong him. Treat him like a citizen…you must love him as yourself.” The word “stranger” means not only a non-Jew but even a person you have never seen before. Remarkably, the rule to love a stranger is repeated thirty-six times in the Torah to emphasize its importance. No other command has such an emphasis. This is a fantastic, caring command. I can think of no other ancient culture, other than isolated individuals, that stressed this lesson.
In this biblical portion, Emor, in Leviticus 24:21, the Torah states, “If someone kills a person, the perpetrator shall be put to death.” The Torah again respects all humans and makes no distinction between Jews and non-Jews.
The Torah frequently teaches respect for all people. Deuteronomy 23:25 warns employers that their employees must be allowed to eat while they work in the fields. This law also applies to non-Jewish employees.
These laws even respect non-humans. In Leviticus 22:28, we are told that slaughtering a cow or sheep and its offspring on the same day is prohibited. We are taught to realize that even animals have feelings, which must be respected. The mother animal is hurt seeing her child killed.
Maimonides, in Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Deot 1:6, points out that many verses show God is sensitive to the feelings of animals. We are told in Deuteronomy 11:15 and Talmud Gittin 62b that we must feed animals before we feed ourselves. Similarly, in Deuteronomy 22:6-7, we are commanded to care for a mother bird’s feelings and not let her see us taking away her eggs. Also, not only does the Torah mandate in the Decalogue that Jews must rest on the Shabbat, but they must also allow their animals to rest.
Families that have pets see that the pets have feelings. Yet, being what people are, it should surprise no one that some people are convinced that animals have no feelings.
For example, the mystic Nachmanides (1194-1270) argued that animals lack feelings, and the law to treat animals kindly was instituted to teach humans to be sensitive to the sensitivities of other humans.
He writes in his commentary to Deuteronomy 22:6, “it was not a matter of God’s mercy extending to the bird’s nest or the dam and its young, since His mercies did not extend so far with them, for, if so, He would have forbidden slaughter altogether. But the reason for the prohibition [against taking the dam with its nest, or against killing the dam with its young in one day] is [only] to teach us the trait of compassion and that we should not be cruel, for cruelty proliferates in man’s soul.”
Thus, even Nachmanides, who thinks animals have no feelings, agrees that we are expected to learn from these laws to treat fellow humans similarly to animals, with compassion.
These laws, which trained Jews, help us explain why Jews, who are only about 0.02 percent of the world population, have won so many Nobel Prizes.
Between 1901 and 2023, the Nobel Prize was awarded to over 900 individuals. At least 214 of them are believed to be Jewish or raised Jewish. This is over 23% of the recipients, far beyond 0.02%.
Jews contributed significantly to world health. There were 59 Jewish Nobel Prize winners in the health field, comprising 26% worldwide and 38% American recipients. Ten percent of the worldwide winners of the Peace Prize were Jews, and eight percent were Americans.
But all of this, especially that so many Jews won the Nobel Peace Prize for seeking harmony among all people, raises an age-old question that has never been satisfactorily answered: Since Jews taught many considerate and benevolent lessons and contributed much to society, why is the world filled with anti-Semitism?
You ask a good question. Jews have made many contributions to the benefit of all humans. So why so much antisemitism? I have no good answer. Albert Einstein said (and I agree with him) that it may stem from non-Jews being jealous of Jewish success. But why should they be jealous? True, Jews are overwhelmingly overrepresented in jobs that require intelligence and Nobel Prize winners. Antisemites may look at that and say: why is there a disproportionate number of Jewish people in positions of authority? They conclude that it must be a conspiracy! But I would tell them that, on average, it is actually of great benefit to the rest of the world that Jews make so many contributions in health and science, because what do they want, fewer geniuses? Fewer medical advances? Fewer technologies and improvements?
I agree entirely.
I am of the view that everything of persecution and revenge between man and man, and everything of cruelty to animals, is a violation of moral duty.
I agree.
I agree with you and Maimonides that animals have feelings. Although I am a fan of Spinoza and Descartes, I disagree with their view on animals. René Descartes wrote that animals “lack reason, and perhaps even thought.” Spinoza wrote that after we know “the origin of the mind, we cannot in any way doubt that the lower animals feel things.” However, he adds, “We have the same right against them that they have against us… Not that I deny that the lower animals have sensations. But I do deny that we are therefore not permitted to consider our own advantage, use them at our pleasure, and treat them as is most convenient for us.”
I agree with Arthur Schopenhauer. Schopenhauer was concerned for animals and showed compassion to them. He championed animal rights. He wrote, “Compassion for animals is intimately associated with goodness of character, and it may be confidently asserted that he who is cruel to living creatures cannot be a good man.” He criticized Spinoza for saying that animals are only a means for human satisfaction.
Yes, it is very important to respect and care for animals. They definitely have feelings.
I wish the rest of the world would behave with compassion and morality… not only toward animals but toward all humans… and especially to not hate us
We agree.
The struggles of the Jewish people are not solely the result of external circumstances, dear Rabbi Israel Drazin, but also of internal contradictions; the answer to this question lies in the complexities of human nature and the mysteries of the divine. Perhaps, one day, humanity will recognize the shared perfection that unites us all, and the scourge of anti-Semitism will be a relic of the past. Until then, we must continue to strive for wisdom, justice, and peace, even in the face of adversity. It is as if the world expects us to be a “light unto the nations,” as the prophet Isaiah foretold, but when we fulfill this role, we are met with hostility instead of gratitude. As I experienced, the hatred and intolerance directed towards Jews are often rooted in ignorance, fear, and a lack of understanding. Best: stephen
As usual, you are very perceptive.
I believe it is because anyone that tells the truth or helps society will be killed; because of people’s insecurities or their desire to be believe in lies and falsehoods.
For instance, if u tell a man his wife didn’t cheat on him when she didn’t. And he fully believes that she cheated on him. He will mostly likely harm you if u tell him otherwise.
Yes, we have to be careful.