This past Tuesday, we initiated the Memphis Jewish Community Beis Midrash program held at the Cooper Yeshiva High School. The hour-long program (8:30 to 9:30) for men – which concluded with Ma’ariv at 9:30 – was attended by community rabbis, members and students. Four people deserve particular acknowledgement for their contribution – Rabbi Joel Finkelstein, Rabbi Yedidya Shifrowich, David Katz and David Schlesinger – each of whom led a chabura (learning group). Our next program will be held on Tuesday, May 10 at 8:30 pm. The message below was inspired by the learning David Katz, Yoni Freiden and I did at last Tuesday’s program.
In this week’s parasha, Achare Mot, the Torah says, “And any man of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among them, that takes in hunting any beast or fowl that may be eaten; he will pour out the blood of it, and cover it with dust.” These pesukim present the mitzvah of kisui hadam - covering the blood of chayyot/wild animals (such as deer) and ofot/birds. Domesticated animals do not require kisui hadam. Interestingly, the commentator Ohr HaChayyim interprets from the verse that the Torah is carving out an exception to a general prohibition – Jews are permitted to hunt wild animals that may be eaten because they are kosher, but no other species may be hunted.
The author of the Sefer HaChinuch lists the mitzvah of kisui hadam as one of the mitzvot learned from this week’s parasha. He explains that the mitzvah aims to help limit cruelty and callousness. To eat the animal in front of the spilled blood would be to act cruelly and callously. Covering the blood of such an animal avoids cruelty.
In what way is eating in front of the spilled blood of an animal considered cruel behavior? Cruelty is generally associated with causing pain. Killing the animal for food is not considered cruel. Where is the cruelty in this case of not covering the blood?
To more fully understand this idea, we need to look at the following verse. The Torah says, “For as to the life of all flesh, the blood of it is all one with the life of it; therefore I said unto the children of Israel: You will eat the blood of no manner of flesh; for the life of all flesh is its blood; whoever eats it shall be cut off.”
To summarize:
The Torah prohibits a callous treatment of the animal. The Torah prohibits a demonstration of superfluous aggression towards the animal. The Torah demands that we cover the blood and not eat in front of it like a lion would eat its prey. Demonstrating any unnecessary aggression towards an animal would contravene the philosophy of the Torah.
When we think of animal cruelty, we usually think of inflicting unnecessary pain on an animal. While this type of cruelty is also prohibited, it is not the type of cruelty that the Sefer HaChinuch is referring to. The Sefer HaChinuch is discussing the proper attitude towards all living things.
Each and every one of us has an aggressive part to our personality – some more and some less. This aggression can be very beneficial. It helps us to defend ourselves when necessary and to cope with adversity.
It can also be a tool of destruction. Cruelty begins with viewing other living things as an appropriate object of our aggression. The Torah recognizes that the quality of cruelty can begin innocuously and morph into something far more destructive. Paroh’s Egypt and Hitler’s Germany are just two of many examples in history in which a nation begins by legalizing minor displays of aggression only to subsequently become a nation in which the most sadistic behavior is sanctioned and considered praise-worthy. The Torah recognizes that an individual’s metamorphosis can take a similar arc.
This mitzvah of kisui hadam – covering the blood – represents a proper Torah outlook. G-d designed the world for man’s benefit. When we use the world properly, man produces wonderful results. Harm comes when we use the world as a tool for us to express our most basic instincts. G-d allowed us to use the animal world for our benefit – when the benefit serves a real need. This mitzvah demonstrates that our use of the animal world should not include using it as an outlet for our aggression.
In this week’s parasha, Achare Mot, the Torah says, “And any man of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among them, that takes in hunting any beast or fowl that may be eaten; he will pour out the blood of it, and cover it with dust.” These pesukim present the mitzvah of kisui hadam - covering the blood of chayyot/wild animals (such as deer) and ofot/birds. Domesticated animals do not require kisui hadam. Interestingly, the commentator Ohr HaChayyim interprets from the verse that the Torah is carving out an exception to a general prohibition – Jews are permitted to hunt wild animals that may be eaten because they are kosher, but no other species may be hunted.
The author of the Sefer HaChinuch lists the mitzvah of kisui hadam as one of the mitzvot learned from this week’s parasha. He explains that the mitzvah aims to help limit cruelty and callousness. To eat the animal in front of the spilled blood would be to act cruelly and callously. Covering the blood of such an animal avoids cruelty.
In what way is eating in front of the spilled blood of an animal considered cruel behavior? Cruelty is generally associated with causing pain. Killing the animal for food is not considered cruel. Where is the cruelty in this case of not covering the blood?
To more fully understand this idea, we need to look at the following verse. The Torah says, “For as to the life of all flesh, the blood of it is all one with the life of it; therefore I said unto the children of Israel: You will eat the blood of no manner of flesh; for the life of all flesh is its blood; whoever eats it shall be cut off.”
To summarize:
- The blood represents the life/soul of the animal
- There is a prohibition to eat the blood of an animal
- An animal is a living thing. It is a sentient being. It has a nefesh – a life force. In reality, killing an animal is killing a living thing. It is an act of aggression.
The Torah prohibits a callous treatment of the animal. The Torah prohibits a demonstration of superfluous aggression towards the animal. The Torah demands that we cover the blood and not eat in front of it like a lion would eat its prey. Demonstrating any unnecessary aggression towards an animal would contravene the philosophy of the Torah.
When we think of animal cruelty, we usually think of inflicting unnecessary pain on an animal. While this type of cruelty is also prohibited, it is not the type of cruelty that the Sefer HaChinuch is referring to. The Sefer HaChinuch is discussing the proper attitude towards all living things.
Each and every one of us has an aggressive part to our personality – some more and some less. This aggression can be very beneficial. It helps us to defend ourselves when necessary and to cope with adversity.
It can also be a tool of destruction. Cruelty begins with viewing other living things as an appropriate object of our aggression. The Torah recognizes that the quality of cruelty can begin innocuously and morph into something far more destructive. Paroh’s Egypt and Hitler’s Germany are just two of many examples in history in which a nation begins by legalizing minor displays of aggression only to subsequently become a nation in which the most sadistic behavior is sanctioned and considered praise-worthy. The Torah recognizes that an individual’s metamorphosis can take a similar arc.
This mitzvah of kisui hadam – covering the blood – represents a proper Torah outlook. G-d designed the world for man’s benefit. When we use the world properly, man produces wonderful results. Harm comes when we use the world as a tool for us to express our most basic instincts. G-d allowed us to use the animal world for our benefit – when the benefit serves a real need. This mitzvah demonstrates that our use of the animal world should not include using it as an outlet for our aggression.
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