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One of my favorite Facebook groups, as many of you know, is Mazal Pups. Mazal Pups allows Jewish dog owners to post photos of their dogs, and what you’ll no doubt notice the most is how utterly spoiled some of these animals are. But I find it impossible not to visit the site because I always see the way people treat animals as a reflection of the way they treat others and as a result find the photographs uplifting.
Concern for animal suffering is also noted in passing in this week’s portion, Emor. There we read that “you may not slaughter the mother and the offspring in a single day.” (Leviticus 22:28) As humans, it is important for us to respect the sensitivities of animals, and not simply regard them as destined for slaughter.
The rabbis themselves saw ethical treatment of animals as something G-d might reward, or punish, on a “measure for measure” basis. Consider the case of Rabbi Judah the Prince, editor of the Mishna, who lived in about the year 200 CE.
- The sufferings of Rabbi Judah the Prince came about due to an incident. What was it? A calf which they were bringing to slaughter went and hung its head in the corner of Rabbi Judah’s garment. “Go,” he said, “for this you were created.” The heavenly court decreed, “Since he shows no compassion, let sufferings come upon him.” And these sufferings ended as a result of an incident. One day, Rabbi Judah’s maid was sweeping the house. There were baby rats scattered there and she swept them up. Rabbi Judah said to her, “Let them go! It is written, “G-d’s compassion is upon all of G-d’s work.” (Psalms 145:9) The heavenly court said, “Since he shows compassion, we will have compassion on him.” (Babylonian Talmud Bava Metzia 85a)
About twenty years ago, an undercover operation exposed horrific animal husbandry practices at Agriprocessors, home of the Rubashkin facility. Kosher slaughter is never a pleasant process to watch, but the videos produced by the investigators were stomach-churning.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Agriprocessors also mistreated humans. Working conditions were unsafe, minimum wage laws were violated and people were forced to perform tasks in a manner which caused repetitive stress injuries. The founder of Agriprocessors, Shalom Rubashkin, is still serving time in prison for one of the largest bank fraud cases in American history.
If you’re so inclined, join me in enjoying Mazal Pups every now and then. Because spoiled dogs are funny, but abused animals are a different, far sadder, story.
- Rabbi Scott Hoffman
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