''Tza'ar ba'alei chayim'' ( he, צער בעלי חיים), literally "suffering of living creatures", is a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

commandment which bans causing

animal Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Kingdom (biology), biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals Heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, are Motilit ...

s unnecessary suffering. This concept is not clearly enunciated in the written

Torah The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the s ...

, but was accepted by the

Talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cente ...

as being a biblical mandate. It is linked in the Talmud from the biblical law requiring people to assist in unloading burdens from animals ().

Literal meaning

''Tza'ar'' is an (ancient) Hebrew word for "suffering" and is used in this context with the meaning of "suffering that does not advance some legitimate human good", according to The Oxford Handbook of Jewish Ethics and Morality. ''Ba'alei chayim'' is an expression literally meaning "owners of life", which is used in the Talmud for "animals".

Laws

Slaughter

In traditional Jewish law, kosher animals may be eaten if killed using the slaughter method known as ''

shechitah In Judaism, ''shechita'' (anglicized: ; he, ; ; also transliterated ''shehitah, shechitah, shehita'') is slaughtering of certain mammals and birds for food according to '' kashrut''. Sources states that sheep and cattle should be slaughtere ...

'', where the animal is killed by having its throat cut swiftly using an extremely sharp and specially designed knife. Many rabbis assert that these regulations were put in place to reduce the animal's suffering and to ensure that the animal has the easiest possible death. The design of the kosher knives as well as regulation relating to how the cut is made have been seen to greatly reduce or completely eliminate reaction from the kosher cut. Even modern-day scientists critical of shechita agree that it greatly improved welfare at slaughter in historical periods, though experts disagree regarding shechita's efficacy compared to modern slaughter methods. In 2000, the

Rabbinical Assembly The Rabbinical Assembly (RA) is the international association of Conservative rabbis. The RA was founded in 1901 to shape the ideology, programs, and practices of the Conservative movement. It publishes prayerbooks and books of Jewish interest, an ...

Conservative Judaism Conservative Judaism, known as Masorti Judaism outside North America, is a Jewish religious movement which regards the authority of ''halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions as coming primarily from its people and community through the generatio ...

's Committee on Jewish Law and Standards banned the common slaughter method of "shackling and hoisting" (pulling a conscious animal into the air with a chain before slaughter). Rabbis

Joel Roth Joel Roth is a prominent American rabbi in the Rabbinical Assembly, which is the rabbinical body of Conservative Judaism. He is a former member and chair of the assembly's ''Committee on Jewish Law and Standards'' (CJLS) which deals with question ...

and

Elliot Dorff Elliot N. Dorff (born 24 June 1943) is an American Conservative rabbi. He is a Visiting Professor of Law at UCLA School of Law and Distinguished Professor of Jewish theology at the American Jewish University (formerly the University of Judaism) in C ...

wrote a

responsum ''Responsa'' (plural of Latin , 'answer') comprise a body of written decisions and rulings given by legal scholars in response to questions addressed to them. In the modern era, the term is used to describe decisions and rulings made by scholars i ...

on this topic which concluded that shackling and hoisting "unquestionably constitutes a violation of Jewish laws that forbid us to cause undue pain to animals."

Animal research

According to the Shulkhan Aruch, "anything that is necessary for medical purposes, or for anything else, is exempt from the prohibition of causing suffering to animals". Most Jewish authorities allow medical research if it will help people in need, and if the animals do not undergo any unnecessary suffering. Reform Judaism's

Central Conference of American Rabbis The Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR), founded in 1889 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, is the principal organization of Reform rabbis in the United States and Canada. The CCAR is the largest and oldest rabbinical organization in the world. I ...

, for example, affirms that animal research is permissible if it will save human lives, so long as animals are subjected to little pain and not used in "frivolous" experiments such as cosmetic testing.

In the Noahide Code

A concern for suffering caused to animals is found in Judaism's

Seven Laws of Noah In Judaism, the Seven Laws of Noah ( he, שבע מצוות בני נח, ''Sheva Mitzvot B'nei Noach''), otherwise referred to as the Noahide Laws or the Noachian Laws (from the Hebrew pronunciation of "Noah"), are a set of universal moral law ...

, which apply to all humankind. One of the seven laws, ''ever min ha chai,'' prohibits eating the flesh of live animals. This law is derived from , as interpreted in the

Vegetarianism and veganism

A number of authorities have described tza'ar ba'alei chayim as requiring or leading to the adoption of a

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter. Vegetarianism m ...

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. Di ...

diet. Israeli rabbi Asa Kesiar has argued that the slaughter of animals in contemporary times violates tza'ar ba'alei chayim and should not be considered kosher. Israeli rabbi

Simchah Roth Simchah Roth (died. 2012) was an Israeli rabbi and scholar who edited the first prayer book of the Masorti movement. Career Roth moved to Israel in 1969, serving as the rabbi and resident lecturer of the WUJS Institute in Arad and then teachi ...

has argued that contemporary slaughter "constitutes cruelty to animals za'ar ba'alei chayimwhich is forbidden by the Torah." American rabbi

Geoffrey Claussen Geoffrey Claussen is an American rabbi and scholar who serves as a professor of Religious Studies at Elon University. His scholarship focuses on Jewish ethics, theology, and the Musar movement. Education Claussen received his BA in Classical La ...

has written that considering tza'ar ba'alei chayim may lead to "committing to a vegan diet and boycotting the animal agriculture industry." American author

Richard H. Schwartz Richard H. Schwartz is a professor emeritus of mathematics at the College of Staten Island; president emeritus of the Jewish Vegetarians of North America (JVNA); and co-founder and coordinator of the Society of Ethical and Religious Vegetarians ...

has claimed that tza'ar ba'alei chayim is a central reason for Jews to become vegetarians. Orthodox Judaism, however, firmly reject these views. Orthodox Jews believe that God created the entire world, including animals, for the enjoyment of man. In regards to the consumption of animals specifically, the biblical laws of slaughter, as well as portions of the Bible that relate anecdotes of Jews eating meat, clearly indicate this view.

Other areas of concern for animals in Jewish law

Resting on the Sabbath also meant providing rest for the working animals, and people are instructed to feed their animals before they sit down to eat. At harvest time, the working animals must not be muzzled, so that they can eat of the harvest as they work. A prohibition against using two different kinds of animals teamed together, such as ploughing or doing other work, is derived from the

in and the

Mishnah The Mishnah or the Mishna (; he, מִשְׁנָה, "study by repetition", from the verb ''shanah'' , or "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first major written collection of the Jewish oral traditions which is known as the Oral Torah ...

in tractate Kila'yim elaborates upon this prohibition. The underlying concern is for the welfare of the animals, particularly the weaker of the pair. Sports like bullfighting are forbidden by most authorities. Rabbi

Ovadia Yosef Ovadia Yosef ( he, , Ovadya Yosef, ; September 24, 1920 – October 7, 2013) was an Iraqi-born Talmudic scholar, a posek, the Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel from 1973 to 1983, and a founder and long-time spiritual leader of Israel's ultra-Orthodo ...

has characterized bullfighting as "a culture of sinful and cruel people" which is opposed by Torah values.

Narrative traditions

One

midrash ''Midrash'' (;"midrash"
''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. he, מִדְרָשׁ; ...

declares compassion for animals to have been the merit of

Moses Moses hbo, מֹשֶׁה, Mōše; also known as Moshe or Moshe Rabbeinu (Mishnaic Hebrew: מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ, ); syr, ܡܘܫܐ, Mūše; ar, موسى, Mūsā; grc, Mωϋσῆς, Mōÿsēs () is considered the most important pro ...

that made him the shepherd of his people. This midrash has sometimes been linked with tza'ar ba'alei chayim. In one narrative in the

Babylonian Talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cente ...

Judah ha-Nasi Judah ha-Nasi ( he, יְהוּדָה הַנָּשִׂיא‎, ''Yəhūḏā hanNāsīʾ‎''; Yehudah HaNasi or Judah the Prince) or Judah I, was a second-century rabbi (a tanna of the fifth generation) and chief redactor and editor of the ''Mi ...

saw in his own ailment the punishment for having once failed to show compassion for a frightened calf. This midrash has sometimes also been linked with ''tza'ar ba'alei chayim''.

Organizations

The Shamayim V'Aretz Institute

The Shamayim V'Aretz Institute
is a Jewish animal protection group that educates leaders, trains advocates, and leads campaigns for the humane treatment of animals. Shamyim V'Aretz is led by rabbi

Shmuly Yanklowitz Shmuly Yanklowitz (born 1981) is an Orthodox rabbi, activist, and author. In March 2012 and March 2013, Newsweek and ''The Daily Beast'' listed Yanklowitz as one of the 50 most influential rabbis in America. Recognition In 2022, Yanklowitz w ...

and has run campaigns which seek to end: kosher certification of

veal Veal is the meat of calves, in contrast to the beef from older cattle. Veal can be produced from a calf of either sex and any breed, however most veal comes from young male calves of dairy breeds which are not used for breeding. Generally, v ...

, the practice of ''

kapparot ''Kapparot'' ( he, כפרות, Ashkenazi transliteration: , ) is a customary atonement ritual practiced by orthodox Jews on the eve of Yom Kippur. This is a practice in which either money is waved over a person's head and then donated to charit ...

'', and the kosher certifying of cattle that are killed usin
shackle and hoist
techniques.

Magen Tzedek

Enforcing a commitment to ''tza'ar ba'alei chayim'' in food production has been part of the effort of

Magen Tzedek Magen Tzedek, originally known as Hekhsher Tzedek, ( he, מגן צדק English translation ''Shield of Justice'' or ''Justice Certification'', with variant English spellings) is a complementary certification for kosher food produced in the United ...

commission, formerly known as Hekshher Tzedek. The Magen Tzedek commission sees compliance with the

Humane Farm Animal Care Humane Farm Animal Care is a non-profit organization established to promote and administer its certification and labeling program, ''Certified Humane Raised & Handled'', for meat, dairy, eggs and poultry raised under its animal care standards in ...

Standards (HFAC) as sufficiently preventing unnecessary suffering to animals. Amid disputed claims of Orthodox opposition the Magen Tzedek commission has not been successful in recruiting any food producers into its certification program.

The Jewish Initiative For Animals

The Jewish Initiative For Animals (JIFA) supports innovative programs that seek to turn the Jewish value of tza'ar ba'alei chayim into action and build Jewish American communities in the process. In November 2016 JIFA partnered with kosher meat distributors KOL Foods and Grow and Behold to bring a run of kosher certified

heritage breed In modern agriculture, a rare breed is a breed of poultry or livestock that has a very small breeding population, usually from a few hundred to a few thousand. Because of their small numbers, rare breeds may have a threatened conservation statu ...

chickens to market for the first time in approximately 50 years. Heritage breed chickens and turkeys are able to achieve highest possible welfare outcomes. Thus, the renewed availability of heritage chicken to kosher consumer has helped expand values of tza'ar ba'alei chayim within the modern kosher meat industry. JIFA has also sought to spread the values of tza'ar ba'alei chayim into the Jewish world through its Ark Project, a service-learning curriculum for '' b’nai mitzvah''. This curriculum seeks to engages with Jewish teaching and real life problems about topics such as homeless animals, animals used in entertainment, farmed animal welfare, conservation of wildlife and more.

Jewish Veg

Jewish Veg Jewish Veg is an international 501(c)(3) charitable organization whose mission is to encourage and help Jews to embrace plant-based diets as an expression of the Jewish values of compassion for animals, concern for health, and care for the environ ...

is an organization whose mission is to encourage and help Jews to embrace plant-based diets. The organization teaches that "''tsa'ar baalei chaim'', the prohibition on causing animals pain, is one of the most beautiful teachings in Judaism. Our Jewish sacred texts strongly emphasize compassion for animals, and strongly oppose the infliction of suffering on another living creature."

Hazon

Hazon Hazon ( he, חָזוֹן ) is an American nonprofit organization based in New York City that seeks to "create new vision" in the Jewish community through outdoor and environmental education. It was founded in 2000 by its British-born CEO Nigel S ...

is a Jewish

environmental education Environmental education (EE) refers to organized efforts to teach how natural environments function, and particularly, how human beings can manage behavior and ecosystems to live sustainably. It is a multi-disciplinary field integrating discip ...

organization. In December 2015, it introduced animal welfare as a core value of its agenda. The organization teaches that "preventing unnecessary cruelty to animals, or ''tzaar baalei chayim'', is a core value in Judaism."

References

External links

MyJewishLearning.com: Ethical Treatment of Animals in Judaism

Jewish perspectives from the Humane Society

The Jewish Initiative For Animals
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tza'ar Ba'alei Chayim Jewish ethics Jewish law principles Animal welfare Negative Mitzvoth Jewish vegetarianism Animals in Judaism