Jews in Shtreimels (Fur Hats) and Fur Coats? Sanhedrin 15B

Because of the increased awareness of issues of animal cruelty it has become very politically incorrect to wear fur coats.  Even most Orthodox Jews wouldn’t feel comfortable (or even be seen dead) wearing a fur coat.  However, is it against Jewish law for Jews to wear fur which has been harvested from an animal?

The Nodeah Beyeuhda (18^th century Eastern European Scholar) was asked by a wealthy Jewish landowner if recreational hunting was permitted by Jewish Law? He replied that recreational hunting was completely contrary to both the letter and the spirit of Jewish law since the only hunters we can find in the Bible where Esau & Nimrod who were not known to be the most moral of people.  According to the Nodeah Beyhuda, Jewish Law permits us to kill wild animals such as lions & bears only in situations where they have ventured into populated areas and have already killed a person (Sanhedrin 15B).  If they haven’t killed a person one is not permitted according to Halacha to kill these animals (Rambam Sanhedrin 5:2). If that is the case, than certainly we aren’t permitted according to Halacha to venture into the wild and to seek out game in order to hunt them down, merely for the thrill of the hunt.   According to the Nodeah Beyehuda the hunter who risks his life by venturing into the wild merely for the sake of recreational hunting is even committing a sin by risking his own life and will not merit any divine protection. In summary the Nodeah Beyehuda believes that recreational hunting is simply a cruel and unjustifiable act.

It is important to note that the Nodeah Beyehuda doesn’t ban hunting in cases of necessity such as for food, fur, or for commerce. He equates such hunting with the slaughter of domesticated animals and the catching of fish which is permitted by Jewish law. Therefore, it would appear that it is not against Jewish law to wear fur which is has been harvested from an animal because it is no different than eating the meat of animals, fish or fowl which is permitted.

However, the reason why wearing fur has become out of fashion is mostly because of the cruel practices used in raising the animals whose fur is to be harvested.  Many of those practices are clearly in violation of the Torah prohibition of Tzaar Baalei Chayim (Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) and one has to wonder when wearing an item of fur under what circumstances that animal was raised and killed. It is true that the poultry that we eat and the beef that we grill are also at times subject to less than ideal conditions regarding Tzaar Baalei Chayim – something that we should give appropriate thought and action to. On a psychological level, the poultry and meat that we eat is only glimpsed fleetingly, but the fur that we wear is a constant reminder of the history and the fate of its previous owner.

 

 

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Sukkot and Climate Change

In honor of Blog Action Day 2009 on Climate Change, here is a guest post I wrote for the JGooders Blog:

In honor of the Sukkot holiday, here’s a guest post from Carmi Wisemon, Executive Director of Sviva Israel.

A friend in Atlanta recently posted Facebook photos of the dramatic floods behind her home.  This set me thinking about Sukkot…

The Mishna in Tractate Rosh Hashanah states that the world is judged four times a year.  On Rosh Hashanah all the creatures in the world, including us, are judged for the coming year; on Sukkot the amount of rainfall; on Pesach the grains and Shavuot the  fruits.

According to Jewish tradition, the difference between Rosh Hashanah and the other three main holidays, is that on Rosh Hashanah the individual prays for and is judged regarding their personal allotment of the world’s resources (including life).  Whereas during the other three festivals,we need to focus on the general good of the world, how much food will be available to others and how much rainfall there will be for everyone else.

During Sukkot rather than focusing on ourselves, we do tikkun olam, praying for the resources needed by the global community. Not just for ourselves, or even for the Jewish community, but for all of the earth’s inhabitants.

In Biblical times, during Sukkot the People of Israel made offerings and prayers on behalf of the other nations of the world.  In his commentary on Numbers 29; 18, Rashi, one of the foremost rabbinical commentators, explains that the total number of oxen offered during the seven-day Sukkot holiday came to seventy, representing the seventy nations of the world.  The special ceremonies and prayers at this time were intended to bestow on the peace and prosperity.

Sukkot is also about coming together as a Jewish community for the greater good.  About moving out of the insular walls of  our  homes and opening up our Sukkah to welcome whoever wants to come in.    Many of the ceremonies  that are associated with Sukkot, such as the Hakhel gathering, the Simchat Beit Hashoevah and Hoshanas are not only about praying for water, but also about doing so together with other members of the community.  And again, these prayers are not personal requests for ourselves, or for just Israel or the Jewish People, but rather for the general good of the world.

So this Sukkot, as we relax in our Sukkot, and admire the natural splendor of our lulavs and etrogs, think about the deeper meaning of the holiday.  We can all do our bit to prevent climate change, and that includes a 2,000 year-old tradition of praying for rain to fall – neither too little nor too much – in Israel, but also in the Philippines, Indonesia and even Atlanta.

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Is environmental activity as important as doing Chessed with people? Kiddushin 40 a

Is kindness to people more important?

Who is considered more righteous, someone who is concerned with the needs of other people or one who is concerned with the creation? Or to put it differently, are social workers and other baalei chessed fulfilling G-d’s will more than environmentalists?

According to the Talmud, it would appear that if a person wants to be righteous he should involve himself with helping people and not solely with preserving and protecting the creation. The Talmud in Kiddushin 40 gives four examples of actions which merit reward in this world and the next: honoring one’s parents, doing kind deeds for other people, making peace between people, and learning/teaching Torah. The Talmud asks why someone who performs the mitzvah of shiluach haken (sending a mother bird away from its nest when taking the eggs) is not included in this list? It says elsewhere that one who performs the mitzvah of shiluach haken is  “For his benefit (in this world) and that he has  long days (in the next world).” So why is he not considered amongst  those righteous who have merit  in this world and in the  world to come?

The Talmud explains that there are two types of good people, those who are purely righteous and those that are just good people.  The purely righteous merit reward in this world and in the world to come because they are tov lashamayim and tov labriyot – they are good to G-d (by following his commandments) and are good to other people. Those who are just good people merit reward only in the world to come because they are tov lashamyim veraa laberiyot. What is the meaning of veraa laberiyot?  The Talmud explains that it is referring to people who are observing G-d’s commandments such as shiluach haken which is a mitzva ben adam lamakom but aren’t necessarily involved in helping others. Therefore, they have reached the level of just good people who will receive merit only  in the world to come, but not pure righteousness.

From this Gemara it would seem that to be a purely righteous person, it is not enough to be only concerned with preservation of the creation, which is considered a mitzvah between man and G-d. If this is indeed correct, should I give up my environmental activism and return to my former profession as a social worker, which would keep me safely on the path to becoming a completely  righteous person B’H ?

Yet perhaps this is where modern environmentalism often differs from the idea behind shiluach haken which is primarily for the sake of heaven, or for the sake of sparing the mother bird from pain. For most modern environmentalism is really about people.   As my friend and colleague Professor Alfred Fischbein says, “I tend to emphasize that the ultimate recipient in society of environmental hazards is man.”  Therefore many of today’s environmentalist, whose focus is just as much on preserving the wellbeing of mankind as of the rest of creation, can definitely be considered tov lashamyim and tov labriyot. I guess there is still some hope for me!

PR: wait… I: wait… L: wait… LD: wait… I: wait… wait… Rank: wait… Traffic: wait… Price: wait… C: wait…

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Water Rights: Gittin 60b

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Over Population in the Land of Israel? Gittin 57A

The Gemara states that the land of Israel is described in Jeremiah 3:19 as the “land of the deer”. Why a deer? The deer has a very special property that other animals don’t. After a deer is killed and it’s skin is removed the skin shrinks and can no longer contain or cover the carcass of the deer. The skin fit the deer only as long as it was on the deer.   So too the land of Israel is considered to be the skin of the Jewish people. As long as Jews are setlled in it it grows with them and can supply them with all of their needs but as soon as the Jews leave their skin the land “shrinks” and can no longer meet the needs of those living in it.

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Talking To Birds: Gittin 45a

Just as King Solomon communicated with the Animal kingdom so did other people in talmudic times.  The Gemara tells of a story of Rav Eelish who was taken captive and held together with a non Jew who was able to communicate with birds. One day a raven came to Rav Eelish and was trying to communicate with him. Rav Eelish who did not understand what the bird was saying asked the non jew to translate for him. The non Jew said the raven is saying “Rav Eelish run, Rav Eelish run.” (now is an opportune time for you to make an escape). Rav eelish said the raven can not be trusted for he did not fulfill the task which Noach asked of him at the end of the flood.

Meanwhile came a dove and was trying to communicate with him. Again  the Rav asked of the non Jew to translate for him what the dove woud like to say.  The non Jew said the dove is saying “Rav Eelish run, Rav Eelish run”. Said Rav Eelish it may very well be that the non Jew is lying to me but since the jewish people are compared to a dove and since the dove called me perhaps a miracle will happen for me and I will be able to make my escape.

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A Fragrant Environment for the Righteous – Sotah 12a

Asks the Gemara ‘Why was the basket in which Moses was placed into the Nile only tarred from the outside and not from the inside as well?” the Gemara answers so that the the baby Moses should not have to smell the bad odor of tar.

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Being Careful with One’s Possesions Sotah 12a

The Gemara asks how come Miriam placed Moses in the Nile in a basket made from a relatively cheap material called Gomeh?  Why did she not use a stronger material to make the basket for little baby Moses? One of the answers of the Gemara is that the righteous are careful not to waste any of their possesions and that Gomeh was sufficiently strong material for the basket that was needed. The Gemara explains that the reason the righteous are very careful with their possesions because they are careful not to use anything that may have been stolen.

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Will G-D ever bring another flood upon the world? Sotah 11A

 Pharaoh said to the Egyptians “let us punish the Jews with water by throwing them into the Nile”.   G-D earlier promised that after the mabul he will never bring another flood on to the whole world (and therefore G-D won’t punish the Egyptians with water (a flood) as retribution for harming the Jews).  The Egyptians and Pharaoh mistakenly assumed that when G-D promised not to bring another flood upon the whole world, even a single country would not be totally flooded.

This was not the meaning of G-D’s words, however, and as we have unfortunately seen, it is possible that one or even several countries can suffer major floods, just as the Egyptians were drowned in the Dead Sea in retribution for throwing the Jewish children into the Nile.  One of the dire warnings of global warming is the threat of floods for coastal nations –  according to the Torah it can happen.  

 

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Wealth & Beauty -Nedarim 66a

Wealth & Beauty: Nedarim 66a

 Many of us have a false Hollywood image of the beautiful peasant, native or country girl.  Anyone who has actually met these people in person (or seen pictures of them)  will see that often these women are usually quite homely looking.  Perhaps part of the reason for this homeliness has to do with the correlation between physical beauty and affluence.

The Mishna tells a story about a man who lived in the area of Judea  who was betrothed to his niece in the Galilee,   when he arrived in the Galilee and  saw how homely she was he took an oath that he would not marry her. When Rabbi Yishmael heard about this poor girls situation he brought her into his home, fed and clothed her and replaced her broken false tooth with a new golden tooth. Later Rabbi Yishmael brought the groom to see his niece once again and he said to him. “From this one you swore (not to marry)? The groom replied that he did not take a vow from such a pretty woman and Rabbi Yishamel was able to annul the grooms vow. At that time rabbi Yishamael cried and said “The daughters of Israel are pleasant but it is poverty that causes them to appear homely.”

“יופי ושפע” נדרים סו. 

לאלו מאתנו שגדלו מול מסך  הטלוויזיה והסרטים או מספרי מסעות למיניהם יש תמונה דמיונית של היופי של נשים מהכפרים הפשוטים ומשבטים מרוחקים. לאלו מאתנו שנפגשו עם הנשים מהמקומות האלו אנחנו קצת מתאכזבים מחוסר היופי של הנשים (וגם הגברים)  במקומות אלו. מדוע המצב הוא כך יכול להיות שזה איך שהוא קשור לקורלציה  בין עושר ויופי פיזי. 

המשנה מספרת על אדם מאזור יהודה שהיה אמור להתחתן עם בת אחותו בגליל. כשהוא הגיעה לגליל הוא ראה שהיא כעורה ונדר שלא יתחתן אתה . היא נפגעה מאוד מהמצב המביש וכששמע רבי ישמעאל על מה שקרה הוא הכניס אותה לביתו והאכיל אותה והלביש אותה והחליף את השן התותבת שלה שלא הייתה עשויה במידה מתאמת לשן חדשה  של זהב. רבי ישמעאל קרא לחתן והראה לו את הכלה ושאל אותו “האם מזו נדרת שלא תתחתן?” אמר לו החתן “לא!” רבי ישמעאל מצא פתח לנדר שלו והתיר לו להינשא לכלה “היפה”. באותו שעה  בכה רבי ישמעאל  ואמר “בנות ישראל נאות הן, אלא שהעניות מנוולתן.”

 

 

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