REBECCA GRATZ Edward Greene Malbone (Owned by Miss Rachel Gratz Nathan, New York) RACHEL GRATZ Edward Greene Malbone (Owned by Mrs. John Hunter, Savannah) THE JEWISH METHOD OF SLAYING ANIMALS From the Point of View of Humanity By REV. DR. MOSES HYAMSON THE Jewish Law is called Torat Hesed, a law of kindness. Kindness and humanity are enjoined in it, not only towards our human fellow-creatures, but also towards our dumb friends, the lower animals. The right of dominion over animals given to man at the Creation (Gen. 1. 26) implies the correlative duty and obligation of treating them humanely, acting as their protectors and saving them from ill usage. This implicit principle finds expression in numerous definite precepts, positive commandments and prohibitions. The weekly Sabbath day must be a day of rest, not only for human beings, but also for cattle. "The seventh day is a sabbath unto the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any manner of work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle," are the words in the fourth commandment of the decalogue given on Sinai (Exod. 20. 10). In the second version, in the book of Deuteronomy, this is put in fuller detail: "Thou... nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle" (Deut. 5. 14). One of the purposes of the Sabbath is "that thine ox and thine ass may have rest" (Exod. 23. 12). In the sabbatical year the produce of the land that grew of itself was to be free to all the beasts of the field including wild animals. The ox threshing out the corn was not to be muzzled (Deut. 25. 4). Just as the human laborer was free to eat of the produce of field, vineyard, olive yard or orchard in which he was working (Deut. 24. 25-26), so was the dumb brute to eat freely of the grain that he was threshing. An animal was not to be taxed beyond its strength. "Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together" (Deut. 22. 10). The strength of the ass being less than that of the ox, there would be an unfair demand upon the former when they were drawing the plough-shares together (Ibn Ezra's commentary, ad locum). The mother of an animal and its offspring must not be slaughtered on the same day (Lev. 22. 28). The young of an animal must not be taken from its dam, not even for sacrifice, for the first seven days after birth (ibid., 22. 27). An animal that has fallen down must be helped to rise up (Deut. 22. 4). Even if the beast belongs to an enemy, we may not pass by and leave it prostrate. "If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under its burden, thou shalt forbear to pass it by; thou shalt surely release it with him" (Exod. 23. 5). The principle of kindness to animals is summed up in the text which is the scriptural origin of the saying, "A merciful man is merciful to his beast," or literally, "The righteous man knoweth the soul of his beast" (Prov. 12. 10). The talmudic law emphasizes and develops the principle of kindness to animals. It declares that cruelty to animals is forbidden by God. (Baba Mezi‘a 32b, 33a; Maimonides' Code, Hilkot Rozeah 13. 8). It forbids mutilation or gelding (castration) of animals (Eben ha-'Ezer 5. 11, Sifra to Lev. 22. 24, Shabbat 111a). Rabbinical Judaism prohibits hunting for, sport (Hullin 60a, 'Abodah Zarah 18b, Responses of Meir Rotenberg, Response 27; Maimonides' Code, Hilkot Melakim 6, Noda' Biyehudah of Ezekiel Landau, II, Yoreh Deah, Response 10). Before an Israelite sits down to a meal, he must first feed his domestic animals, in accordance with the sequence of sentences in the text: "And I will give grass in thy fields for thy cattle, and thou shalt eat and be satisfied” (Deut. 11. 15; Berakot 40a; Gittin 62a). The Jewish homilists say that Moses and David were chosen leaders of Israel, "taken from the fold to feed God's sheep," because as shepherds they showed themselves kind and faithful to the lower animals entrusted to their care. (Exodus Rabbah 2. 3). There must be no wanton injury to any living creature, “for God is good to all and His tender mercies are upon all His works" (Ps. 145. 9). These considerations dominate the rules and regulations for the slaying of animals for purposes of food. The consumption of flesh must not tend to create savage and cruel habits. Hence the custom that obtained in ancient times, and is said still to exist in Abyssinia and some parts of Asia, of cutting off a piece of flesh from the flanks of the living animal was regarded with horror by the Jews and considered by them as universally forbidden. The prohibition is one of the seven Noahide precepts, binding on all human beings. In the permission to eat the flesh of animals the proviso is added, "But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat" (Gen. 9.4). Blood may not be eaten by the Jews (Lev. 7. 10-14). In killing animals no unnecessary pain should be given |