veganism in yahadus

(10) Eating meat and drinking wine is considered delight (oneg).

It was taught in a baraita that Rabbi Yehuda ben Beteira says: When the Temple is standing, rejoicing is only through the eating of sacrificial meat, as it is stated: “And you shall sacrifice peace-offerings and you shall eat there and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 27:7). And now that the Temple is not standing and one cannot eat sacrificial meat, he can fulfill the mitzva of rejoicing on a Festival only by drinking wine, as it is stated: “And wine that gladdens the heart of man” (Psalms 104:15).

However, I am surprised by the matter itself. We find no hunters other than Nimrod and Esau, and this is not the way of the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Go and look, regarding the congratulation “let it be worn out and renewed” – R. Jacob Weil writes in his rulings, cited by Rema in Orah Hayim at the end of §223, that one does not say this on something made of animal skins, because “His mercy extends over all His creations” (Psalms 145:9). And even though Rema writes on this that it is weak reasoning, because it is not necessary for an animal to be killed on his behalf, as there are many pelts and skins that are already prepared, and many of them die of natural causes but can still be used for their pelts. Nevertheless, Rema concludes that many are careful about this. For how can a man of Israel actively kill beasts needlessly, simply to pass his leisure time by engaging in hunting?

Yet even this is unrelated to the present care, for in that case, when they came into a settled area, a place of human beings, and they are nearby, then during the week one may kill them, and on Shabbat one may trample them innocuously. Indeed, it is stated in Shabbat loc. cit.: “Our Rabbis taught: “If snakes came upon him—if he killed them, then it is known that they came upon him so that he can kill them….” But to chase after them in the forests, the location of their dens, when it is not usual for them to enter settled areas, there is no mitzva, and there is nothing but the pursuit of his heart’s appetites and the counsel of [the evil inclination, which] is compared to a deer.

A man who needs to do so, whose livelihood is from such trapping, is not cruel. After all, we slaughter livestock, beasts, and birds and kill fish for human consumption, and why should there be a difference between kosher animals whose meat is eaten and unkosher animals through which one earns a living and eats by the sale of their pelts? All creatures were given to man for all his needs. However, for one who does not need this for his livelihood, and whose main intent is not at all for the sake of earning a living, this is cruelty.

(9) But take utmost care and watch yourselves scrupulously, so that you do not forget the things that you saw with your own eyes and so that they do not fade from your mind as long as you live. And make them known to your children and to your children’s children: (10) The day you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, when the LORD said to Me, “Gather the people to Me that I may let them hear My words, in order that they may learn to revere Me as long as they live on earth, and may so teach their children.” ... (15) For your own sake, therefore, be most careful—since you saw no shape when the LORD your God spoke to you at Horeb out of the fire— (16) not to act wickedly and make for yourselves a sculptured image in any likeness whatever: the form of a man or a woman, ...

Likewise, one has a positive duty to remove and guard oneself of any life-threatening obstacle, as it is said "beware and guard your soul". If one did not removed said obstacles, one has cancelled a positive commandment and transgressed "do not bring bloodguilt" (Deut. 22:8).

(19) When in your war against a city you have to besiege it a long time in order to capture it, you must not destroy its trees, wielding the ax against them because you may eat of them, but you must not cut them down. Are trees of the field human to withdraw before you into the besieged city?

Look at God's work - for who can straighten what He has twisted? (Ecclesiastes 7:13). When the Blessed Holy One created the first human, He took him and led him round all the trees of the Garden of Eden and said to him: “Look at My works, how beautiful and praiseworthy they are! And all that I have created, it was for you that I created it. Pay attention that you do not corrupt and destroy My world: if you corrupt it, there is no one to repair it after you. And not only that - you cause the death of that tzadik [Moses]. A simile - to what does Moses our teacher can be compared? To a pregnant woman who was incarcerated in a prison and there she gave birth to a son, she raised him there and died there. Some time later, when the king was passing by the entrance of the prison, the son shouted and said: 'My lord the king! I was born here! I was raised here! I don't know what is the sin that keeps me put in here. He answered him: Your mother's sin. It is the same with Moses, as it is written: Behold, the man has become one (Genesis 3:22) and it is written [also] Behold, your day of death is approaching (Deuteronomy 31:14)