(כט) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֗ים הִנֵּה֩ נָתַ֨תִּי לָכֶ֜ם אֶת־כָּל־עֵ֣שֶׂב ׀ זֹרֵ֣עַ זֶ֗רַע אֲשֶׁר֙ עַל־פְּנֵ֣י כָל־הָאָ֔רֶץ וְאֶת־כָּל־הָעֵ֛ץ אֲשֶׁר־בּ֥וֹ פְרִי־עֵ֖ץ זֹרֵ֣עַ זָ֑רַע לָכֶ֥ם יִֽהְיֶ֖ה לְאָכְלָֽה׃
ו אמר רב יהודה אמר רב אדם הראשון לא הותר לו בשר לאכילה דכתיב (בראשית א, כט) לכם יהיה לאכלה ולכל חית הארץ ולא חית הארץ לכם וכשבאו בני נח התיר להם שנאמר (בראשית ט, ג) כירק עשב נתתי לכם את כל
§ Rav Yehuda says that Rav says: Meat was not permitted to Adam for consumption, as it is written: “And God said: Behold, I have given you every herb that brings forth seed... for you it shall be for food, and for every animal of the earth. It is derived God told Adam: Eating vegetation is permitted to people and animals, but eating the animals of the earth is not permitted to you. But when the children of Noah came, God permitted them to eat meat; as it is stated: “Every moving thing that lives shall be for food for you; as the green herb I have given you all."
(ב) יַרְבֶּה בְּבָשָׂר וְיַיִן וּמִגְדָּנוֹת כְּפִי יְכָלְתּוֹ.
[on shabbos] one should eat lots of meat, wine and sweets.
(א) וַיִּקְרָ֖א אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֑ה וַיְדַבֵּ֤ר יְהוָה֙ אֵלָ֔יו מֵאֹ֥הֶל מוֹעֵ֖ד לֵאמֹֽר׃ (ב) דַּבֵּ֞ר אֶל־בְּנֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֲלֵהֶ֔ם אָדָ֗ם כִּֽי־יַקְרִ֥יב מִכֶּ֛ם קָרְבָּ֖ן לַֽיהוָ֑ה מִן־הַבְּהֵמָ֗ה מִן־הַבָּקָר֙ וּמִן־הַצֹּ֔אן תַּקְרִ֖יבוּ אֶת־קָרְבַּנְכֶֽם...
(1) The LORD called to Moses and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting, saying: (2) Speak to the Israelite people, and say to them: When any of you presents an offering of cattle to the LORD, he shall choose his offering from the herd or from the flock...
ר"ש בן אלעזר אומר: הם לא נבראו אלא לשמשני ואני נבראתי לשמש את קוני
The mishna taught that Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar says: all these animals were created only to serve me, and I, a human being, was created to serve the One Who formed me.
(א) שלא לשחט בהמה ובנה ביום אחד -
(ב) משרשי המצוה ... לקבע בנפשותינו מדת החמלה ולהרחיק מדת האכזריות שהיא מדה רעה, ולכן אף על פי שהתיר לנו האל מיני בעלי חיים למחיתנו, צונו לבל נהרג אתו ואת בנו ביום אחד, ולקבע בנפשנו מדת החמלה.
(1) It is forbidden to slaughter an animal and its offspring on the same day -
(2) From the root [reason] of the mitzvah: ...this mitzvah inspires compassion within us and distances us from cruelty (which is a bad trait). Therefore, even though we are permitted to use animals to sustain us we are forbidden from slaughtering the parent and offspring on one day, to instill the characteristic of compassion within our souls.
(ו) כִּ֣י יִקָּרֵ֣א קַן־צִפּ֣וֹר ׀ לְפָנֶ֡יךָ בַּדֶּ֜רֶךְ בְּכָל־עֵ֣ץ ׀ א֣וֹ עַל־הָאָ֗רֶץ אֶפְרֹחִים֙ א֣וֹ בֵיצִ֔ים וְהָאֵ֤ם רֹבֶ֙צֶת֙ עַל־הָֽאֶפְרֹחִ֔ים א֖וֹ עַל־הַבֵּיצִ֑ים לֹא־תִקַּ֥ח הָאֵ֖ם עַל־הַבָּנִֽים׃ (ז) שַׁלֵּ֤חַ תְּשַׁלַּח֙ אֶת־הָאֵ֔ם וְאֶת־הַבָּנִ֖ים תִּֽקַּֽח־לָ֑ךְ לְמַ֙עַן֙ יִ֣יטַב לָ֔ךְ וְהַאֲרַכְתָּ֖ יָמִֽים׃
(6) If, along the road, you chance upon a bird’s nest, in any tree or on the ground, with fledglings or eggs and the mother sitting over the fledglings or on the eggs, do not take the mother together with her young. (7) Let the mother go, and take only the young, in order that you may fare well and have a long life.
(א) כי יקרא קן צפור לפניך כי הטעם לבלתי היות לנו לב אכזרי ולא נרחם. וכתב הרב במורה הנבוכים (ג מח) כי טעם שלוח הקן וטעם אותו ואת בנו לא תשחטו ביום אחד כדי להזהיר שלא ישחוט הבן בעיני האם כי יש לבהמות דאגה גדולה בזה
(1) If the nest of a bird chances to be in front of you: the reason is that we should not have a cruel heart and [then] not have mercy. And the teacher (Rambam) in the Guide for the Perplexed 3:48 wrote that the reason of sending [the mother away from] the nest and the reason of "it and its son do not slaughter on one day" is to prohibit killing the child in the eyes of the mother, as animals have great concern about this...
(יט) רֵאשִׁ֗ית בִּכּוּרֵי֙ אַדְמָ֣תְךָ֔ תָּבִ֕יא בֵּ֖ית יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ לֹֽא־תְבַשֵּׁ֥ל גְּדִ֖י בַּחֲלֵ֥ב אִמּֽוֹ׃ (ס)
(ב) לא תבשל גדי בחלב אמו - וגנאי הוא הדבר ובליעה ורעבתנות לאכול חלב האם עם הבנים.
(2) לא תבשל גדי בחלב אמו: It is something distasteful, revolting, something akin to gluttony, to consume the mother’s milk together with the young animal that this milk was intended to nourish.
(5) When you see the donkey of your enemy lying under its burden and would refrain from raising it, you must nevertheless raise it with him.
(יב) שָׁמ֣֛וֹר אֶת־י֥וֹם֩ הַשַׁבָּ֖֨ת לְקַדְּשׁ֑֜וֹ כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר צִוְּךָ֖֣ ׀ יְהוָ֥֣ה אֱלֹהֶֽ֗יךָ (יג) שֵׁ֤֣שֶׁת יָמִ֣ים֙ תַּֽעֲבֹ֔ד֮ וְעָשִׂ֖֣יתָ כָּֿל־מְלַאכְתֶּֽךָ֒׃ (יד) וְי֙וֹם֙ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֜֔י שַׁבָּ֖֣ת ׀ לַיהוָ֖֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑֗יךָ לֹ֣א תַעֲשֶׂ֣ה כָל־מְלָאכָ֡ה אַתָּ֣ה וּבִנְךָֽ־וּבִתֶּ֣ךָ וְעַבְדְּךָֽ־וַ֠אֲמָתֶךָ וְשׁוֹרְךָ֨ וַחֲמֹֽרְךָ֜ וְכָל־בְּהֶמְתֶּ֗ךָ וְגֵֽרְךָ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בִּשְׁעָרֶ֔יךָ לְמַ֗עַן יָנ֛וּחַ עַבְדְּךָ֥ וַאֲמָתְךָ֖ כָּמֽ֑וֹךָ...
(12) Observe the sabbath day and keep it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you. (13) Six days you shall labor and do all your work, (14) but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your ox or your donkey, or any of your cattle, or the stranger in your settlements, so that your male and female slave may rest as you do...
(כג) רַ֣ק חֲזַ֗ק לְבִלְתִּי֙ אֲכֹ֣ל הַדָּ֔ם כִּ֥י הַדָּ֖ם ה֣וּא הַנָּ֑פֶשׁ וְלֹא־תֹאכַ֥ל הַנֶּ֖פֶשׁ עִם־הַבָּשָֽׂר׃
(23) But make sure that you do not partake of the blood; for the blood is the life, and you must not consume the life with the flesh.
There was a certain calf that was being led to slaughter. The calf went and hung its head on the corner of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi’s garment and was weeping. Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi said to it: Go, as you were created for this purpose. It was said in Heaven: Since he was not compassionate toward the calf, let afflictions come upon him. One day, the maidservant of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi was sweeping his house. There were young weasels [karkushta] lying about, and she was in the process of sweeping them out. Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi said to her: Let them be, as it is written: “The Lord is good to all; and His mercies are over all His works (ורחמיו על כל מעשיו)” (Psalms 145:9). They said in Heaven: Since he was compassionate, we shall be compassionate on him, and he was relieved of his suffering.
אמר רב יהודה אמר רב אסור לו לאדם שיטעום כלום עד שיתן מאכל לבהמתו שנאמר (דברים יא, טו) ונתתי עשב בשדך לבהמתך והדר ואכלת ושבעת:
So says Rav Yehuda that Rav says: It is prohibited for a person to taste anything until he gives food to his animal, as it is stated in the verse: “And I will give grass in the field for your animals” (Deuteronomy 11:15), and only afterward is it written in that verse: “And you shall eat and be satisfied.”
(ח) וְכ֖וּשׁ יָלַ֣ד אֶת־נִמְרֹ֑ד ה֣וּא הֵחֵ֔ל לִֽהְי֥וֹת גִּבֹּ֖ר בָּאָֽרֶץ׃ (ט) הֽוּא־הָיָ֥ה גִבֹּֽר־צַ֖יִד לִפְנֵ֣י יְהוָ֑ה עַל־כֵּן֙ יֵֽאָמַ֔ר כְּנִמְרֹ֛ד גִּבּ֥וֹר צַ֖יִד לִפְנֵ֥י יְהוָֽה׃
(8) Cush also begot Nimrod, who was the first man of might on earth. (9) He was a mighty hunter by the grace of the LORD; hence the saying, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter by the grace of the LORD.”
(כז) וַֽיִּגְדְּלוּ֙ הַנְּעָרִ֔ים וַיְהִ֣י עֵשָׂ֗ו אִ֛ישׁ יֹדֵ֥עַ צַ֖יִד אִ֣ישׁ שָׂדֶ֑ה וְיַעֲקֹב֙ אִ֣ישׁ תָּ֔ם יֹשֵׁ֖ב אֹהָלִֽים׃
(27) When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the outdoors; but Jacob was a mild man who stayed in camp.
There are some people who hunt for the sake of sport and amusement. The question then arises is this action permissible according to Halacha.
Rav Yechezkel Landau, who was the Chief Rabbi of Prague around 250 years ago stated that it is permissible to kill animals for a specific purpose such as for eating meat or using their fur, because the prohibition of “tzar baalei chayim” only applies in cases where one is causing animals to suffer for no reason. However when there is a reason it is permissible such as hunting if it is ones profession/livelihood.
However if ones hunts just for amusement, then it is a forbidden action and it is not fit at all for any Jew to do so, because Jews are supposed to be full of compassion. In addition those hunters which are mentioned in the Torah such as Nimrod and Eisav were wicked people. This is because hunting is inherently cruel and therefore immoral people enjoy it.
Against those [Jews who went to Gladiator Shows] Chazal said: “Praiseworthy is the one who does not follow in the ways of the wicked;the ways of the sinner he did not stand.” Praiseworthy are those who don’t go to the Gladiator shows (or bull fights nowadays according to Rav Melamed) where terrible and cruel things such as tzar baalei chayim happen. And I should add that anyone who buys a ticket to these types of shows (bull fights) is participating in a prohibition and is degrading himself morally and diminishing his sense of compassion.
כָּל דָּבָר הַצָּרִיךְ לִרְפוּאָה אוֹ לִשְׁאָר דְּבָרִים, לֵית בֵּהּ מִשּׁוּם אִסוּר צַעַר בַּעֲלֵי חַיִּים וְלָכֵן מֻתָּר לִמְרֹט נוֹצוֹת מֵאֲוָזוֹת חַיּוֹת, וְלֵיכָּא לְמֵיחַשׁ מִשּׁוּם צַעַר בַּעֲלֵי חַיִּים. וּמִכָּל מָקוֹם הָעוֹלָם נִמְנָעִים דְּהָוֵי אַכְזָרִיּוּת:
Any action needed for healing or any other [substantial] reason, there is no prohibition of "causing pain to animals." And therefore it is permitted to pluck the feathers of wild geese [to use for writing utensils], and there is no potential problem of "causing pain to animals." Nevertheless, the world withholds from it because of its cruelty.