(3) Every creature that lives shall be yours to eat; as with the green grasses, I give you all these. (4) You must not, however, eat flesh with its life-blood in it.
(4) You shall not make for yourself a sculptured image, or any likeness of what is in the heavens above, or on the earth below, or in the waters under the earth. (5) You shall not bow down to them or serve them. For I the LORD your God am an impassioned God, visiting the guilt of the parents upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth generations of those who reject Me,
(3) Every creature that lives shall be yours to eat; as with the green grasses, I give you all these. (4) You must not, however, eat flesh with its life-blood in it.
(10) but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God: you shall not do any work—you, your son or daughter, your male or female slave, or your cattle, or the stranger who is within your settlements.
(4) You shall not muzzle an ox while it is threshing.
(28) However, no animal from the herd or from the flock shall be slaughtered on the same day with its young.
(4) When you encounter your enemy’s ox or ass wandering, you must take it back to him. (5) When you see the ass of your enemy lying under its burden and would refrain from raising it, you must nevertheless raise it with him.
(10) You shall not plow with an ox and an ass together.
(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.
לא יגדל אדם את הכלב אא"כ קשור בשלשלאות כו': תנו רבנן לא יגדל אדם את הכלב אלא אם כן קשור בשלשלת אבל מגדל הוא בעיר הסמוכה לספר וקושרו ביום ומתירו בלילה... דריש ר' דוסתאי דמן בירי (במדבר י, לו) ובנחה יאמר שובה ה' רבבות אלפי ישראל ללמדך שאין שכינה שורה על ישראל פחות משני אלפים ושני רבבות חסר אחת והיתה אשה מעוברת ביניהם וראויה להשלים ונבח בה כלב והפילה נמצא זה גורם לשכינה שתסתלק מישראל
§ The mishna teaches: A person may not raise a dog unless it is tied with chains. The Sages taught in a baraita: A person may not raise a dog unless it is tied with a chain. But he may raise a dog in a city that is close to the border of the country, and in that case he should tie it during the day but may release it at night... With regard to raising dogs, Rabbi Dostai from Biri expounded: It is written in connection to the Ark of the Covenant: “And when it rested, he said: Return, O Lord, to the myriads of the thousands of Israel” (Numbers 10:36). This verse serves to teach you that the Divine Presence does not rest upon the Jewish people if they number fewer than two thousand and two myriads, where one myriad is equal to ten thousand. The plural form of “myriads” and “thousands” indicates at least two of each. If they are lacking one individual from this total, and there was a pregnant woman among them, who was fit to complete the number by giving birth, and a dog barked at her and she miscarried as a result of the fright, this owner of the dog is found to have caused the Divine Presence to depart from the Jewish people.
כשם שאמרו אין מגדלין בהמה דקה כך אמרו אין מגדלין חיה דקה ר' ישמעאל אומר מגדלין כלבים כופרין וחתולים וקופין וחולדות סנאים מפני שעשויים לנקר את הביתואל
The baraita continues: Just as the Sages said that one may not raise small domesticated animals, i.e., sheep and goats, so too they said that one may not raise small undomesticated animals. Rabbi Yishmael says: One may raise village dogs, cats, monkeys, and genets, because they serve to clean the house of mice and other vermin.
ג) אסור לגדל כלב רע אא"כ הוא אסור בשלשלאות של ברזל וקשור בהם ובעיר הסמוכה לספר מותר לגדלו וקושרו ביום ומתירו בלילה:
3. It is forbidden to raise a bad dog unless it is tied in chains of iron. But in a city close to the country it is permitted to raise it by tying it at during the day and letting it go at night.
... דאמר רב יהודה אמר רב אסור לאדם שיאכל קודם שיתן מאכל לבהמתו שנא' (דברים יא, טו) ונתתי עשב בשדך לבהמתך והדר ואכלת ושבעת:
...as Rav Yehuda said that Rav said: One is prohibited from eating before feeding his animals, as it is stated: “And I will give grass in your fields for your animals” first and only then: “And you shall eat and be satisfied” (Deuteronomy 11:15). [In the verse, preparation of food for one’s cattle precedes preparation of his own food. Consequently, it is considered part of the preparation for one’s own meal.]
(יח) מאכיל לבהמה. הוי צרכי סעודה דאסור לטעום קודם שיתן לבהמתו, (גמרא) אבל לשתות אדם קודם כדאשכחן ברבק' שאמר' שתה וגם גמליך אשקה (ס"ח):
It is forbidden to have even a taste of food before providing for animals, but a person can drink before providing drinks to them, as it says that Rebecca offered drinks [to the servant] before his camels...
(א) כָּל דָּבָר שֶׁאָסוּר מִן הַתּוֹרָה, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁמֻּתָּר בַּהֲנָאָה, אִם הוּא דָּבָר הַמְיֻחָד לְמַאֲכָל, אָסוּר לַעֲשׂוֹת בּוֹ סְחוֹרָה,
(1) Anything that is specifically for eating and Biblically prohibited, even though it is not forbidden to derive benefit from it, is forbidden to do business in it. [This has been interpreted as allowing pet owners to benefit by feeding their pets non-kosher food. This does NOT extend to dog foods that combine dairy and meat, or chametz on Pesach.]
If such a beloved pet develops a debilitating condition, is euthanasia a halakhic option? Killing an animal in a humane way is not considered a violation of the law prohibiting tza'ar ba'alei chayyim. Indeed, when an animal is suffering from illness, constant pain, or unremitting disorientation, euthanasia may be the kindest say of dealing with the situation....
When a beloved pet dies, the loss is often very keenly felt and it is appropriate to acknowledge that grief and to find a means of expressing it formally. Observing the forms of mourning that the halakha developed for human losses - such as sitting shivah or saying the Kaddish - are inappropriate, but it can still be helpful to sit with family and friends, even if only for a brief time, and remember the times spent with the pet.
-The Observant Life, ed. by Martin S. Cohen and Michael Katz (The Rabbinical Assembly 2012), p. 862.
(יא) אָסוּר לְהַפְסִיד אֶבְרֵי הַזֶּרַע, בֵּין בְּאָדָם בֵּין בִּבְהֵמָה חַיָּה וָעוֹף, אֶחָד טְמֵאִים וְאֶחָד טְהוֹרִים, בֵּין בְּאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל בֵּין בְּחוּץ לָאָרֶץ. וְהַמְסָרֵס אֶת הַנְּקֵבָה, בֵּין בְּאָדָם בֵּין בִּשְׁאָר מִינִים, פָּטוּר [אֲבָל אָסוּר]:
(11) It is prohibited to cause the loss of the seminal organs, whether regarding a human, domesticated animal, wild animal, bird, whether kosher or not, whether in the land of Israel or the diaspora. ..One who castrates a female, whether human or the other species, is exempt (Rama: but forbidden).
There is no question in my mind that if your pet has made a full recovery from a serious illness, operation, and the like that saying this benediction [Birkat HaGomel] on behalf of your pet would be a good idea. All one would have to do is slightly alter the traditional blessing. So I suggest the following: "Praised are You, Adonai Our God, Ruler of the Universe, who has shown goodness to my beloved pet [include name] and therefore grace upon me." The congregation responds: "May God who has been gracious to you and your pet continue to favor both of you with all that is good."
Do Animals Have Souls, Rabbi Ronald Isaacs, p. 84.
When my children were young, my wife and I so much enjoyed the opportunity of laying our hands on their heads and offering them a blessing. Now that they are grown up and no longer living in our house, the third member at our Sabbath meal is our golden retriever Lexi. We feel compelled, since she is such an integral member of our family, to offer her a prayer on Friday night. Each week Lexi has learned to lower her head as I place my hands on it and offer her the following: "We love having you as our pet, you light up our lives with joy. May God continue to watch over you giving you health and peace. We love you."
Do Animals Have Souls, Rabbi Ronald Isaacs, p. 120
(י) יוֹדֵ֣עַ צַ֭דִּיק נֶ֣פֶשׁ בְּהֶמְתּ֑וֹ
(10) A righteous man knows the needs of his animal.
(כו) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֔ים נַֽעֲשֶׂ֥ה אָדָ֛ם בְּצַלְמֵ֖נוּ כִּדְמוּתֵ֑נוּ וְיִרְדּוּ֩ בִדְגַ֨ת הַיָּ֜ם וּבְע֣וֹף הַשָּׁמַ֗יִם וּבַבְּהֵמָה֙ וּבְכָל־הָאָ֔רֶץ וּבְכָל־הָרֶ֖מֶשׂ הָֽרֹמֵ֥שׂ עַל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃ (כז) וַיִּבְרָ֨א אֱלֹהִ֤ים ׀ אֶת־הָֽאָדָם֙ בְּצַלְמ֔וֹ בְּצֶ֥לֶם אֱלֹהִ֖ים בָּרָ֣א אֹת֑וֹ זָכָ֥ר וּנְקֵבָ֖ה בָּרָ֥א אֹתָֽם׃ (כח) וַיְבָ֣רֶךְ אֹתָם֮ אֱלֹהִים֒ וַיֹּ֨אמֶר לָהֶ֜ם אֱלֹהִ֗ים פְּר֥וּ וּרְב֛וּ וּמִלְא֥וּ אֶת־הָאָ֖רֶץ וְכִבְשֻׁ֑הָ וּרְד֞וּ בִּדְגַ֤ת הַיָּם֙ וּבְע֣וֹף הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וּבְכָל־חַיָּ֖ה הָֽרֹמֶ֥שֶׂת עַל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃
(26) And God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. They shall rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the cattle, the whole earth, and all the creeping things that creep on earth.” (27) And God created man in His image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. (28) God blessed them and God said to them, “Be fertile and increase, fill the earth and master it; and rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and all the living things that creep on earth.”