Jewish theology and the animal

Where do things stand now?

The article below dates from January 2000. The commandments of the Torah have not changed. But a lot has happened since then around fur and ritual slaughter.

Sources: Chaim David Halevi, rabbinical ruling (1992); Israeli Ministry of Environmental Protection (2021); EFSA, opinion on stunning and killing (2004); CJEU C-336/19 (2020); ECHR 16760/22 (2024). Updated on 14 October 2026.

The article from 2000

The unity of creation

Unlike Christian theologians and scholars, Jewish theologians and scholars have studied animals intensively. In Christian theology the unity of creation has in fact been lost through the absolute separation between man and animal. Jewish theology puts more emphasis on what humans and animals have in common – despite the decisive difference between them. It also stresses the responsibility of man, as the stronger, for the animal, as the weaker, which is entrusted to his care.

The general rule by which people's behaviour towards animals is judged, is "do not cause any living creature to suffer pain". In other words: cruelty to animals is strictly forbidden. Someone who is cruel to animals is not considered "a righteous man". That is why Proverbs 12:10 says that "a righteous man knows what his animals need".
The commandments and prohibitions based on this general rule can be found in the Halacha. The Halacha is a collection of laws and rules of conduct for all areas of life. It includes the laws and commandments of the Torah. Orthodox Jews are bound by the Halacha as strictly as by the Torah. Halachic rules that come directly from the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, are: Exodus 20: 8-10, which commands that cattle must not be put to work on the Sabbath either. Exodus 23: 4, 5: a stray animal must be returned to its owner. You must also help to unload an overloaded donkey (even if the owner is your enemy). Deuteronomy 25: 4: the farmer may not muzzle his ox when it is threshing the grain. While working, the animal must be able to eat as freely as a human.

The feelings of animals are taken into account in Deuteronomy 22: 6, 7: you may not take the young from a nest in the presence of the mother bird. Leviticus 22: 26, 27: a calf, lamb or kid may not be taken away from its mother before the eighth day. It may not be slaughtered on the same day as its mother either.

Other Halachic rules

Killing animals for fashion or vanity

In March 1992, on the basis of the general rule "do not cause any living creature to suffer pain", a ban was issued on the manufacture and wearing of fur. It was based on extensive study of the Torah, the Talmud and other authoritative texts.

Killing animals for "sport"

Hunting, including hunting for pleasure, is considered to be contrary to the general rule. Even associating with hunters is forbidden on the basis of Psalm 1: 1: "Blessed is the man who … does not stand in the way of sinners".
The eminent 18th-century rabbinical authority Ezekiel Landau gave the following answer to a man who asked him if he was allowed to hunt on his own land: "In the Torah, hunting as a sport is only attributed to wild characters such as Nimrod and Esau, never to one of the patriarchs and their descendants … I cannot understand how a Jew could even dream of killing animals merely for the pleasure of hunting. If a sport leads to killing, it is sheer cruelty".

Killing animals for human consumption

As such, this is not considered a violation of the 'general rule', provided the killing is painless. (On the basis of scientific tests, Jewish scholars are convinced that ritual slaughter is virtually painless. However, many non-Jewish experts dispute this.) The breeding and keeping of animals for food is inseparably connected with slaughtering them.
Many Jews ask themselves whether factory farming is permissible. Answering questions on this matter, a Jewish scholar stated that factory farming is completely contrary to the demand "do not cause any living creature to suffer pain". Beak trimming, wing clipping, tail docking etc.. violate the Halachic prohibition on mutilating animals. The lack of fresh air and freedom of movement and the impossibility of natural behaviour cause immense suffering to the animals.
However, an official Halachic decision on whether factory farming is permissible does not seem to exist (yet). It is also doubtful whether such a decision will ever be made. Orthodox theologians probably do not dare to issue a ban, because a great many Jews, both in Israel and in the United States, own large poultry farms with battery cages.
Liberal Halacha experts, by the way, are quite capable of interpreting the laws in such a way that much of what clearly does not meet Halachic standards can still be allowed. The following shows this.

Animal experiments

A liberal American Halacha expert says that "progressive" Jewish Halachic scholars assume 'that animals may be used in experiments that lead to the discovery of new methods of treating diseases. Every measure that prevents pain and unnecessary suffering must be taken.
Throughout the centuries there have been authorities who believed that animals may be used for the benefit of people, even if this involves some suffering, especially when the result is a return to (human) health. This position is generally taken towards medical experiments, especially when they are of immediate benefit to people, as long as severe pain can be avoided and no other methods are available'.
Finally he says that the use of laboratory animals is subject to precise regulations and "as long as such guidelines are strictly followed, the Halacha and our use of laboratory animals are in agreement".
It is of course easy and comfortable not to worry about whether severe pain is indeed avoided (can be avoided), how precise the regulations are and whether the guidelines are strictly followed! After all, it is only too well known how animals suffer in laboratories.
We are not aware of any Halachic rulings on genetic modification and xenotransplantation.

Read more

• Eid al-Adha and ritual slaughter: there is an animal-friendly alternative
• Unnecessarily slaughtering according to Islamic law?
• For God's sake: what's got into you?
• Spirituality and engagement with animals
• Be careful not to accidentally buy real fur