Tzaddikim
and Their Animals
From The Vision
of Eden: Animal Welfare and Vegetarianism in Jewish
Law and Mysticism by Rabbi David Sears
Once the donkey of Rabbi Chaninah Ben Dosah was stolen.
The robbers tied it up in a yard and put before it straw,
barley, and water, but it would not eat or drink. They
said, "Why should we let it die and befoul our
yard?" So they got up and opened the gate and let
it out. The donkey walked along braying until it reached
[the house of] Rabbi Chaninah Ben Dosa. When it arrived,
the rabbi's son heard its voice and said to his father,
"That sounds like our animal." The rabbi said,
"Open the door, my son, for it has nearly died
of hunger." Immediately, the lad opened the door
and placed before it straw, barley, and water. Then
it ate and drank. Thus, it was said, "Just as the
tzaddikim of old were saintly, so were their beasts"[1]
(Avos D'Rabbi Nosson 8:8).
[Rabbi Yossi] owned a donkey that he allowed people
to rent. When the day was over, those who hired it would
place their payment on its back, and the donkey would
make its way home to its master. However, if the amount
were too little or too much, it would not go. One day
a pair of sandals was placed on its back. The donkey
would not budge until they were removed [and the fee
had been substituted]. Only then did it proceed (Talmud:
Ta'anis 24a).
Once there was an Israelite who owned a cow with which
he ploughed his field. He fell on bad times, and was
forced to sell it to a certain non-Jew. The new owner
ploughed with it for six days. On the Sabbath, he also
took it out to plough, but it lay down beneath its yoke.
He began to beat it, but the animal would not budge
from its place. Seeing that his efforts were in vain,
he went to the Israelite who sold it to him and said,
"Come take your cow, for she grieves after her
former master. No matter how much I beat her, she refuses
to budge from her place."
The Israelite realized that the cow refused to work
because it had been taught to rest on the Sabbath. "I
will get her to stand up," he said. When he came,
he whispered into her ear, "Heifer, heifer, you
know that when you were mine, you ploughed all week
and rested on the Sabbath. But now, because of my sins,
you have been sold to a non-Jew. Therefore, I beseech
you, stand up and plough." She immediately arose
and began to plough.
The non-Jew said, "I beg you, take back your cow.
But before I leave, tell me what you did to her ear.
I wore myself out with her and even beat her, but she
would not get up."
The Israelite began to mollify him and said, "It
was not witchcraft or sorcery I performed. I merely
whispered such-and-such in her ear, and she stood up
and ploughed."
Immediately, the non-Jew began to tremble and exclaimed,
"If a cow that has neither speech nor intellect
recognizes her Creator, how can I, a human being whom
my Maker formed in His own image and to whom He gave
intellect, fail to recognize Him?" Straightaway,
he went and converted to Judaism. Eventually he became
an accomplished Torah scholar who was known as Yochanan
Ben Torsa ("Yochanan Son Of A Cow"). To this
day, our rabbis cite his rulings. And if you wonder
that through a cow a man was brought under the wings
of the Shechinah (Divine Presence), recall that
it is through a cow - the Red Heifer - that the purification
of all Israel is accomplished (Midrash: Pesikta Rabbasi
14).
Rabbi Chaim Ibn Attar (1696-1743), author of Ohr
HaChaim, earned his livelihood as a silversmith.
However, he always made Torah study his primary occupation,
and his craft secondary. He would sit engrossed in Torah
study, until his last coin was spent, and only then
did he engage in worldly matters. Once two ministers
from the court of the King of Morocco came to him with
a certain amount of gold. "The King has heard that
you are the foremost expert in your craft," they
said. "Therefore, he sent us to commission you
to fashion a piece of the finest jewelry in honor of
his daughter's wedding. You will be paid a princely
sum. However, you must complete the work in ten days."
At that time, our master, Rabbi Chaim, still had enough
money to cover his daily expenses. Therefore, he put
away the gold, and returned to his holy books. However,
upon his return home, he forgot all about his commission,
due to his preoccupation with his studies.
On the appointed day, the two royal ministers returned
and asked for the finished piece of jewelry. Then Rabbi
Chaim remembered the matter, and confessed that he had
not yet begun his work. Since the emissaries were both
rabid Jew-haters, they were overjoyed to hear that they
would have an opportunity to denounce Rabbi Chaim. They
returned to the palace and told the King that the Jewish
silversmith had rebelled willfully, and thus had dishonored
the crown. At this, the King commanded that Rabbi Chaim
be cast into a pit of lions, this being the punishment
for treason.
When the police came to arrest Rabbi Chaim, he asked
for permission to bring along a volume of Psalms, a
few holy books, and his talis and tefillin.
They laughed at him and exclaimed, "Do you think
you are going to a hotel? You are on your way to be
killed in a lions' den!" However, the Jewish sage
paid no heed to their words, and packed his bag. Unsuspecting,
his wife asked him, "Where are you going?"
He answered simply, "I shall return soon."
They took their prisoner straight to the lions' den
and threw him in. The lion keeper opened an overhead
window to see what would happen. However, he was amazed
by what his eyes beheld. There sat our master, Rabbi
Chaim, wearing his talis and tefillin,
praying and studying in a loud voice, while in front
of him crouched the lions in a semi-circle, like students
before their teacher, listening attentively to his words.
Overcome with trembling, the lion keeper ran to inform
the King. After hearing his report, the King and his
royal entourage proceeded to the lions' den to see with
his own eyes this awesome sight. Then he proclaimed
before everyone, "Now I know that there is a God
of Israel!" The King commanded that Rabbi Chaim
and his belongings be retrieved from the pit, whereupon
he asked him for an explanation of the miracle.
Rabbi Chaim answered, "I refrained from my work
because of my immersion in the holy Torah, therefore
the Torah protected and saved me!"
The King asked his forgiveness, and sent him home in
peace and with great honor (Toldos Ohr HaChaim,
p. 11, ff. 4, citing Sefer Ma'aseh HaGedolim al HaTorah).
Rabbi Yisrael of Rizhin (1797-1850) related how the
Baal Shem Tov and his disciples once prayed the Afternoon
Service before the Sabbath in the open fields. The flocks
grazing nearby gathered together and began to bleat
loudly, while the Chassidim prayed. The Rizhiner Rebbe
explained that this was because during his prayer the
Baal Shem Tov elevated all the lower levels of Creation,
until even the cattle and sheep acquired the knowledge
of their Maker, and they all cried out to God with him.
According to Rabbi Elimelech of Grodzisk (1824-1892),
when the Baal Shem Tov uttered the words, "[He
restored the destitute from poverty,] and established
families like a flock" (Psalms 107:41), the sheep
immediately surrounded him. According to Rabbi Aharon
of Karlin (1806-1872), all the animals stood on their
hind legs like human beings, and raised their front
legs toward heaven in supplication (Sefer Baal Shem
Tov, Yisro, 29, citing Beis Aharon,
Bo; ibid. 30, citing Divrei Elimelech,
Bechukosai and Rimzei Shevi'i Shel Pesach;
ibid. 31, citing Toldos Adam, Noach).
NOTES
[1] R. Moshe of Ujheli finds a biblical
prototype for this principle in the Jacob's separation
of his flocks from those of Laban. Although this was
primarily a demonstration of ownership, the Yismach
Moshe infers that Jacob also wished to prevent them
from grazing in foreign pastures (Gen. 30:40). He also
cites the example of Elijah the Prophet, who had to
persuade the goats designated to be slaughtered as idolatrous
offerings to acquiesce to their fate, explaining this
would lead to a greater sanctification of the Divine
Name; cf. Yismach Moshe, Vayishlach, s.v. "Vayikach
min habah b'yado," p. 356a; ibid., Vayeishev,
s.v." Haya ro'eh es echav batzon," pp. 373b-374a.
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