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Isn't
much of Judaism today related to the use of animals
for teaching and ritual purposes, e.g., the Sefer Torah,
tefillin, the shofar, etc.?
The number of animals slaughtered for these purposes
is minute compared to the billions killed annually
for food. The fact that there would still be some
animal slaughter to meet Jewish ritual needs shouldn't
stop us from doing all we can to end the horrible
abuses of animals. Also, most problems related to
flesh-centered diets -- poor human health, waste
of food and other resources, and ecological threats
-- would not occur if animals were slaughtered only
to meet Jewish ritual needs. Our emphasis should
be on doing a minimum amount of harm to other people,
the environment, and animals. The fact that some
animal products are required for sacred uses (a
very small amount) should not prevent a person from
becoming a vegetarian. Also, tefillin and other
ritual products can be made from the leather of
animals that were raised without cruelty and died
a natural death.
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