1. Shabbat is very important in Judaism. The writer
Ahad Ha'am stated that "More than the Jews kept Shabbat,
Shabbat kept the Jews". Yet, if it could help save
a life, one must (not may) violate the Sabbath (Pesachim
25a). One must not say: although this person is very
sick and his/her life is threatened, I can't drive
him/her to the hospital or call for emergency help
until Shabbat is over. Better to violate the commandments
on one Shabbat so that a person can live and fulfill
many more commandments.
2. Animals, as well as people, must be able to rest
on the Sabbath day. The kiddush (sanctification over
wine or grape juice) that is recited on Sabbath mornings
includes the following verse from the Ten Commandments:
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six
days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work; but
the seventh day is a sabbath unto the Lord, thy
God; in it thou shalt not do any manner of work,
thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy man-servant,
nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor the stranger
that is within thy gates. (Exod. 20:8-10)
Similar statements occur in Exodus 23:12 and Deuteronomy
5:12-14. Based on these Torah statements, Rashi states
that animals must be free to roam on the Sabbath day
and graze freely and enjoy the beauties of nature.
This is a far cry from conditions for animals today
on factory farms.
3. It is not necessary for Jews to eat meat or fish
on Shabbat. In a scholarly article in "The Journal
of Halacha and Contemporary Society" (Fall, 1981),
Rabbi Alfred Cohen, the editor, concludes that "If
a person is more comfortable not eating meat, there
would be no obligation for him to do so on the Sabbath"
In a responsa, an answer to a question based on Jewish
law, Rabbi Moshe Halevi Steinberg of Kiryat Yam, Israel,
states, "One whose soul rebels against eating living
things can without any doubt fulfill the commandment
of enhancing the Sabbath and rejoicing on festivals
by eating vegetarian foods. . . . Each person should
delight in the Sabbath according to his own sensibility,
enjoyment, and outlook." All of the above is reinforced
by the fact that there are Chief Rabbis, including
Rabbi Sha'ar Yashuv Cohen, Chief Rabbi of Haifa, and
Rabbi David Rosen, former Chief Rabbi of Ireland,
who are strict vegetarians, including on Shabbat and
Yom Tov.
4. Shabbat is a reminder of creation, as it is said,
"For in six days the L-rd made the heaven and earth,
and on the seventh day, He rested." (Exodus 1:11)
When G-d created the world, he was able to say, "It
is very good". Everything was in harmony as G-d had
planned, the waters were clean, the air was pure.
But what must G-d think about the world today? What
must God think when the rain he sends to nourish our
crops is often acid rain due to the many chemicals
poured into the air by our industries? when the ozone
layer that He provided to separate the heavens from
the earth is being depleted at such a rapid rate?
when the abundance of species of plants and animals
that He created are becoming extinct in tropical rain
forests and other threatened habitats, before we are
even been able to catalog them? when the fertile soil
that He provided is rapidly being depleted and eroded?
when the climatic conditions that He designed to meet
our needs are threatened by global warming? Modern
intensive livestock agriculture is a major factor
behind these environmental threats.
5. The observance of Shabbat is an example of the
imitation of G-d; since G-d created the world in six
days and rested on the seventh day, so we too work
for six days and rest on the seventh day. Judaism
teaches that we are to emulate G-d's attributes of
mercy, for "His tender mercies are over all of His
creatures" (Psalm 145.9) A vegetarian diet that does
no harm to animals, and does not waste large amounts
of grain, land, water, fuel, and other agricultural
resources while millions of people die of hunger and
its effects every year, is an effective way to mirror
the merciful ways of the L-rd, who is our shepherd.
6. Psalm 96 which is recited at the Friday night
Kabbalat Shabbat (welcome to the Sabbath service)
begins with, "Sing to Hashem (G-d) a new song. Sing
to Hashem everyone on earth". According to Rabbi Everett
Gendler our purpose is to join with all sentient creatures
in singing praises to the Creator for all the wonders
of creation. He states, "to respect the life of our
fellow choir members by not killing them and eating
their corpses would seem an obviously desirable condition
for choral collegiality (Rabbis and Vegetarianism:
An Evolving Tradition, edited by Roberta Kalechofsky,
Micah Publications, 1995, p. 21).
7. Shabbat is a day of thankfulness for our blessings.
On Friday night it is traditional for fathers to bless
their children. So too, vegetarianism can be a blessing
for the world, because of its health, ecological,
and other benefits.
8. The Kitzur Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish
Law), A Compilation of Jewish Laws and Customs by
Rabbi Solomon Ganzfried (translated by Hyman E. Goldin,
LL.B.,revised edition, Hebrew Publishing Company,
New York, 1961, Chapter 80, No. 52) states "It is
forbidden to catch any living thing on the Sabbath,
even a flea, but if an insect stings a person, it
may be removed and thrown off, but one is not allowed
to kill it, because it is forbidden to kill on the
Sabbath, anything that possesses life." This mitzvah
seems most consistent with vegetarianism, which also
does not involve the taking of any life.
9. On Shabbat, we thank G-d for His mercies during
the previous week. This is also most consistent with
a diet that does not require the cruel treatment of
animals.
10. On every Shabbat (and festival) morning, Jews
chant "Nishmat kol chai t'varech et shim'chah" ("the
soul of all living creatures shall bless thy name").
This would seem to be most consistent with enjoying
Shabbat with a sumptuous vegetarian meal that doesn't
involve cruel treatment of animals.
11. One of the highlights of the Shabbat morning
service is the reading of the Torah. It is the Torah
that contains G-d's original vegetarian law: "Behold
I have given you every herb yielding seed which is
upon the face of all the earth, and every tree in
which is the fruit of a tree-yielding seed - to you
it should be for food." (Genesis 1:29). The Torah
also has much about all the reasons for vegetarianism
- taking care of our health, compassion for animals,
protecting the environment, helping hungry people,
and conserving natural resources.
12. Along with the commandment to observe Shabbat
is the commandment of 6 days of labor: "Six days a
week you should work and do all your creative labor,
and the seventh day is Shabbat to the L-rd, your G-d."
Judaism teaches that work enobles and sanctifies life,
and that idleness may lead to temptation and sin.
However, modern intensive livestock agriculture reduces
jobs as farmsget bigger and many smaller farms disappear.
13. Jews have sumptuous, joyous meals on Shabbat,
and sing z'mirot (songs of praise of G-d and the holiness
and beauty of the day). At the end of the meal, birkat
hamazon (blessings in appreciation of G-d in
mercy providing enough food for everyone) is recited.
Yet, today over 70% of the grain grown in the United
States is fed to animals destined for slaughter, as
15 to 20 million people worldwide die annually because
of hunger and its effects.
14. Shabbat is viewed in the Jewish tradition as
a foretaste of the Messianic period - a time of peace,
justice, and harmony. According to Rabbi Abraham Isaac
Hakohen Kook, the Messianic period will be vegetarian.
He based this view on the prophecy of Isaiah, "The
wolf will dwell with the lamb . . .the lion will eat
straw like the ox . and no one shall hurt nor destroy
in all of God's holy mountain" (Isaiah 11: 6-9).
15. In addition to being a day of oneg
(joy), Shabbat is also a day of learning - learning
that people often don't have time for during a hectic
weekfilled with work and other responsibilities. Vegetarians
believe that if people learned about the incredible
realities related to the mass production and widespread
consumption of meat, many would change their diets
so as to avoid continuing current errors.
16. Shabbat is a time of renewal. We can help personal
renewal occur by returning to the original human diet,
the vegetarian diet of Gan Eden (the Garden of Eden),
a diet that can help us feel renewed because of the
many health benefits of plant-based diets.
17. Shabbat is a time of joyful rest. A person can
be truly joyful when healthy, and this is best accomplished
through a vegetarian diet.
18. The manna, vegetarian food provided to the Israelites
in the desert after their exodus from Egypt, taught
the Children of Israel several lessons, one of which
is that they should refrain from labor on Shabbat.
While only enough manna was provided on other days
to meet that day's needs for nourishment, a double
portion was provided on Friday morning so that there
was no need to gather manna on the Sabbath, when none
was provided. Hence, the Israelites learned that they
were to rest on the seventh day. (see Exodus 16:5,
22-30.)
In view of these and other connections, I hope that
Jews will enhance their celebration of the spiritually
meaningful Shabbat by making it a time to begin striving
even harder to live up to Judaism's highest moral values
and teachings, and one important way to do this is by
moving toward a vegetarian diet.