This update/Jewish Vegetarians of North America (JVNA) Online Newsletter has the following items:
1. Tisha B’Av, Vegetarianism and Environmental Activism
2. Creating a "Judaism and Vegetarianism" Videotape
3. Article in the Staten Island Advance re My Induction Into the North American Vegetarian Society (NAVS) Hall of Fame
4. The Major Article on Rav Kook Now at the JVNA Web Site
5. Important Article in Newsweek on the Mistreatment of Animals
6. Spreading the Jewish Vegetarian Message
7. Another Article in Yosef Hakohen’s Series on "Relating to Other Creatures"
8. My letter to the Jerusalem Report
9. NASA satellites reveal quickening rise in sea level
10. Study Indicates that a Switch toward Vegetarianism Would Substantially Reduce Global Warming
11. Veggie Jews Schedule an Event in NYC
12. Are We in For a Hard Landing as Oil Starts to Become Scarcer?
Some material has been deferred to a later update/newsletter to keep this one from being even longer.
[Materials in brackets like this [] within an article or forwarded message are my editorial notes/comments.]
Opinions expressed do not necessarily represent the views of the JVNA, unless otherwise indicated, but may be presented to increase awareness and/or to encourage respectful dialogue. Also, material re conferences, retreats, forums, trips, and other events does not necessarily imply endorsement by JVNA or endorsement of kashrut, Shabbat observances, or any other Jewish observance, but may be presented for informational purposes. Please use e-mail addresses, telephone numbers, and web sites to get further information about any event that you are interested in.
As always, your comments and suggestions are very welcome.
Thanks,
Richard
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1. Tisha B’Av, Vegetarianism and Environmental Activism
With Tisha B’Av about a month away, I believe that we should consider connections to vegetarianism and the need for changes to avoid continued environmental threats. My article, “Tisha B’Av and Vegetarianism” is at JewishVeg.com/tishabav.html. Below is a sample letter to the editor and a sample article. Comments/suggestions welcome, as always. Also. Please consider using my material and other material on Tisha B’Av to create your own letters and articles. Thanks.
Letter to the Editor:
Dear Editor:
Tisha B'Av (the 9th day of the month of Av) which we commemorate this year on August 15, reminds us that over 2,000 years ago Jews failed to heed the warnings of the prophet Jeremiah, with the result that the first Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed.
Today there are many “Jeremiahs” warning us that now the entire world faces destruction from global warming and its effects, species extinction, droughts, destruction of tropical rain forests and other valuable habitats, and many other environmental threats. For example, in 1992, over 1,700 of the world's leading scientists, including 104 Nobel Laureates, signed a "World Scientists Warning to Humanity," stating that 'human beings and the natural world are on a collision course", and that "a great change in our stewardship of the earth and the life on it is required, if vast human misery is to be avoided and our global home on this planet is not to be irretrievably mutilated." This year, Academies of Science in the United States and other industrialized countries warned of severe consequences if immediate steps are not taken to reduce the threats of global warming.
This Tisha B’Av, I hope that we will begin to heed one of its basic lessons: failure to respond to proper admonitions can lead to catastrophe. The Jewish people must make tikkun olam (the repair and healing of the planet) a major focus in Jewish life today, and consider personal and societal changes that will start to move our precious, but imperiled, planet to a more sustainable path. By doing this, we would be performing a great kiddush Hashem (sanctification of God’s Name) by working to meet our mandate to be a light unto the nations.
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Op Ed Article:
RELATING TISHA B’AV TO TODAY’S ENVIRONMENTAL CRISES
Richard H. Schwartz
Tisha B'Av (the 9th day of the month of Av) which we commemorate this year on August 15, reminds us that over 2,000 years ago Jews failed to heed the warnings of the prophet Jeremiah, with the result that the first Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed.
Today there are many “Jeremiahs” warning us that now it is the entire world that faces destruction from global warming and its effects, species extinction, droughts, destruction of tropical rain forests and other valuable habitats, and many other environmental threats. For example, in 1992, over 1,700 of the world's leading scientists, including 104 Nobel Laureates, signed a "World Scientists Warning to Humanity," stating that 'human beings and the natural world are on a collision course", and that "a great change in our stewardship of the earth and the life on it is required, if vast human misery is to be avoided and our global home on this planet is not to be irretrievably mutilated." This year, Academies of Science in the United States and other industrialized countries warned of severe consequences if immediate steps are not taken to reduce the threats of global warming.
On Tisha B'Av, Jews fast to express their sadness over the destruction of the two Temples and to awaken us to how hungry people feel. So severe are the effects of starvation that the Book of Lamentations (4:10) states that "More fortunate were the victims of the sword than the victims of famine, for they pine away stricken, lacking the fruits of the field." Yet, today over 70% of the grain grown in the United States is fed to animals destined for slaughter, as an estimated 20 million people worldwide die annually because of hunger and its effects.
Jewish sages connected the word "eichah" (alas! what has befallen us?) that begins Lamentations and a word that has the same root "ayekah" ("Where art thou?"), the question addressed to Adam and Eve after they had eaten the forbidden fruit. Perhaps failure to properly hear and respond to "ayekah" in terms of stating "Hineni" - here I am, ready to carry out God's commandments so that the world will be better - causes us to eventually have to say and hear "eichah".
The reading of the book of Lamentations on Tisha B’Av is meant to wake up the Jewish people to the need to return to God's ways, by showing the horrors that resulted when God’s teachings were ignored. The readings on Tisha B'Av help to sensitize us so that we will hear the cries of lament and change our ways. Rabbi Yochanan stated "Jerusalem was destroyed because the residents limited their decisions to the letter of the law of the Torah, and did not perform actions that would have gone beyond the letter of the law" ('lifnim meshurat hadin') (Baba Metzia 30b. in this time of factory farming, environmental threats, widespread hunger, and epidemics of chronic degenerative diseases, perhaps it is necessary that Jews go beyond the strict letter of the law.
This Tisha B’Av, I hope that we will begin to heed its basic lesson that failure to respond to proper admonitions can lead to catastrophe. The Jewish people must make tikkun olam (the repair and healing of the planet) a major focus in Jewish life today, and consider personal and societal changes that will start to move our precious, but imperiled, planet to a more sustainable path. By doing this, we would be performing a great kiddush Hashem (sanctification of God’s Name) by working to meet our mandate to be a light unto the nations.
All of us can contribute to this new stewardship, even with modest changes to our lifestyle. In 1999, the UCS wrote: "Just as we don't claim that people need to stop driving their cars completely, we don't argue that they need to stop eating meat entirely. But reductions in both areas - driving and meat consumption - will certainly benefit the environment.”
In view of the many threats to humanity today, I hope that Jews will enhance their commemoration of the solemn but spiritually meaningful holiday of Tisha B'Av by making it a time to begin striving even harder to live up to Judaism's highest moral values and teachings. One important way to do this is by working to shift our precious, but imperiled, planet to a more sustainable path.
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2. Creating a “Judaism and Vegetarianism” Videotape
In the last JVNA newsletter, I mentioned the possibility of the JVNA producing a videotape that could be used to promote vegetarianism in the Jewish community and beyond. I mentioned that the Christian Vegetarian association has produced a very effective video “Honoring God’s Creation,” and that the key people behind the production of the video have offered to help us in the production of our video.
I envision the video being less than 30 minutes, divided into perhaps the following sections:
1. Torah Teachings
2. Health
3. Compassion toward Animals
4. Environmental Preservation and Conservation
5. Helping the Hungry
6. Pursuing Peace and Non-violence
7. Personal Statements
In sections 2 - 6, I suggest a discussion of Jewish teachings followed by a discussion of how the realities of the production and consumption of meat violate those teachings. Examples are in the fact sheets on the various issues at JewishVeg.com.schwartz.
I also envision some of the leading Jewish vegetarians, including Rabbi Shear-Yashuv Cohen and Rabbi David Rosen making statements re the topics mentioned above.
This, of course, would be a major project. Comments/suggestions welcome. Thanks.
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3. Article in the Staten Island Advance re My Induction Into the North American Vegetarian Society (NAVS) Hall of Fame
Passionate vegetarian wins recognition from his peers
Friday, July 08, 2005
ADVANCE STAFF WRITER
http://www.silive.com/living/advance/index.ssf?/base/living/112082944465750.xml
Jewish vegetarian and environmental activist Dr. Richard H. Schwartz was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the North American Vegetarian Society during its at 31st annual Summerfest at the University of Pittsburgh in Johnstown, Pa., on Sunday.
The induction marked the society's recognition of the Willowbrook resident's work primarily in the Jewish community.
Dr. Schwartz is the author of "Judaism and Vegetarianism," "Judaism and Global Survival" and "Mathematics and Global Survival." He also writes extensively for jewishveg.com and frequently speaks and contributes articles on environmental, health, and other current issues.
A professor emeritus of mathematics at the College of Staten Island, Dr. Schwartz is the president of the Jewish Vegetarians of North America, and coordinator of the Society of Ethical and Religious Vegetarians. Previous inductees include Mahatma Gandhi; Scott and Helen Nearing, pioneer American vegetarian activists and homesteaders; Howard Lyman, a fourth-generation cattle rancher and feedlot operator who became a leading vegetarian activist; Jay and Freya Dinshah, founders of the American Vegan Society, and Charles Stahler and Debra Wasserman, founders and directors of the Vegetarian Resource Group. "This wonderful honor will inspire me to work even harder toward a vegetarian world," Schwartz said. "Animal-based diets and modern intensive animal agriculture violate basic religious mandates to preserve our health, treat animals with compassion, protect the environment, conserve natural resources, help hungry people, and pursue peace and non-violence."
Schwartz believes the future of the planet is imperiled by the production and consumption of animal products. "The world is threatened today as perhaps never before," he said. "A switch toward vegetarianism is a societal imperative, essential to help shift the world to a more sustainable path, and a religious imperative necessary to show the relevance of ancient traditions to modern crises."
For information about the North American Vegetarian Society, visit its Web site at www.navs-online.org.
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4. The Major Article on Rav Kook Now at the JVNA Web Site
This important article that was sent earlier this week as a special JVNA newsletter can now be found at JewishVeg.com/schwartz/kook-expanded.html
There was a problem with the endnotes in the article that appeared in the special JVNA newsletter. The article at the web site has all of the endnotes properly numbered.
Once again, I want to Thank Rabbi Dovid Sears for his excellent work in getting the article into its final form. His superb book “The Vision of Eden: Animal Welfare and Vegetarianism” in Jewish Law and Mysticism” is now available from Micah Publications (www. Micahbooks.com).
And thanks to Noam Mohr for posting the article and for all his efforts keeping the web site in good order.
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5. Important Article in Newsweek on the Mistreatment of Animals/Please Write
Forwarded message from: DawnWatch
The message is followed by the Newsweek article and by my letter to the editor.
Those who have been involved in animal protection for a while are familiar with the work of Matthew Scully. He was a senior speechwriter for George W. Bush and is the author of "Dominion: The Power of Man, the Suffering of Animals, and the Call to Mercy." He is a driving force behind the transformation of animal protection into a bi-partisan issue. His article about factory farming: "Fear Factories: The Case for Compassionate Conservatism – for Animals" was the cover story for the May 23 edition of Pat Buchanan's magazine, "The American Conservative. Thanks to him, the magazine cover featured a close-up photo of a sow living trapped in a gestation crate, and the headline, "Torture on the Farm." You will find that article archived on the DawnWatch website at:
www.dawnwatch.com/5-05_Animal_Media_Alerts.htm#SCULLY
The July 18 issue of Newsweek has an article by George F. Will headed, "Why, Matthew Scully asks, is cruelty to a puppy appalling and cruelty to livestock by the billions a matter of social indifference?"
I will share a few wonderful lines from the article:
"The disturbing facts about industrial farming by the $125 billion-a-year livestock industry—the pain-inflicting confinements and mutilations—have economic reasons. Ameliorating them would impose production costs that consumers would pay. But to glimpse what consumers would be paying to stop, visit factoryfarming.com/gallery.htm. Or read Scully on the miseries inflicted on billions of creatures 'for our convenience and pleasure':
"'... 400- to 500-pound mammals trapped without relief inside iron crates seven feet long and 22 inches wide. They chew maniacally on bars and chains, as foraging animals will do when denied straw... The pigs know the feel only of concrete and metal. They lie covered in their own urine and excrement, with broken legs from trying to escape or just to turn...'"
I will also comment on the following lines from the article for fear that Scully's stance may be misrepresented or misunderstood. Will writes:
"He does not want to take away your BLT; he does not propose to end livestock farming. He does propose a Humane Farming Act to apply to corporate farmers the elementary standards of animal husbandry and veterinary ethics: 'We cannot just take from these creatures, we must give them something in return. We owe them a merciful death, and we owe them a merciful life.'"
True, Scully isn't trying to "take away" people's right to eat meat. He doesn't see force as the way to bring world-wide vegetarianism. But that doesn't mean he isn't gently encouraging people to stop eating meat, and leading by his own example. He was vegetarian when he wrote Dominion, and now, having learned more about the egg and dairy industries, he is vegan.
I am not sending out the whole article, or even a lengthy summary, because Newsweek tracks the number of hits each article gets, so it is far better that each of us visit the website to read it. Newsweek notes the "most read" story. If this one is the most read of the week, we can expect more stories on animal protection in Newsweek. [The article is below, but please consider also finding the article at the Newsweek web site.]
Also, at the bottom of the page, there is a spot where you can "Rate this story" by clicking on one of five stars. As I send this out it has been rated by 75 people, and is rated at "4." I hope to see it rated by thousands, at "5." The Newsweek site has a spot where you can "view top rated stories." It would be wonderful if this story was included there. But even if the antis join in, and the rating is low, Newsweek will know that the story was widely read, got loads of attention, and is controversial -- that will encourage more animal coverage.
So please, go to the story on line, so that Newsweek knows you have read it, and please rate it highly. Then share it with your friends either by forwarding this alert or by emailing it to them from the link (just below the rating stars) where it says "Email this." That email will send your friends a link, rather than the full story.
Finally, you can email the author from a link at the top of the web-page. Loads of positive feedback will encourage more animal protection stories from him. And you can keep the issue alive in next week's edition of Newsweek, on the widely read letters page, by sending a supportive letter to the editor at: letters@newsweek.com. Always include your full name, address, and telephone number when sending a letter to the editor.
Here is the link to the story:
msnbc.msn.com/id/8525632/site/newsweek/
Yours and the animals',
Karen Dawn
(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at http://www.DawnWatch.com. To unsubscribe, go to www.DawnWatch.com/unsubscribe.php. If you forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts, please do so unedited -- leave DawnWatch in the title and include this tag line.)
Here is the Newsweek article:
msnbc.msn.com/id/8525632/site/newsweek/
What We Owe What We Eat
Why, Matthew Scully asks, is cruelty to a puppy appalling and cruelty to livestock by the billions a matter of social indifference?
By George F. Will
Newsweek
July 18 issue - Matthew Scully, a former speechwriter for President George W. Bush, is the most interesting conservative you have never heard of. He speaks barely above a whisper and must be the mildest disturber of the peace. But he is among the most disturbing.
If you value your peace of mind, not to mention your breakfast bacon, you should not read Scully's essay ''Fear Factories: The Case for Compassionate Conservatism—for Animals." It appeared in the May 23, 2005, issue of Pat Buchanan's magazine The American Conservative—not where you would expect to find an essay arguing that industrial livestock farming involves vast abuses that constitute a serious moral problem.
The disturbing facts about industrial farming by the $125 billion-a-year
livestock industry—the pain-inflicting confinements and mutilations—have economic reasons. Ameliorating them would impose production costs that consumers would pay. But to glimpse what consumers would be paying to stop, visit factoryfarming.com/gallery.htm. Or read Scully on the miseries inflicted on billions of creatures ''for our convenience and pleasure":
"... 400- to 500-pound mammals trapped without relief inside iron crates seven feet long and 22 inches wide. They chew maniacally on bars and chains, as foraging animals will do when denied straw... The pigs know the feel only of concrete and metal. They lie covered in their own urine and excrement, with broken legs from trying to escape or just to turn ..."
It is, Scully says, difficult, especially for conservatives, to examine cruelty issues on their merits, or even to acknowledge that something serious can be at stake where animals are concerned. This is partly because some animal-rights advocates are so off-putting. See, for example, the Feb. 3, 2003, letter that Ingrid Newkirk, president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals—animals other than humans—sent to the terrorist Yasir Arafat, complaining that an explosive-laden donkey was killed when used in a Jerusalem massacre.
The rhetoric of animal "rights" is ill-conceived. The starting point, says Scully, should be with our obligations—the requirements for living with integrity. In defining them, some facts are pertinent, facts about animals' emotional capacities and their experience of pain and happiness. Such facts refute what conservatives deplore—moral relativism. They do because they demand a certain reaction and evoke it in good people, who are good because they consistently respect the objective value of fellow creatures.
It may be true that, as has been said, the Puritans banned bearbaiting not because it gave pain to the bears but because it gave pleasure to the spectators. And there are indeed degrading pleasures. But to argue for outlawing cruelty to animals because it is bad for the cruel person's soul is to accept, as Scully does not, that man is the only concern.
Statutes against cruelty to animals, often imposing felony-level penalties, codify society's belief that such cruelty is an intrinsic evil. This is a social affirmation of a strong moral sense in individuals who are not vicious. It is the sense that even though the law can regard an individual's animal as the individual's property, there nevertheless are certain things the individual cannot do to that property. Which means it is property with a difference.
The difference is the capacity for enjoyment and suffering. So why, Scully asks, is cruelty to a puppy appalling and cruelty to livestock by the billions a matter of social indifference? There cannot be any intrinsic difference of worth between a puppy and a pig.
Animal suffering on a vast scale should, he says, be a serious issue of public policy. He does not want to take away your BLT; he does not propose to end livestock farming. He does propose a Humane Farming Act to apply to corporate farmers the elementary standards of animal husbandry and veterinary ethics: "We cannot just take from these creatures, we must give them something in return. We owe them a merciful death, and we owe them a merciful life."
Says who? Well, Scully replies, those who understand "Judeo-Christian morality, whose whole logic is one of gracious condescension, or the proud learning to be humble, the higher serving the lower, and the strong protecting the weak."
Yes, of course: You don't want to think about this. Who does? But do your duty: read his book ''Dominion: The Power of Man, the Suffering of Animals, and the Call to Mercy." Scully, a conservative and hence a realist, knows that man is not only a rational creature but a rationalizing creature, putting his intellectual nimbleness in the service of his desires. But refraining from cruelty is an objective obligation. And as Scully says, ''If reason and morality are what set humans apart from animals, then reason and morality must always guide us in how we treat them."
You were warned not to read this. Have a nice day.
© 2005 Newsweek, Inc.
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My letter in response:
Letters@newsweek.com
Dear Editor:
Kudos to George Will for discussing conservative Matthew Scully’s challenging writings on current massive abuses of animals on modern “factory farms” (“What We Owe What We Eat,” July 18 issue). What makes the situation far more scandalous is that this widespread mistreatment is to create a product that is contributing to an epidemic of disease, and its production contributes significantly to many current environmental threats. Hence a switch toward plant based diets is not only an individual choice today; it is also a societal imperative, necessary to help shift our imperiled planet to a more sustainable course, and a religious imperative, because the production and consumption of meat contradict basic religious mandates to preserve our health, treat animals with compassion, protect the environment, conserve natural resources, and help hungry people.
Very truly yours,
Richard H. Schwartz, Ph.D.
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6. Spreading the Jewish Vegetarian Message
Message from JVNA advisor and web site coordinator Noam Mohr
I think it would be good to know about Jewish events that could be the target of leafletting or some other outreach activity. I don't mean just synagogue meetings, I mean large festivals and conferences. Ones for rabbis would be particularly good. I don't know of any, but they must exist. Some of our members might know of some, and we can see it there's anything we can organize at these events.
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If you know of Jewish, vegetarian, and/or other events where Jewish vegetarian leaflets and booklets can be distributed, please let us know. Thanks.
Thanks Noam, for this valuable idea.
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7. Another Article in Yosef Hakohen’s Series on "Relating to Other Creatures"
[We plan to establish a link from the JVNA web site to all of these insightful and informative articles when the series of articles is completed.]
The Journey to Unity - 123c
Emulating the Divine Nurturing:
"The Holy One, Blessed be He, sustains all creatures" (Talmud: Shabbos 107b)
Dear Friends,
The Talmud records that Rabbi Yehudah said in the name of Rav: "In all creation there is nothing that lacks a divinely-appointed purpose" (Shabbos 77b). All forms of life serve the unifying Divine purpose, and the Divine plan entitles each creature to receive what it needs in order to fulfill its purpose within creation. As Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch writes in his commentary on the Torah (Genesis 15:8), this Divine plan is called "tzedek" - one of the biblical terms for justice; moreover, the benevolent deeds which fulfill this plan are called "tzedakah." Our sages therefore describe the Creator's nurturing of all life in the following manner:
"He does tzedekah and nourishes, supports, and sustains all who come into the world and all that He created." (Tanna Devei Eliyahu 17:8)
A person who strives to live according to the Torah's principle of tzedek in all areas of his existence is called a "tzadik." In this spirit, King Solomon wrote, "A tzadik knows the needs of his animal's soul" (Proverbs 12:10). The Malbim, a noted 19th century biblical commentator, explains that the tzadik understands the nature of his animal, and he gives the animal its food in its proper time and according to the amount it needs. He also makes sure to fulfill the mitzvah to feed one's animal before one feeds oneself. For the tzadik, writes the Malbim, lives according to the following code: "The tzadik acts according to the laws of tzedek; not only does he act according to these laws with human beings, but also with his own animal."
The Malbim mentioned the mitzvah to feed our animals before we feed ourselves. In the following passage, the Talmud states that a source for this mitzvah can be found in the Divine statement which mentions the feeding of animals "before" the feeding of human beings:
"Rabbi Yehuda said in the name of Rav: A person is forbidden to eat before he gives food to his animal, as it states (Deut. 11:15): 'I will give grass in your fields for your cattle,' and it then concludes, 'and you shall eat and be satisfied.' " (Brochos 40b)
Based on the above teaching, the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch, an abridged code of Torah law, states: "One who owns animals or fowl that depend upon him for their sustenance is forbidden to eat anything until he feeds them (42:1). (Some possible exceptions are discussed in the notes which appear at the end of this letter.)
What is the reason or reasons for the mitzvah of feeding our animals before we feed ourselves? Before we begin to discuss this question, we need to be aware that our finite minds cannot fully understand the infinite wisdom of the Compassionate Creator Who gave us the Torah and its path of mitzvos. For example, we may not be aware of all the various ethical, spiritual, and metaphysical benefits which a mitzvah brings to ourselves and the world. As a result, when we begin to discuss a reason for a mitzvah, we do so with the humble awareness that the Torah is a deep sea of spiritual wisdom and we have only begun to explore the surface of this sea.
One possible reason for this mitzvah is because human beings were assigned the task of being the caretakers of the earth and its creatures (Genesis 2:15). This mitzvah therefore serves as a reminder of our Divine mandate. In addition, this mitzvah may be a branch of another mitzvah which we will discuss in future letters: the prohibition against causing needless pain to living creatures. As we shall later discuss, this prohibition also obligates us to alleviate the pain of a suffering animal; thus, if animals in our care are hungry, we certainly have an obligation to feed them! The book, "The Vision of Eden" by Rabbi David Sears (pages 203, 204), cites other reasons offered by Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook. For example, Rabbi Kook writes:
"Aside from enjoining us to recognize our obligation of active concern for the welfare of all creatures, according to the lofty station of this holy directive, it is required as an act of justice, since by means of the animal, the human being forth bread from the earth, and 'abundant produce from the power of the ox' (Proverbs 14:4)." (Ein Ayah, Vol. II, Berachos, chap. 6, par. 26)
Rabbi Kook adds: "This precept not only expresses compassion, but also reflects the justice of showing gratitude; for if not for the animal, the human being would not gain the necessities of life."
We refer to the obligations of a mitzvah as "halacha" – Torah law. The word "halacha" is derived from the Hebrew word "holech" – to walk. For a halacha reveals the way we are to walk in this world. And the halacha to feed our animals before ourselves remind us to walk in this world in a way which is both compassionate and just to other living creatures.
Shalom,
Yosef Ben Shlomo Hakohen (See below)
Related Teachings and Comments:
1. Rabbi Kook offers another reason why we feed our animals before ourselves. He states: "It also must be pointed out that a human being who lacks food temporarily can quiet the distress of his soul by pursuing various forms of spiritual gratification, due to his higher soul and intellect. However, the animal that suffers pangs of hunger has nothing with which to distract her soul."
2. According to halacha, we are allowed to drink before giving water to our animals. We learn this insight from a story about our righteous mother, Rebecca: After a long journey, Abraham's servant, Eliezer, arrived at the well of her village, and the young Rebecca, who was at the well, first gave drink to the weary and thirsty Eliezer, before giving drink to his animals (Genesis 24:11-21). Another source for this teaching is the following Divine statement to Moses: "Give drink to the congregation and to their animals" (Numbers 20:8). Moses was told to give water to the people "before" the animals. The reason for this halacha may be because a human being initially experiences more suffering from thirst than from hunger; thus, a human being will find it harder to postpone drinking than to postpone eating. (See the commentary of the Torah Temimah to Genesis 24:14.) In fact, the Ohr Ha-Chayim writes that a human being is even permitted to eat before his animals when there is danger to human life or when a delay in eating would cause human suffering (commentary to Genesis 24:19). For example, someone who was feeling weak would be allowed to eat before giving food to his animals.
After writing the above, I was informed by Rabbi David Sears that there is a new Torah work which discusses the above laws called "Nefesh Kol Chai" – The Soul of All Living Beings" by Rabbi Yitzchak Eliyahu Stern. This work was published in Jerusalem two years ago by Mosad le-Idud Limud ha-Torah. Rabbi Stern states that the law of feeding one's domestic animals first only applies to the case of a meal, not a snack (citing the Taz and a number of other halachic authorities.) He also states that human suffering takes precedence over feeding one's animals -- although he should feed them as soon as possible afterward. He brings this in the name of the Yad Ephraim, Orach Chaim, 167 on the Magen Avraham, s'if katan 18, in the name of the Ohr Ha-Chayim on Geneisis 24:19.
Rabbi Stern also cites the law that with regard to drinking a human being takes precedence, and he cites Rabbi Tzvi Pesach Frank who states that the reason is because a human being initially will have more suffering from postponing drinking than from postponing eating (Har Zvi on Orach Chayim 1, no. 90).
3. The above information is for study purposes and is not meant to serve as a final source of halachic decisions. If you have practical halachic questions, please ask a qualified halachic authority. Some sources which discuss the above information are: Sefer Chassidim 531, and Magen Avraham to Orach Chayim 167:6 – Section 18 of Magen Avraham.
Hazon - Our Universal Vision: www.shemayisrael.co.il/publicat/hazon/
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8. My letter to the Jerusalem Report
July 10, 2005
Editor, the Jerusalem Report
Dear Editor:
In arguing against vegetarianism, Gabriel Martingale makes at least three incorrect assertions (letter: "The Meat of Judaism," July 25, 2005 issue.) He asserts that "vegetarianism is not a doctrine consistent with the Bible," ignoring that God's first dietary regimen was strictly vegetarian (Genesis 1:29); that manna, a vegetarian food "like corriander seed" kept the Israelis in good health for 40 years in the wilderness and when the people cried out for flesh, many died at "the Graves of Lust," while eating the quails that God reluctantly provided: and that the Messianic Period will be vegetarian according to Rav Kook, first Chief Rabbi of pre-state Israel, based on Isaiah's prophecy of the wolf dwelling with the lamb and the lion eating straw like the ox.
He states that vegetarianism has nothing to do with Torah Judaism, ignoring that animal-based diets and modern intensive animal agriculture violate Torah mandates that we guard our health, treat animals with compassion, protect the environment, conserve natural resources, and help hungry people. Finally, he furthers the myth that the Nazis were militant vegetarians ignoring that, contrary to Nazi propoganda, Hitler was not a vegetarian for most of his life as documented in "Hitler: Neither Vegetarian Nor Animal Lover," by Rynn Berry (Pytagorean Publishers, 2004).
Very truly yours,
Richard H. Schwartz
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9. NASA satellites reveal quickening rise in sea level
Thanks to JVNA advisor and NASA employee John Diamond for forwarding the following article to us:
NASA's network of Earth-observing satellites has revealed that global ocean levels have risen at a more rapid pace over the past 12 years than in previous decades.
Over the past 50-100 years, Earth-based tide gauges have shown ocean levels rising at a rate of 1.8 millimeters (.07 inches) a year, according to NASA. By contrast, satellite data gathered since 1992 has shown that the rate has risen to 3 millimeters (.12 inches) a year.
Half of that annual rise is due to ocean warming, which causes the water itself to expand. Most of the rest is due to ice sheet and glacier melting in Greenland and Antarctica, according to Steve Nerem, associate director at the Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research in Boulder, Colo.
In drawing these conclusions, NASA has relied on data from the joint U.S./French Ocean TOPography Experiment (TOPEX/Poseidon) and Jason spacecraft, which measure ocean height; the Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESat), which studies the mass of polar ice; and the Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment (GRACE), which maps the movement of water mass over the Earth's surface.
Although sea level changes have occurred throughout history, "what is different today is that many, many people today are living in low-lying, vulnerable coastal regions," according to Waleed Abdalati, head of the crysopheric sciences branch at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
A 3-foot rise in sea level would affect 100 million people worldwide, Abdalati said. The estimated cost of such a rise for the U.S. alone runs in the hundreds of billions of dollars, he said.
Jefferson Morris (jeff_morris@AviationNow.com)
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10. Study Indicates that a Switch toward Vegetarianism Would Substantially Reduce Global Warming
Vegetarianism 'could help climate'
A scientist claims ditching meaty meals in favour of nut roasts could do more to cut greenhouse gas emissions than burning less oil and gas.
The radical new theory argues livestock animals bred to be eaten produce 21% of the carbon dioxide attributed to humans. So by trading the traditional Sunday roast for an environmentally-friendly mung bean casserole, damaging emissions can be slashed.
The innovative new theory would mean the mass slaughter of all livestock.
Author of the new anti-climate-change strategy Alan Calverd outlined his plan in this month's issue of Physics World.
He argued vegetarianism had no adverse health effects and his proposal required no new technology. It would free up huge swathes of farmland which could be used to produce biofuels to further cut C02 emissions.
He said: "I am not a vegetarian or an animal-rights advocate nor am I even convinced that carbon dioxide is a significant contributor to climate change.
"But a worldwide reduction of meat production in the pursuit of the targets set in the Kyoto treaty seems to carry fewer political unknowns than cutting our consumption of fossil fuels.
"It also appears to offer genuine benefits. Moreover, it is a simple reversible experiment that can be initiated by redirecting agricultural policies and subsidies, monitored in real time, and abandoned at any stage.
"It takes about 60% less land to produce a given quantity of fat and protein from plants than from animals. If we cultivated the same fields, the world would be in food surplus rather than shortage."
©2005 Associated Newspapers Ltd •
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11. Veggie Jews Schedule an Event in NYC
Forwarded message from JVNA advisor Manny Goldman:
Could you pls post this to yr email groups? Can u suggest anyone else I could contact on this short notice?
(Please cross-post to Jewish and veggie groups and calendars)
Please join Veggie Jews and volunteer host Jean Thaler for dinner on Tuesday, July 26, 2005, at 6:30 p.m. when we will meet at Candle 79 restaurant, 154 East 79th Street (near Lexington) in New York City.
Candle 79 is an upscale, east-side, vegan eatery that many folks claim is among the best vegan restaurants in New York. The restaurant is within easy walking distance of the 6-train 77th Street station. To check out the menu go to http://www.menupages.com/ and look-up Candle 79.
If you will attend, please reply to veggiejews@cyberonic.com no later than Monday evening, July 25, at 5 p.m. (Eastern Time.) To avoid being forced into a fixed price menu, we're reserving space for no more than 12 people so walk-ins without reservations will only be accommodated on a space-available basis. For that reason, reservations are strongly recommended.
For information on Candle 79, call (212) 537-7179. For New York public transportation information, please go to http://www.ny.com/transportation.
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"G-d said, 'See, I give you every seed-bearing plant that is upon all the
earth, and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit; they shall be yours forfood. And to all the animals on land, to all the birds of the sky, and to everything that creeps on earth, in which there is the breath of life, [I give] all the green plants for food.' And it was so. And G-d saw all that He had made, and found it very good." [Genesis, 1:29-31]
Veggie Jews is an on-line and real world organization with events in local communities dedicated to supporting Jewish vegans and vegetarians of all ages and spreading vegan, vegetarian and animal rights values into the Jewish community. Our non-Jewish friends are always welcome. Please tell a friend about us. We're on the web at www.groups.yahoo.com/group/veggiejews.
And remember: It's only kosher if it's cruelty-free.
Visit your group "VeggieJews"
on the web.
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12. Are We in For a Hard Landing as Oil Starts to Become Scarcer?
Thanks to JVNA member Terry Davis for forwarding the following article:
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PlanPutnam@yahoogroups.com
Published on 1 Jul 2005 by Ecology Center. Archived on 9 Jul 2005.
Preparing for a Hard Landing: Mendocino gets ready for the end of oil
by Linnea Due
A stir runs through the crowded, darkened room; at least 80 people from the small northern Mendocino town of Laytonville have turned out to watch a sobering documentary, The End of Suburbia. On-screen, Matthew Simmons, energy adviser to the Bush Administration, warns that we're already at or past the peak in global oil production and that the long haul down the other side is likely to be grim. Simmons is joined by geologists, writers, and policymakers, including author Richard Heinberg and British oil expert Colin Campbell.
Their thesis—that the age of the automobile, and thus the 50- or 60-year-long blip of suburban living will soon join the dinosaurs—is convincing. And don't, they warn, expect to be saved by flying cars or light rail: even if nuclear reactors, wind power, and solar are combined, the energy produced comes nowhere near the abundance we've enjoyed from petroleum products and natural gas—which is also running out.
As the projector goes dark, the audience, made up of people of all ages, shifts forward on butt-chilling metal chairs. "This is nothing less than the collapse of the American Dream," posits moderator Alison Pernell. Smart and savvy, with long blond hair and an athletic build, Pernell would be recognizably American anywhere. "We're going to be impacted really hard in a rural area," she continues, and several people chime in, predicting runaway inflation—nearly everything in town is brought in by truck.
Meetings such as these—called economic localization gatherings—began last October in the larger town of Willits, 25 miles south of Laytonville. Biologist-turned-activist Jason Bradford showed The End of Suburbia at the Willits City Hall, to an audience of 20. A few weeks later, he screened it again, and 60 people came. The next showing drew 90, all wanting to talk and plan. Bradford realized he had a movement on his hands.
A steering committee formed, and soon smaller committees, divided into topics such as food, shelter, water, and health, began to research and plan how Willits citizens could survive in the absence of oil and its cheaply transported goods. Acreage-per-person needed to provide food was estimated, and those figures generated the amount of farmland that needs to be put into production annually—starting now. Warns Bradford, "You have to create a sense of urgency without also creating panic or paralysis."
Other towns have similar programs, such as Santa Barbara, Toronto, and Astoria, Oregon with its Titanic Lifeboat Academy. The Willits group has created a valuable online resource that includes a history of the group and a plan for a 1,000-square-foot biointensive garden, among other things. Willits is taking notice: the city council uses the town's group for information-gathering, and the town's new hospital will be powered by alternative energy, a change brought about by the surge of future-thinking.
Several people from Laytonville brought the movement north this April. Two more meetings have been held since, and the ideas are coming fast and furious: start a community stable, join together to buy arable land, take up the pavement for community gardens. Questions can be challenging: should high school kids concentrate on computer literacy or farming? If we convert to solar, how can we maintain batteries past their ten-year lifespan?
At a June meeting, participants placed Post-Its—yellow for what you'd like to learn, green for what you can teach to others—under broad categories like Food, Transportation, Health, and Organization. Energy garnered the most yellow and fewest green stickers, signaling that outside education probably will be needed in this area.
But most agree the town of 1,500 has advantages. It is ber-community-based, and a large percentage of the populace make their living in agricultural pursuits—never mind what kind; the skill sets transfer. Besides, quips Pernell, "Some of you have been waiting for
this since the '70s."
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Quotations
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"God is good to all, and His mercy is upon all of His works" (Psalms 145:9).
"The righteous person understands the needs of his animal" (Proverbs 12:10).
"Just has God has compassion for humans, so He has compassion for animals" (Midrash: Devarim Rabbah 6:1).
"We should regard all creatures as our friends in the universe, for we are all created beings whose abilities are God-given" (Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer, the Baal Shem Tov ["Master of the Good Name"] 1698-1760)
Just as [God] is merciful, so shall you be merciful. (Talmud: Sota 14a).
God watches over and shows mercy to all. Similarly, a person should be benevolent to everyone, and no creature should seem despicable to him. Even the smallest living thing should be exceedingly worthy in his eyes. (Rabbi Moses Cordovero).
The Maker of All, the Wise One Who transcends everything, is associated with His creatures in having made them. To disparage them, God forbid, would reflect upon the honor of their Maker. (Rabbi Moses Cordovero)
Love of all creatures is also love of God, for whoever loves God, loves all the works that He has made. (Maharal of Prague).
The rabbis regarded the human body as a sanctuary (Ta'anit 11a-b).
Since maintaining a healthy and sound body is among the ways of God – for one cannot understand or have any knowledge of the Creator if one is ill - therefore one must avoid that which harms the body and accustom oneself to that which is helpful and helps the body become stronger.
- Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Deot
Jews comprise only a small percentage of the world’s people. We are responsible for only a small portion of the problems resulting from modern intensive livestock agriculture. However, it is essential that we Jews strive to fulfil our challenge to be a light unto the nations and to work for tikkun olam – the healing and repair of our imperfect and unjust world. This mission must include the lightening of the immense burden of our diets on animals, the environment and the world’s poor and hungry. To do so is to demonstrate the relevance of Judaism’s eternal teachings to the problems of the world today.
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