Vegetarian Judaism: A Guide for Everyone [Paperback]

Book review: Vegetarian Judaism. A guide for Everyone, by Roberta Kalechovsky

Roberta Kalechovsky is superbly knowledgeable about Judaism and about vegetarianism, and has written a valuable book combining this knowledge. The title suggests that vegetarianism is a lifestyle rather than just a diet, and the book supports this concept. Kashrut (observance of Jewish dietary laws) implies a commitment to mercy for animals destined for slaughter, and traditionally this has been the case. But in our era of factory farming it is no longer so, and Ms. Kalechovsky starts right out in her introduction by pointing out that all meat, whether kosher or not, comes from animals raised in the same exceedingly inhumane manner on factory farms. Cows destined for slaughter are hoisted by one leg (while still conscious in the case of those destined to be labeled Kosher) to await killing, chickens are crammed into tiny dark cages which drive them insane, and veal calves are confined for all of their short lives in miserable boxes where they wallow in their own excrement. She says: "The distinction between kosher and non-kosher meat is made at the ramp to the slaughtering house."

The bulk of this book is divided into chapters that deal with five important Jewish mandates: pikuach nefesh (to guard one's health), tsa'ar ba'alei chaim (to avoid causing pain to any living creature), bal tashchit (not to waste or destroy), tzedakah (to help the needy), and klal Israel (to work for the welfare of the Jewish people). The author points out that eating animal products today is diametrically opposed to these 5 mandates. It contributes directly to ill health, causes untold suffering to animals, is wasteful, takes food away from the earth's hungry, and is not in the best interests of the Jewish people. She expresses the opinion that vegetarianism for a Jew: "reaches back into the fundamentals of the Jewish religion" and offers the opinion that: "We do not judge the past in becoming vegetarians...we accept the imperatives of our generation, and seek a renewed covenant with the earth." Ms. Kalechovsky makes the observations that vegetarian food allows all Jews, observant or not, to eat together in community, and that it is such a great joy as to be entirely appropriate on a holiday or Sabbath table.

This book is practical as well as philosophical, and there is a chapter entitled: The Jewish Grandmothers' or Parent's Survival Guide to Vegetarianism. There is also a listing of Jewish vegetarian groups, a selection of recipes and an excellent bibliography. This book will be educational to Jews and non-Jews, vegetarians and non-vegetarians, and especially to those who observe kashrut, thinking that it is humane.

This book bridges the gap between religious and secular, to present a well-reasoned set of arguments for why vegetarianism is the best form of kashrut today. The author does not condemn previous generations for eating meat, and is respectful of the kosher slaughtering process (shechitah) as it was practiced for many generations. However, she also feels that, in the light of the cruelty of modern factory farms, it is no longer enough to focus only on the moment of slaughter. Shechitah itself is humane, but the ways in which the animals are raised and transported to the meat processing plant are not. Kosher and non-kosher meat come from the same commercial sources, and the animals are all raised the same way. "The distinction between kosher and non-kosher meat, "she writes, "is made at the ramp to the slaughtering house."

In chapter 2, "From living soul to animal machine," Kalechofsky traces the philosophical developments that have led to the Western acceptance of the cruelties of modern factory farms. Most enlightening to me was the section discussing the influence of the (gentile) French philosopher, Renee Descartes. Best known for "I think, therefore I am," Descarte also thought than animals were like machines (automata) and do not feel pain or emotional stress. As a mathematician, Descartes saw everything in terms of what could be counted and measured in the physical world. Subjective experiences such as animal suffering were, to him, of no account whatsoever.

This chapter was an eye-opener for me, because I had not studied Descarte's philosophy in any depth before. As far as I knew, he played no role whatsoever in Jewish life. Wrong. Although most religious Jews do not study Descartes, the civilization we live in has been strongly influenced by him. When it comes to animals, many Jews are de facto Cartesians, even if they have never heard of Descartes.

Kalechofsky traces the line from Descartes to factory farms, which tend to regard animals as little more than egg-milk-meat producing machines. She also cites references to demonstrate that this attitude is NOT acceptable in classical Jewish thought. "Either animals are part of God's creation or they are not," she writes, "and if not, Genesis is false. The antithesis, foreseen in the 17th century, has come to its final crisis: You cannot support the Cartesian view of animal life and the biblical view at the same time." (Page 35)

Because the kosher food industry is so firmly emmeshed in the modern factory farm system, it is next to impossible to find kosher meat from animals that have not been badly mistreated in the name of "progress." That alone should lead a sensitive Jew to give up eating meat. But there are other reasons, too -- reasons of health, economics, and social responsibility. These the author fully explores. She also points out that a vegetarian diet bridges the gap between Jews who keep kosher and those who don't. Many synagogues and other Jewish organizations have begun serving vegetarian meals for precisely this reason. If the purpose of kashrut is to respect life and unite the Jewish people, then vegetarianism is the best way to do this in the 21st century.

I also recommend Judaism and Vegetarianism by Richard. H. Schwartz, which traces the biblical and rabbinical basis for Jewish vegetarianism, and has an excellent FAQ section.

I found this to be a very open & candid look at vegetarianism from a Jewish perspective as well as from Torah. It looks at many different aspects of what it means to be Kosher in today's confused & confusing world. It is also valuable to how to keep from getting sick from animal transmitted diseases.

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