In memory of my mother, Grace Sears:
Gittel bas Yitzchok
Yahrtzeit: 5 Adar
Rosh Hashanah commemorates the “birthday
of the universe,” as we mention repeatedly during the Musaf (Additional) prayer
service. However, we observe Rosh Hashanah on the first day of Tishrey, which
actually corresponds to the sixth day of creation, when God created Adam and
Eve. Accordingly, the first day of creation corresponds to the 25th
day of Elul. In honor of that day we are posting these few quotes, which remind
us of the value and kinship of all created things.
Although it is out of order
chronologically, we would like to begin with a quote from Rabbi Yehudah Loewe
ben Betzalel (circa 1520-1609), the “MaHaRaL” of Prague, which sums up the
basic idea these various sources elaborate upon: “The love of all creatures is
also love of God; for whoever loves the One, loves all the works that He has
made” (Nesivos Olam, Ahavas Re’a, 1.33).
*
One should
respect all creatures, recognizing in them the greatness of the Creator, Who
formed man with wisdom. All creatures are imbued with the Creator’s wisdom,
which itself makes them greatly deserving of honor. The Maker of All, the Wise
One who transcends everything, is associated [with all His creatures] in having
created them. If one were to disparage them, God forbid, this would reflect
upon the honor of their Maker. This is the meaning of the verse, “How worthy
are Your works, O God...” (Psalms 104:24). It does not say “how great (gadlu)”
but “how worthy (rabbu),” as in the verse “the head (rav) of his
house” (Esther 1:8), indicating great importance. [The verse concludes,] “You
have made them all with wisdom.” That is, since Your wisdom is imbued in them,
Your works are great and worthy. Therefore, a person should consider the divine
wisdom within them, and not their disgrace (Rabbi Moshe Cordovero, Tomer
Devorah, Chapter 2).
*
[The Zohar (Emor, 106b)
states that while crossing a stream, Rabbi Yosé stepped on some worms and
exclaimed that he wished such creatures did not exist. At this, his master
Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai declared that it is forbidden to disparage or to kill
any creature, for they all serve to benefit the world.]
One might ask: if so, how can the
Torah permit us to kill a snake on the Sabbath in the land of Israel, or [to
kill any dangerous or bothersome animal] under similar circumstances?
The term “disparage” could mean
either in word or in deed. Rabbi Yosé was guilty of both. First, by stepping
upon the worms, he violated the prohibition of wantonly killing small creatures
that are not harmful to humans [such as flies, gnats, and worms]. Second, by
exclaiming, “Would that they did not exist!” he spoke disrespectfully regarding
the order of the universe, which reflects upon the honor of the Creator. If a
dangerous creature threatens a person, or if there is a harmful snake in one’s
house or courtyard, one is justified in killing it to avoid being hurt.
However, if a snake is in the field going its own way, one must not interfere
with it; for the snake is fulfilling its mission according to the divine will.
The story cited above attests to this, as do many such stories that we have discussed
elsewhere.
Even when creatures are sent on a
mission to do harm, “God is good to all” (Psalms 145:9); for, in truth, this
too is a good mission, since the death they cause will benefit the soul of the
transgressor. God’s mercy extends even to creatures that do not perform their
mission [i.e., immoral people] in that He sustains them nevertheless. Thus, we
are obligated to follow in His ways and show compassion toward all His works,
never destroying them wantonly as long as they do not harm us.
Moreover, to diminish God’s creation
is to diminish the manifestation of His mercies. According to the diversity of
creation, through each and every species, God’s mercies are evident. This is
implied by the divine blessing “fruitful and multiply”
(Genesis 8:17), as well
as by the subsequent verse [in the psalm quoted above], “All Your works, O God,
shall praise You…” (Psalms 145:10). That is, over each species in creation, an angel is
appointed who sings praises to the Creator; and the praises of the One who
sustains all creatures are increased according to the multitude of angelic
hosts. One who destroys a swarm of bees or flies or a colony of ants therefore
destroys the praises of God, unless these creatures are in one’s house and are
harmful. In this case, it is permitted to remove them, albeit in the most
humane manner possible. Even this is not proper according to what we see in
Tractate Bava Metzia (85a) concerning the nest of weasels that
were found in the house of Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi. He told his maidservant to
leave them alone, for “His mercies are upon all His creatures.”
Thus, wantonly to kill even harmful
creatures such as mice and weasels would be unseemly, since unlike snakes they
do not physically afflict human beings. It would be preferable for a person to
keep a cat who will consume them, as this conforms to the ways of the angels
who determine how one species is subjugated to another. This may be deduced
from the words of the Book of Song (Perek Shirah): “The mouse, what does
it say? ‘For You are righteous in all that comes upon us, for You have
performed truthfully, and we have acted wickedly’ (Nehemiah 9:33). The cat,
what does it say? ‘I pursued my enemies and overtook them, and returned not
until they were destroyed’ (Psalms 18:38).” This teaches that [the preying of one
species upon another] is God’s will, and reflects His absolute mercy toward the
needs of His creatures.
Similarly, Perek Shirah concludes by describing
how King David was pleased with himself upon completing the Book of Psalms,
when he happened upon a frog [who contended that its praises of God were
superior]. This story does not mean to extol the croaking of the frog, but [the
songs and praises of] the angel that presides over frogs. And their leaping too
was an expression of the spiritual inspiration that came to them from their
presiding angel, who sings melodies and praises to God.
This also applies to the frog’s
remark [in Perek Shirah] that it has resigned itself to its fate, to
serve as food for the stork or crane, or another bird. In other words, the
presiding angel itself fulfills the will of its Maker in compelling the
families of frogs not to rebel, but submit to the species designated to consume
them. Therefore, it is proper to raise other creatures to prey upon destructive
animals, for this follows the natural order. Thus, when Rabbi Yehudah’s
maidservant came to destroy the weasels, he told her to let them alone; but,
nevertheless, he raised cats, for this [way of ridding oneself of pests]
reflects the divine mercy, as our sages taught on the verse, “A tzaddik
considers the needs of his animal...” (Proverbs 12:10).[1]
One might ask: since the calf was
destined for slaughter, why was Rabbi Yehudah afflicted for saying, “Go, this
is the purpose for which you were created”? To this it could be said that there
might have been a transmigrated soul in the calf, and it was possible to save
it for all eternity from an evil fate, from slaughter.[2] Or perhaps he should have entreated the slaughterer to postpone the killing at
least for that day. [This would have served as an example of compassion to
everyone present] (Ohr Yakar, commentary to Zohar, Emor, pp. 137-138).
*
There is a fundamental principle I
would like to share with you, my brother: Just as God is infinite, so all
divine attributes are infinite. Thus, His humility and His providence are
infinite. God watches over each of His works, even the least of them. God does
not merely watch over the various species in a general manner, as Maimonides,
of blessed memory, and others maintain.[3] Do not be perplexed that the Holy King, for Whom “the heavens are His throne,”
gazes upon and discerns the tiniest creatures in dunghills and unclean places;
for also among large animals we see that certain species are not kosher, but
the All Seeing One nevertheless watches over them in every detail of their
lives.
Indeed, God takes pride in them, as
he tells Job: “Do you know the time when the wild goats of the rock give birth or observe when the hinds calve? …
The wing of the peacock rejoices are they wings or feathers of a
stork? For she leaves her eggs in the ground, and she warms them with the earth
… The young vultures gulp down blood, and where the carrion lies, there is [the
parent bird]” (Job 39:1, 13, 14, 30).
Before the Blessed One there is no
difference whatever between a large creature and a small creature; and the
unseemliness of a place is no obstacle to Him, as the author of the Song of
Unity wrote in the section corresponding to the third day: “The mighty wind
does not repel You; even all foulness does not befoul You.” The meaning is that
of all lower creatures, none is repulsive before Him but a transgressor, a
proud man, and evildoer he alone is despicable to God and
foul smelling.
Rather, know, my brother, remember
and do not forget that just as God’s providence applies to all the worlds and
all creatures, so does His Essence utterly transcend all worlds and all
creatures, being hidden and removed from them. This is the meaning of the
verse: “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Hosts…” (Isaiah 6:3).
The term “holy” (kadosh)
indicates the separation and removal of His Essence from everything, due to the
loftiness of His sublime and wondrous station, reaching unto infinity.
Nevertheless, the verse concludes: “The entire world is full of His glory,” as if to say: while God utterly
transcends all the worlds, His providence is constantly bound to all the worlds
and all His works, down to the smallest detail, even unto this lowly world,
which in its entirety is full of His glory (Rabbi Pinchas Eliyahu Horowitz of
Vilna, Sefer HaBris I, Ma’amar 14, Eichus HaChai, sec. 8,
s.v. vi-klal gadol, p. 224).
*
The Baal Shem Tov taught: Do not
consider yourself superior because you experience deveikus (attachment
to God) to a greater extent than someone else. In truth, you are no different
than any other creature, since all things were brought into being to serve God.
Just as God bestows consciousness upon you, so does He bestow consciousness
upon your fellow man. In what way is a human being superior to a worm? A worm
serves the Creator with all of his intelligence and ability; and man, too, is
compared to a worm or maggot, as the verse states, “I am a worm and not a man”
(Psalms 22:7). If God had not given you a human intellect, you would only be
able to serve Him like a worm. In this sense, you are both equal in the eyes of
Heaven. A person should consider himself and the worm and all creatures as
comrades in the universe, for we are all created beings whose abilities are
God-given. This should always remain in your thoughts (Tzava’as HaRivash
12).
*
The Baal Shem Tov taught that when a
piece of straw falls from a wagon loaded with straw, this has been decreed by
Heaven. Similarly, when a leaf falls from a tree, it is because Heaven has
decreed that this particular leaf at
this particular moment would fall at this particular spot. Once the Baal Shem
Tov showed his disciples a certain leaf as it fell to the ground and told them
to pick it up. They did so and saw that a worm was underneath it. The Baal Shem
Tov explained that the worm had been suffering due to the heat, so this leaf
had fallen to give it shade (Sha’ar HaOsios, “Hashgachah Pratis”).
*
The entire universe is included
within the mystical paradigm of the human form. Israel and the nations of the
world represent the upper part of the
body: those who contemplate divine wisdom and engage in holy speech correspond
to the head, while those who do the skilled work of the world correspond to the
hands. The animals correspond to the legs, for they perform all their
activities on their feet. This correspondence extends to the level of creatures
that cannot walk, but crawl; and similarly to the rest of creation (Rabbi
Pinchas of Koretz, Midrash Pinchas I, 22).
*
Adam was created last of all
creatures because the Holy One, blessed be He, asked all creatures to
contribute their portion to Adam’s body: the lion his might, the deer his
speed, the eagle his agility, the fox his cleverness, etc. All these traits
were given to Adam Thus, the verse states: “Let us make man in our image…”
(Genesis 1:26), indicating that the essential traits of all species are
included in humankind (Rabbi Eliyahu ben Shlomo, the Vilna Gaon, Aderes Eliyahu, Bereishis 1:26).
*
Rabbi Menashe of Ilya, Lithuania
(1767-1832), a leading disciple of the Vilna Gaon, once wrote: “What am I in
comparison to the many forms of sentient life in the world? If the Creator were
to confer upon me, as well as my family members, loved ones, and relatives,
absolute goodness for all eternity, but some deficiency remained in the world—
if any living thing still were suffering, and all the more so, another human
being, I would not want anything to do with it, much less to derive benefit
from it. How could I be separated from all living creatures? These are the
works of God’s hand, and these too are the work of God’s hand”[4] (Author’s Introduction, Ha’amek She’eilah, cited in biography printed
with Alfei Menashe, Vol. II).
*
Not only for the physical harm that I
have caused my fellow men do I beg forgiveness, but also for their spiritual
afflictions that I have brought about through my many misdeeds. For our sages
taught that one should consider the world to be balanced between good and evil,
and one’s deeds tip the scales.
Similarly, I ask forgiveness from all
creatures, whether in the mineral, vegetative,
animal or human realms, for my having transgressed against
them and caused them suffering, whether physical or spiritual. Also, from the
depths of my heart I beg all souls, both the living and the dead, and all
celestial beings, from the lowest to the highest, to have mercy and forgive me
completely for all my transgressions and sins against them, and for having
caused them any form of grief or spiritual defect. Instead, may they intercede
for me and tip the scales of judgment to the side of merit. May they beseech
God to forgive me for everything, and may I be protected by the shadow of His
compassion (Ethical Will of Rabbi Nachman Goldstein, Rav of Tcherin, included
in Kochvei Ohr, Breslov writings and oral traditions).
*
The lights of life that animate the
entire hierarchy of living creatures according to their species are but shards
of one lofty collective soul possessed of all wisdom and talent, divided into
many separate parts (Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kook, Orot HaKodesh, II, p.
358).
*
The human soul in its greatest breadth
contains the individual souls of all creatures. Each living thing is a spark of
the vast all-encompassing fire that is the collective soul of humankind (ibid.
p. 359).
*
Man stands and wonders: what need is
there for the diversity of creation? He is unable to understand how everything
comprises one great unity… If you are amazed at how it is possible to speak,
hear, smell, touch, see, understand and feel tell your soul that all living
things collectively confer upon you the fullness of your experience. Not the
least speck of existence is superfluous, everything is needed, and everything
serves its purpose. “You” are present within everything that is beneath you,
and your being is bound up with all that transcends you (ibid. p. 361).
*
We do not know how to measure the
invigoration and spiritual well-being that animals incapable of speech confer
upon us, simply by virtue of the fact that we coexist. The vital symbiosis of
members of the same nation already has been revealed to us, and those who
possess a clearer vision glimpse that of all humanity, as well. However, the
spiritual symbiosis of all living beings still remains hidden. As of yet, no
researcher dares voice his conviction regarding this perception. Nevertheless,
these far-out propositions arrive before the precise sciences almost as dreams
to augur their revelation. Already we can be elevated to that lofty height at
which humankind becomes one with the totality of life, even with vegetation and
inanimate existence (ibid. p. 363).[5]
*
Everything around us was created by
God and serves Him. Every force of nature is the messenger of God; matter is
what God has apportioned to these forces to work with, in, and through, in
accordance with His mighty laws. Everything exists in God’s service, at its
post, in its time, to fulfill God’s Word with the means and powers allocated to
it, contributing its share to Him, to become part of one all-inclusive entity.
Everything serves God (Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, The Nineteen Letters,
Letter Three, trans. Karin Partitzky, commentary by R. Joseph Elias [Jerusalem:
Feldheim, 1995]).
[1] R. Cordovero probably alludes to Vayikra
Rabba 27:11 and Pesikta D’Rav Kahana on Vayikra 22:28, which
interpret the term “righteous” as referring to the Creator, Who “understands
the nature of His animal” in mandating that His human subjects show compassion
toward animals.
[2] That is, the calf’s tikkun
might have been accomplished by other means, without causing it distress.
[3] The author of Sefer HaBris alludes to Moreh Nevuchim 3:17. Among subsequent Jewish philosophers, R. Albo takes a
similar position to Maimonides in Sefer HaIkkarim 4:11; for numerous
additional sources see R. Aryeh Kaplan’s Handbook of Jewish Thought,
Vol. 2, chap. 19, nn. 34-36. However, R. Moshe (Cheifetz) Gentili (1663-1711)
agrees with the Sefer HaBris in Mileches Machsheves, Noach (19a).
[4] This statement is consistent with R. Menashe’s ideas regarding the kinship of
all creatures presented in his Tikkun Klalli, of which only an
incomplete manuscript is extant. I am grateful to R. Yaakov Weiss of Lakewood,
NJ, for locating these sources from R. Menashe’s writings.
[5] R. Bezalel Naor shared the
following personal anecdote. Meeting Rav Avraham Yitzchak Kook’s son, R. Zvi
Yehudah Kook (1891-1982) for the first time, he commented on how much ahavas
Yisrael (love of Israel) the latter’s father had possessed. The
octogenarian R. Zvi Yehudah burst out laughing. “Mai revusa ika? (What’s
the big deal?) My father loved the whole world, even tzomeach
(vegetation), even domem (earth and stones)!”
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