There is that saying: “In my next life, I want to come back as a dog in a Jewish home!”

Brooklyn Bagel would certainly agree! He is also quite happy with his new name!  Perfect to go with Kitty Nova Lox!  

Cantor Lee and I were quite excited to meet the new addition to  Beth and Lew's household. Like any puppy, this sweet beagle, one year old, was quite happy being held and then off to run around with his two cousin dogs! But there is much more to his story.

Brooklyn Bagel is one of the 1500 beagles rescued from the Envigo laboratory breeding facility. These beagles spent their lives confined to tiny cages, bred specifically for research laboratories. Many had eye operations without anesthesia and experienced additional procedures without pain relief.  Although animal testing for medical research is legal, the abuse remained hidden. 

As Jews, concern for the welfare of animals has been part of our teachings for more than three thousand years. In the very first story in the Torah, Creation, G-D reminds us that animals are also G-D’s creations. Humanity, represented by Adam, is given responsibility to watch over the world and its creatures (Genesis 1:26–28, Genesis 2:15).

The Torah repeatedly teaches us to have compassion toward animals. Here are just some of the examples: 

In the Ten Commandments, the observance of Shabbat includes rest not only for people, but also for work animals (Exodus 20:10).

An ox and a donkey cannot be paired together to plow, because the unequal strength of the animals would cause suffering for the weaker one (Deuteronomy 22:10).

An animal must not be prevented from eating while it works: “You shall not muzzle an ox while it is threshing” (Deuteronomy 25:4).

If a person sees an animal collapsing under a heavy burden, one must help unload the burden and allow the animal to rest (Deuteronomy 22:4; Exodus 23:5).

If someone finds a stray domestic animal, the  animal must be protected and returned to its owner (Deuteronomy 22:1–3).

It is not allowed to take both a mother bird and her young or eggs together from the nest.  We do not wish to cause the mother pain at seeing her young taken. (Deuteronomy 22:6–7).

A newborn animal may not be taken immediately from its mother for sacrifice, but must remain with its mother for at least seven days (Leviticus 22:27).

If the Torah is teaching compassion  we may wonder how there could have been animal sacrifice which was a common practice during biblical times. Bringing animals as offerings was how the people showed gratitude to G-D. Jewish law developed careful methods of slaughter so the animals would not suffer or feel pain. Today this is known as kosher slaughtering  and has been refined even more over the centuries.

The Jewish principle behind all these laws is  tza’ar ba’alei chayim, of not  causing unnecessary suffering to living creatures. Compassion toward animals is not seen as optional kindness, but as our moral responsibility.

Thank you Beth and Lew for putting our values into action! We are all celebrating that Puppy Brooklyn has adjusted beautifully, finally learning what it means to be a dog! 

And Kitty Nova Lox? Let’s just say he is still adjusting to his new brother!

Shalom, Rabbi David

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