Questions tagged [animals]

Questions pertaining to the identity or biology of animals mentioned in Jewish texts literature, or the status of animals in areas of Jewish law, such as diet or damages.

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Is it Tzaar Baalei Chayyim to feed a live animal to another animal?

There are many pets available today that experts recommended feeding (infrequently or at times solely) on live animals. Many reptiles (snakes, chameleons, geckos, monitors, etc.) and many fish are ...
bondonk's user avatar
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Does one have to feed his dog, parrot, or goldfish before eating according to this Gemara?

The Gemara (Berachos 40a) expounds from Devarim 11:15 that one may not eat before feeding his animals: אמר רב יהודה אמר רב אסור לאדם שיאכל קודם שיתן מאכל לבהמתו שנאמר ונתתי עשב בשדך לבהמתך והדר ...
DonielF's user avatar
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Are there burial requirements for pets?

Halacha requires certain burial practices for people, because people are special. Are there any requirements or, especially, prohibitions regarding pets who have died? Is it acceptable to cremate ...
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Are mouse-deer kosher?

Mouse-deer do chew cud (they has four stomachs), but have not two, but four hoofed toes. Are they kosher?
Adám's user avatar
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5 votes
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Dogs in Judaism

I've heard that dogs are somewhat special in Judaism. For example, I heard that the word "כלב" (dog) comes from "לב" (heart), and it means something like "loved one". I also once heard that G-d gave ...
Gabriel12's user avatar
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What is the Yadua bone? Is it extinct?

I was learning Sefer Hamitzvot with my dad last night and, when we came across mitzvah #256, I was curious; do we have any idea what the yadua bone is? It is a bone of a bird which grows from a long ...
yogazefish's user avatar
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Can a horse owned by a Jewish owner run in any of the Triple Crown races?

All of the "Triple Crown" horse races (Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont) occur on Shabbat. If the horse's owner is Jewish, (I just learned that American Pharaoh's owner is Jewish; I didn't know ...
DanF's user avatar
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Can you experiment on animals?

May a person perform or otherwise participate in experiments on live animals which will cause the animals pain? I would assume this is forbidden under tzaar baalei chayim. But perhaps there is a heter ...
not-allowed to change my name's user avatar
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*Tzomeach* (צוֹמֵחַ) in kashrus halacha

To find the kashrus status of an organism, we first need to correctly classify it as tzomeach, animal, bird, or fish, as each group has its own distinct requirements. E.g., animals need to chew cud ...
Adám's user avatar
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Can one ask a trained animal to do Sabbath work

Is there a prohibition to use a trained animal to do Sabbath work such as turning on a light. (assuming the animal belongs to one's non-Jewish neighbor).
ray's user avatar
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Bird droppings invalidating location for prayer?

One may not pray near feces or other sources of biological waste and decay that give a foul odor (see the article for several opinions on when/how it applies). Does this include bird droppings? I'...
Seth J's user avatar
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What distinguishes humans from animals?

Both Humans and animals seem to have: Flesh: (Bereshit 6:13) The ketz (end) of kol basar is come before Me. Nefesh Chaya: (Bereshit 1:30) wherein is a Nefesh Chaya Ruach Chayim: (Bereshit 6:17 & ...
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Is my dog muktzeh to me on Shabbos? [duplicate]

I believe that putting a leash on a dog to take it for a walk on Shabbos is permissible, even in a place where there is no eiruv, since the leash is to protect the dog. What about touching my dog, ...
Yerachmiel's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
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Is it permissible to be mechalel Shabbos to save the life of an animal or pet?

Is it permissible to be mechalel Shabbos to save the life of an animal, such as a family pet? Could minchag, chumras, and/or purely Rabbinical prohibitions be relaxed in such a situation, and to what ...
SAH's user avatar
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Animal R'aim of the midrash

I saw in the book, "The midrash says" by Rabbi Moshe Weissman that the Midrash Socher Tov 22 explains that a creature called R'aim that David mistook as a hill, lifted David up into the sky and only ...
Rh Haokip's user avatar
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Did The Snake In The Garden Of Eden Have Free Will?

I heard that all of creation recognizes Hashem and is obedient to Hashem, and that humans are the only creation from Hashem that have free will. So why is it that the snake in the garden of Eden was ...
SWT's user avatar
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2 answers
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Is an animal raised on basar bechalav feed permissible

Veal can be raised on formula that contains basar bechalav (a meat and milk mixture) which is asur behana'ah (forbidden to derive benefit from). Would this isur cause the meat from animals exclusively ...
sabbahillel's user avatar
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Source that tzaar baalei chayyim only applies to kosher animals?

I remember learning that tzaar baalei chayyim only applies to kosher animals and being very surprised and disappointed, but I don't remember the source at all. Does anyone know where this idea comes ...
SAH's user avatar
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Where do Chazal refer to Rus and Naomi as birds?

Where is the Chazal that refers to Rus and Naomi (Na'ama?) as shnei preidos tovos - two good birds?
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Impure baseball cap?

I am Chozar Teshuva so if this is a ridiculous question then please bear with me. Long story short, my cat soiled a ballcap that I own (soil as in, with urine). I put it through the dishwasher, got ...
Shaul's user avatar
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Kashruth Issues with Dog Food?

If someone is keeping a vegetarian/milk household, and then they acquire a dog that eats meat based dog food products, what potential Kashruth issues might arise? Would there be difference in Kashruth ...
Aaron's user avatar
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Did Aaron's staff turned into a snake or a crocodile?

In exodus 7 it says on verses 8-12: ח וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה, אֶל-מֹשֶׁה וְאֶל-אַהֲרֹן לֵאמֹר. ט כִּי יְדַבֵּר אֲלֵכֶם פַּרְעֹה לֵאמֹר, תְּנוּ לָכֶם מוֹפֵת; וְאָמַרְתָּ אֶל-אַהֲרֹן, קַח אֶת-מַטְּךָ ...
Not Bruce Wayne's user avatar
3 votes
6 answers
526 views

Did the Torah Sages discuss evolution

Are there examples in chazal of the sages discussing the phenomena of micro-evolution (or macro), i.e. adaptive changes in creatures.
ray's user avatar
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Fitting for an animal to eat besides a dog

In many halachos about food (Kashrus, owning Chametz on Pesach, etc.), a standard for determining if something retains its status as food is if it is "fitting for a dog to eat." What about other ...
Yishai's user avatar
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3 votes
2 answers
499 views

The Shafan and Arneves

What are the Shafan and Arneves (Leviticus 11:5-6)?
shy''k's user avatar
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1 answer
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Is there a special status for the offspring of an animal that was dedicated for a Karban?

For example, if someone in the time of the temple dedicated a cow for a Karban, and before they could bring it to be sacrificed it became pregnant (or impregnated another cow), would its calf have any ...
zaq's user avatar
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Contradiction between Shemos 9:6 and 9:20-21?

In Shemos 9:6: "HASHEM carried out this word the next day, and all the livestock of Egypt died, and of the livestock of the Children of Israel not one died." (Artscroll English Tanach) This ...
mil's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
291 views

Why was the snake punished?

In Michtav M'Eliyahu vol2. page 137 Rabbi Dessler explains that the primordial snake was an external manifestation of the evil inclination which entered man after the sin. If so, why was the snake ...
ray's user avatar
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2 votes
2 answers
283 views

Laws of "Shehiyah" relating to a "Chayah"

In the Shulchan Arukh (Yoreh Deah Siman 23) we find the laws of "shehiyah", which relates to the laws of shechita. This is basically a prohibition stating that one may not pause in the middle of the ...
Yehoshua's user avatar
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0 answers
261 views

Meaning of dreams with some kinds of animals

The gemara in berachot says: "All kinds of beasts are a good sign in a dream, except the elephant, the monkey and the long-tailed ape" (57b). Why is a dream with an elephant, a monkey or a long-tailed ...
juanora's user avatar
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1 answer
348 views

Is a Jew able to go hunting?

What is the Halacha in regard to whether or not a person can go hunting? What have Poskim said on this issue?
Bochur613's user avatar
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2 votes
2 answers
190 views

Inconsistency in listing creeping things in Noach's Ark's population

The animal population of Noach's Ark is commanded/listed six times in Parashat Noach: Genesis 6:19-20 (Initial command) Genesis 7:2-3 (Reiteration of command) Genesis 7:8-9 (Entry to the Ark) Genesis ...
Isaac Moses's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
191 views

Why is a dog considered a wild animal?

Kilayim 8:6, in listing various animals and whether they are considered wild or domesticated, says: כלב מין חיה A dog is a type of wild animal Why is this? We’re not talking about wild dogs ...
DonielF's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
154 views

Does Deuteronomy 22:1-3 apply to stray pets (e.g., dogs)?

Deuteronomy 22:1-3 teaches that if you come across your brother's lost ox, sheep, donkey, cloak, etc., you must return it, even if you do not know the one who owns it. Does this mean that if I see a ...
The Editor's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
117 views

Is it permissible to bring back extinct species?

Is it allowed according to halacha to bring back extinct species? The technology is on its way, and i have seen some discussion in non-Jewish contexts about the ethics of it, and how we might be "...
Scimonster's user avatar
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2 votes
2 answers
159 views

Medrash on Dovid Hamelech riding a Re'eim

I'm looking for a certain medrash. It's about Dovid Hamelech climbing up what he thinks is a mountain, but it actually ends up being a re'eim.
ezra's user avatar
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1 vote
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Doggie "Kisses" on Tisha b'Av when Rechitza (Washing) is Forbidden

Several authorities forbid washing on the Ninth of Av, and many of those same authorities often require one to sit on the floor or a low stool during that evening and morning. However, I own a dog and ...
Adam Mosheh's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
72 views

Does the law of returning lost objects apply to dangerous animals?

The law of returning lost objects (Deuteronomy 22:1-3) teaches that if you come across your brother's lost ox, sheep, donkey, cloak, etc., you must return it, even if you do not know the one who owns ...
The Editor's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
241 views

Considering feelings of animals

Assuming that animals feel physical and emotional pain in some way that is comparable to human feeling, why does Judaism discount their needs? I am interested to hear rabbinic discussions about this. ...
Annelise's user avatar
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1 answer
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Are animals commanded (Bereishit 1:22)?

In two places in parshat Bereishit Gd commands "be fruitful and multiply". The second place is the familiar commandment directed to humans (Gen 1:28). In the first place, the same words are used but ...
Yehuda W's user avatar
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