26
votes
Why does Torah consider Bats as birds?
Rabbi Dr. Natan Slifkin, director of The Biblical Museum of Natural History in Beit Shemesh has an article on this in his Rationalist Judaism blog, here.
The paragraph that probably answers your ...
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20
votes
Why does Torah consider Bats as birds?
The Passuk (Vayikra 11,13) uses the phrase ואת אלה תשקצו מן העוף לא יאכלו when describing all birds bats and insects
The word עוף essentially means "a being that flies"
This is proven from Tehilim ...
- 11.6k
14
votes
Accepted
Can 'cruelty to animals' render an animal not kosher?
R Moshe Feinstein (Even HaEzer IV:92:2) is against raising veal in inhumane ways. He doesn't say the meat is not kosher (see e.g., this answer on MY). Nevertheless, some (e.g., R Moshe Dovid Tendler, ...
- 54k
10
votes
Accepted
Where did the "a cat will always be a cat" story about the Rambam come from?
This folktale is quite popular throughout European and Asian cultures, and predates Jewish oral accounts.
In Folktales of the Jews, Volume 1: Tales from the Sephardic Dispersion, folklorist Dov Noy ...
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10
votes
Could Yonah's "whale" have been a whale?
The only Rishon I saw who identifies the Dag Gadol in his commentary is [R Eliezer of Beaugency to Yonah 2:1][1], and he identifies it as a "בַלְיינְא וכיוצא בו", which is a baleine (etc.) in French (...
- 21.2k
10
votes
Did Adam have intercourse with animals?
There is disagreement about this among the commentators. Here is a quote from the Artscroll Rashi Chumash Bereishis 2:23 footnote 4:
Divrei Dovid...says that this prohibition [to have relations ...
- 6,535
10
votes
According to Kabbalah is it okay to have a pet dove?
It's one of the stipulations of Rabbi Yehuda Hachassids ethical will:
לא יגדל אדם תורים ובני יונה בתוך ביתו (ע' סי' תתרל"ח). לפי שהבית אשר יגדלו בה או ימותו בניו או לא יהיה לו זרע.
One should ...
- 40.8k
9
votes
Source that tzaar baalei chayyim only applies to kosher animals?
This is incorrect. Examples given include loading and unloading a donkey as we see in Tzaar Baalei Chayim Thus, the halacha applies to all animals
In Shemot, we are told to help him unload: “If you ...
- 43.5k
8
votes
What did the Jews' animals in the desert eat?
The Yalqut Reubeni (here, s.v. מה) addresses this question and quotes from a collection ‘Sode Raza’ (attributed to student(s) of R. Yehudah HaChasid) that the layer of dew would bring forth vegetables ...
- 12.1k
8
votes
Accepted
Regurgitating Living Forbidden Species
At the end of perek Gid Hanashe (103 IIRC) in Chullin, the gemara cites a question concerning what is considered eating. Do we say its the benefit of the throat or the digestion of the stomach? The ...
- 42.7k
8
votes
Castrated pet ownership
Rambam Hilchot Issurei Biah 16:13
אָסוּר לוֹמַר לְעַכּוּ''ם לְסָרֵס בְּהֵמָה שֶׁלָּנוּ. וְאִם לְקָחָהּ הוּא מֵעַצְמוֹ וְסֵרְסָהּ מֻתָּר. וְאִם הֶעֱרִים יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּדָבָר זֶה קוֹנְסִין אוֹתוֹ ...
- 46.6k
8
votes
Can one lechatchila choose to behead a firstborn donkey?
Mishna Bekhorot 1:7
מצות פדייה קודמת למצות עריפה, שנאמר "אם לא תפדה וערפתו"
The Mitzva of redeeming precedes the Mitzva of [killing], as it says "And if you don't redeem is, [kill] it".
So ...
- 101k
8
votes
Accepted
Can one lechatchila choose to behead a firstborn donkey?
The Rambam (Hil. Bikkurim 12:1) writes:
מצות עשה לפדות כל אדם מישראל פטר חמור בשה ואם לא רצה לפדותו מצות עשה
לעורפו שנאמר ופטר חמור תפדה בשה ואם לא תפדה וערפתו ושתי מצות אלו
נוהגות בכל מקום ובכל זמן ...
- 14.7k
8
votes
Neta Revai is achzareyos?
My understanding is that Chizkuni's focus when bringing neta' reva’i into the discussion is ra'avtanut i.e. voracity or gluttony.
He is saying that a reason behind forbidding eating very immature ...
- 46.6k
8
votes
Is it still prohibited to raise sheep/goats in Eretz Yisrael?
Welcome to Mi Yodeya!
This very broad article deals with the issue well.
The main source he quotes is Shulchan Aruch Choshen Mishpat, 409:1.
אין מגדלים בהמה דקה בארץ ישראל מפני שדרכם לרעות בשדות של ...
- 977
8
votes
Animal Sentience in Judaism
In Guide for the Perplexed 3:48 Rambam writes:
There is no difference in this case between the pain of man and the pain of other living beings, since the love and tenderness of the mother for her ...
- 50.3k
7
votes
Accepted
Can you benefit from a lost animal while waiting to find the owner?
Babba Metziah 28b - 29a discusses the issue of reimbursing the finder for his expenses in caring for the lost animal.
The idea is based on Devarim 22:2. The Mishnah points out that the verse tells ...
- 11k
7
votes
Jewish Pets in Halacha
Because God is compassionate on all his creatures, we have a number of laws that make keeping domestic animals complicated. By acquiring an animal, one acquires a master, for instance
one should feed ...
- 54k
7
votes
Accepted
Is is possible to use Chayos as Korbanos
Rambam Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Ma'aseh HaKorbanot 1:1:
כָּל הַקָּרְבָּנוֹת שֶׁל מִינֵי נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה בָּאִין מֵחֲמִשָּׁה מִינִין בִּלְבַד. מִן הַבָּקָר וּמִן הַכְּבָשִׂים וּמִן הָעִזִּים וּמִן ...
- 46.6k
7
votes
Accepted
Does one have to feed his dog, parrot, or goldfish before eating according to this Gemara?
Rav Yaakov Emden -Shilas Yaavetz 1:17 writes that a pet needs to be fed first and fish are included. It is important to note that if the animal has a feeding schedule and your pet wouldn't be hungry ...
- 42.7k
7
votes
Source for the lion as a symbol for divine judgement?
Deuteronomy 33:22:
וּלְדָ֣ן אָמַ֔ר דָּ֖ן גּ֣וּר אַרְיֵ֑ה יְזַנֵּ֖ק מִן־הַבָּשָֽׁן׃
And of Dan he said: Dan is a lion’s whelp That leaps forth from Bashan.
Rabbeinu Bachya writes in his ...
- 12.2k
7
votes
Accepted
Dog bites my food - is it treif?
We find that dough (or bread) into which a dog bit remains tahor, unless there are grounds for assuming that the dog had touched the food with tamei liquids in its mouth. Its saliva getting on the ...
- 10.4k
7
votes
Accepted
Is Capybara meat kosher?
The Da'at Zekenim, based on Vayikra 11:27, writes (on that verse) that although there are many animals who have split feet, nevertheless if they don't have hooves, they are impure.
- 967
6
votes
sefer Yetzirah ox goring,or Golem damages
If a golem or an ox is intentionally made from scratch by a man via Sefer Yetzira, then for damages incurred he would be Chayav (liable) on par with one that makes a fire which causes damage. The ...
- 11.6k
6
votes
Accepted
Training an animal to do malacha
Exodus (23:12) states:
לְמַ֣עַן יָנ֗וּחַ שֽׁוֹרְךָ֙ וַחֲמֹרֶ֔ךָ
This teaches (cf. Yerushalmi Betsah 5:2, Rambam's Hilhkot Shabbat 6:16) that animals may not be used for melakha on Shabbat. This ...
- 36k
6
votes
Eating Meat: What Changed?
Ralbag in his commentary to Genesis 1:29 explains that nothing changed, and man was in fact allowed to eat meat all along. He quotes the Talmudic statement that there was in fact a change, and says ...
- 50.3k
6
votes
Did Adam have intercourse with animals?
The vast majority of classical Jewish sources, including all the Geonim, and most Rishonim, state that the Midrashim (exegetical rabbinic literature) reflect the views of individual rabbis; not the ...
- 36k
6
votes
Why are castrated animals slaughtered as Kosher beef?
Castration of an animal is forbidden to Gentiles (according to most opinions) so a Jew cannot tell him to do so. If he does he is forbidden to eat that animal. But if the gentile has already castrated ...
- 11.6k
6
votes
Animal R'aim of the midrash
The re’em (plural: r'aimim) has been described differently in various sources. Bottom line, it is most likely an aurochs.
Wikipedia has a good short summary
A re'em, [has been] variously translated ...
- 54k
6
votes
Accepted
Origin of pigs as a species
Maybe you heard of a story reported in "Legends of Old Testament Characters, from the Talmud and other sources" by a Rev. S. Baring-Gould, chapter 14
There left the ark two sorts of animals which ...
- 54k
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