By Jay Lavine, MD<\/p>\n
Based on manuscripts published as a book after his death (*The Emergence
\nof Ethical Man*, 2005), it turns out that the preeminent 20th century
\nJewish scholar, the late Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik, known to be a
\nrationalist and independent thinker, was a strong proponent of ethical
\nvegetarianism. He points out that the first rule in the Bible was that
\n\u201cman, like animal,\u201d should \u201clive solely upon vegetables and fruits.\u201d He
\ndescribes the Biblical attitude toward meat eating as being very
\nnegative: “There is a distinct reluctance, almost an unwillingness, on
\nthe part of Torah to grant man the privilege to consume meat. Man as an
\nanimal-eater is looked at askance by the Torah. There are definitive
\nvegetarian tendencies in the Bible.\u201d<\/p>\n
He goes on to say that, when humans became corrupted before the Flood,
\nman \u201coverreached himself, created a new demand, a sinful insistence upon
\nsomething which by right does not belong to him, namely, on life that is
\nequal to his, on flesh that is not different from his own…\u201d A
\nconcession was made to allow man to eat meat, at which time \u201cthe Torah
\nbegan to regulate the \u2018murder\u2019 of other lives, to restrict its
\npractice\u2026\u201d He points out that the Bible later describes the craving for
\nmeat as a \u201clust, illicit demand.\u201d He continues, \u201cAnimal hunters and
\nflesh-eaters are people that lust. Of course it is legalized,
\napproved. Yet it is classified as “ta\u2019avah,” lust, repulsive and brutish.\u201d<\/p>\n
Unlike many religious leaders, he does not place humans in a separate
\ncategory from that of the other animals: \u201cParticularly man and animals
\nare almost identical in their organic dynamics that is equated with
\nlife, and there is no justifiable reason why one life should fall prey
\nto another.\u201d He adds, \u201cNot only human life, but life in general is
\ndivine…\u201d While not equating humans with non-human animals, he
\nnevertheless places all life, from plants to humans, on a continuum, and
\nhe talks about the similarities among all of the higher animals,
\nincluding humans. For him, vegetarianism is not merely an unattainable
\nideal but rather a goal that all should pursue.<\/p>\n