October 9, 2026 Categories: In Print / Halacha & Hashkafa
Is it proper to eat the meat of animals that were not treated humanely?
Is it proper to eat the meat of animals that were not treated humanely?
At the outset it is important to note that the Torah (Parshas Noach, Bereishis 9:1-5) placed human dominion over the animal kingdom – whether mammal, fowl, fish, insect – and to eat them. The Torah (Parshas Shmini, Vayikra 11: 1-47, Parshas Re’eh, Devarim 14:3-21) later further limited the variety that we may consume to those that are clean (kosher animals) from among the above four categories. Not only did the Torah permit consumption of meat but in Parshas Beshalach (Shemos 16:11-14) in the wilderness Hashem delivers the slav, a small type of pheasant, for Bnei Yisrael to eat.
Insofar tza’ar ba’al chayim, the Torah in Parshas Mishpatim (Shemos 23:5) states, “If you see the donkey of someone you hate crouching under its burden, would you refrain from helping him? – You shall surely help with him.” Now even though this is the animal of an individual that you find contemptuous, nevertheless the Torah commands that you help lighten the burden upon his animal. But there is a caveat; the Gemara (Bava Metzia 32a) advises that if the owner of the animal is present and refuses to relieve his animal’s load than the person encountering this is free of any obligation to help. Thus we see that it is possible to witness a situation of clear tza’ar ba'al chayim and yet have no obligation to intervene.
We are all aware that there are those who wish to attack our method of rendering an animal fit for consumption – shechita. The Mechaber (Yoreh De’ah Siman 18:1-3) is clear that in the course of shechita the chalaf (the slaughter knife) must be repeatedly checked for pegimos – nicks; i.e., the knife must be smooth to produce a swift and instant death of the animal, precluding any prolonged pain. Those who object to our slaughter are often not really seeking to aid the animals, but rather they wish that we not have the ability to eat kosher meat. There are some who, true to their word, are fully vegetarian. Either way, the end result is that this leads to destroying our Jewish way of life.
The only other possible scenario of pain regarding an animal is the way they are treated as they await slaughter. Different animals are treated differently, but any meat or fowl we consume, if produced under the supervision of reputable rabbis, such as the OU, that follow the rulings of gedolei haposkim, such as Rabbi Yisroel Belsky, zt'l, and yibadel l'chayim, Rabbi Hershel Schachter, then proper protocols are unquestionably followed. Thus there would be no problem.
However, there is an instance of clear tza’ar ba'al chayim that I have encountered. It relates to kapparos – chickens that are used for the special atonement ceremony we perform prior to Yom Kippur. Everything will be fine when this is conducted at a kosher butcher under proper supervision. But for the past number of years, unscrupulous individuals have been engaging in providing this service, albeit as an enterprise, to make some quick money.
I have witnessed chickens left in crates in the rain for days, obviously to the point of distress. Usually one either consumes the meat of the chicken that served as his exchange or donates the chicken to feed the poor. In either of these scenarios, one should not participate with any of these fly-by-night individuals who have no regard for the poor animals, as well as not having a proper hashgacha.
While the Torah gave us dominion over the animal, we must show compassion. “Dracheha darchei noam v’chol nesivoseha shalom– all its ways are pleasing and its pathways are peace” (Mishlei 3:17).
— Rabbi Yaakov Klass is chairman of the Presidium of the Rabbinical Alliance of America; rav of Congregation K’hal Bnei Matisyahu in Flatbush, Brooklyn; and Torah Editor of The Jewish Press. He can be contacted at yklass@jewishpress.com and Rabbi@igud.us.
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