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Parsha Vayikra – Sacrifices and PETA

March 18, 2015 by Russell McAlmond

lisa-simpson-vegetarian

Although People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is often over-the-top (they compared chickens to the Holocaust), most Jews are in favor of the ethical treatment of animals.  In this week’s parsha of Vayikra, much of the parsha is about animal sacrifices in the Temple.  How do we as Jews reconcile animal sacrifices with the ethical treatment of animals?  Why was this done and, if we ever rebuild a Temple in Jerusalem, would we restart the sacrifices in such a Temple?

To the 21st Century Jew, a lot of this parsha sounds ancient and archaic – and it is.  There are certain Jewish sects that believe if the Temple is rebuilt in Jerusalem, animal sacrifices should be reinstated.  Most modern Jews would utterly reject this – for good reasons.  The Torah was written by men at a time of agricultural societies and primitive superstitions.  Animal sacrifices, and even human sacrifices, were fairly common to other societies that existed at that time.  Maimonides argued that the reason for animal sacrifices was a concession to the primitive stage that humans were at when G-d gave them the 613 commandments.  It would have been too drastic of a step, he argued, to not have them as a form of worship.  This seems an unnecessary and convenient rationalization of the practice.

It may be better for modern Jews to recognize that our religion, like our civilization, evolves.  Temple worship was abandoned when the Temple was destroyed in 70 CE.  In its place came rabbinic Judaism – a very different form of Judaism that was not based on the Temple, the priests or animal sacrifices.  In some ways, it was a new religion for a new time.  Judaism evolved because it needed to change to survive.  Even today Judaism continues to evolve, as all religions and worldviews should do to keep up with modernity.  Today’s Judaism would not even be recognizable to Jews who engaged in animal sacrifices or early rabbinic Judaism.  It is a different world – and Judaism has changed to accommodate it.

PETA and today’s Judaism do not have any problems.  As Jews, we respect the rights of animals to be treated in a humane manner.  We don’t place animal life on the same level as human life, but we know that we are prohibited from being cruel to animals or to cause them unnecessary pain.  Animals even share Shabbat with us.  According to the Torah, humankind is given dominion over animals to use for legitimate purposes.

Nonetheless, in our day, animal sacrifices are not kosher – nor should they ever be again.

Filed Under: Jewish Text (Torah/Haftarah/Talmud) Tagged With: convert to judaism, convert to judaism online, darshan yeshiva, jewish vegan, jewish vegetarian, online conversion, patrick "aleph" beaulier, patrick aleph, peta, punktorah, rabbi beaulier, rabbi patrick aleph beaulier, Vayikra

Pay To Play Judaism, Kurt Cobain and Parshah Vayikra (Torah Video Mashup)

March 12, 2013 by Patrick Beaulier

 

The original Judaism was pay to play. And with Nirvana’s song Pay To Play, we hope you’ll learn more about why giving your time and financial resources to your favorite Jewish cause…is…well…pretty holy!

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Filed Under: Jewish Text (Torah/Haftarah/Talmud), Podcasts & Videos Tagged With: ejewishphilanthropy, jewish federation, jewish foundations, jewish giving, parshah vayikra, punktorah, torah video mashup, Vayikra

Parshat Vayikra: Heroism and Hamburgers

March 15, 2010 by Patrick Beaulier

Parshat Vayikra: Heroism and Hamburgers

Parshat Vayikra is an expensive parshat. The Hebrews are asked to give sacrifices to G-d for their guilt, their sins, and also for peace. The sacrifices themselves are meat or flour, burned on an altar.

Burning a hamburger or roasting some wheat doesn’t seem like a big deal, especially for doing some naughty stuff. But in reality, the Hebrews don’t have Burger King or Whole Foods in the Middle East. It was a big deal to watch your best crops or your best animals burn in front of you.

Every culture has a story about the hero and sacrifice. The hero doesn’t ultimately become a hero until he or she gives up something for someone else. G-d gives us the chance, in Vayikra, to be heroes, to give up something for the greater good. What a cool thing!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKcsPboW73w]

Filed Under: Jewish Text (Torah/Haftarah/Talmud), Podcasts & Videos Tagged With: convert to judaism, convert to judaism online, darshan yeshiva, food, hamburger, Jewish, Jews, Judaism, kosher, patrick "aleph" beaulier, patrick aleph, Punk, punktorah, rabbi beaulier, rabbi patrick aleph beaulier, Religion, Torah, Vayikra

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