d’var torah
Recognizing Animal Lives
Rabbi Beth Janus
M Parshat Emor
y son argued that we should
eat fewer animal products.

While being a vegan was
better for the world, people’s health
and the animals, he said it was unreal-
istic that more than a fraction of people
would make such a major change.

Instead, if large quantities of people
reduced their meat, dairy, fi sh and
egg consumption, even by a little, the
cumulative eff ect would be substantial.

For his bar mitzvah project, he and
his sister developed an app that tracks
what people eat and helps them lower
their animal consumption. My kids
have continually challenged me on the
downsides of eating animal products
and, in recent years, we have moved
dramatically closer to veganism. My
children understand that taking the
life of an animal or using the animal for
our own pleasure should not be taken
lightly. In parshat Emor, God also instructs
us about the signifi cance and sacred-
ness of an animal’s life. Our priests
are to be “scrupulous” about animal
sacrifi ces to avoid profaning God’s
Name. (Leviticus 22:2) Furthermore,
a person who sacrifi ces must be in a
“pure state.” (Leviticus 22:3-7)
God says that animals can be eaten
but wants us to eat them in a way that
is cognizant of the gravity of ending
a life. God seeks for us to honor the
animal’s neshama, or life force, by
restricting how we make and eat
the sacrifi ce. The Temple, where we
performed sacrifi ces, no longer stands.

Because of that, many of these laws
appear to be irrelevant. But as we
consider the eff ects of industrialized
meat production on the animals’ lives
and on climate change, Emor’s teach-
ings are deeply relevant and vital.

What does it mean to be “scrupu-
lous’” about the eating of animals
today? We would ensure that animals
live humanely by residing in spaces
where they have freedom to move, to
socialize and to eat.

Poultry farming, slaughterhouses
and dairy farms are typically designed
to maximize profi t without regard to
the well-being of the animal. These
places could be reimagined to center
the fact that the animals are sentient
beings whose existence is holy. We
the animal who was “sacrifi ced” for us
to be able to eat a particular meal? Are
we mindful of what the animal gave
up so that we could enjoy this dairy?
Are we fi lled with gratitude for this
sustenance? If we view eating animal products
with the sacredness that the Holy One
insists on, then it would follow that
our consumption would decrease. We
would be scrupulous about our eating
habits, and we would try as rigorously
as we could to be in a pure state as we
ate. Meat and dairy products would
rise in cost as conditions become more
considerate of the animals.

Recognizing each life would remind
us of the specialness of the sacrifi ce
the animals make for our benefi t, and
we would naturally make eating animal
products more rare.

Ideally, whenever we consume any food,
we should be conscious about what we
are doing.

must recognize that animals do not
exist exclusively as a source of enjoy-
ment for humans.

After our parshah examines how we
treat the animals, we are commanded
to examine ourselves. How can we put
ourselves in a “pure state”? Being in
the right frame of mind when consum-
ing animal products can elevate the
experience (and further honor the
animal). Ideally, whenever we consume any
food, we should be conscious about
what we are doing. Saying a bracha
(blessing) makes us pause and think
about what we are eating. This is the
opposite of just stuffi ng our mouths
mindlessly. We should be particularly aware
when we are eating meat or other
animal products. Are we conscious of
24 MAY 4, 2023 | JEWISH EXPONENT
For the sake of the planet, our health,
and the animals, may we integrate
these teachings from Emor into our
lives. ■
Rabbi Beth Janus is a chaplain at
Lafayette Redeemer and performs
life cycle rituals throughout the
Philadelphia community. The Board
of Rabbis of Greater Philadelphia is
proud to provide diverse perspectives
on Torah commentary for the Jewish
Exponent. The opinions expressed in
this column are the author’s own and
do not necessarily refl ect the view of
the Board of Rabbis.




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MAY 5–11
FRIDAY, M AY 5
KOL ZIMRAH
“Kol Zimrah” means “the sound of
singing.” This musical service, offered
online at 6 p.m., is led by Germantown
Jewish Centre Rabbi Adam Zeff and
Executive Director Nina Peskin and
features original melodies and
kavanot (short spiritual reflections).

venue.streamspot.com/a79c0def. SATU R DAY, M AY 6
SISTERHOOD SHABBAT
Join the Melrose B’nai Israel Emanu-El
Sisterhood for our Sisterhood Shabbat
Program, beginning at 9:30 a.m.

For more information, contact
office@mbiee.org or 215-635-1505.

8339 Old York Road,
Elkins Park.

MONNDAY, MAY 8
LAG B’OMER BBQ
Congregations of Shaare Shamayim
invite you to join us for a Lag B’Omer
BBQ at 6 p.m. The cost is $12 per person,
and reservations are a must. For more
information, contact the synagogue
office at 215-677-1600. 9768 Verree
Road, Philadelphia.

BOOMERS: SYMPHONY IN C
The Boomers at Congregation Kol Ami
invite you to enjoy a beautiful evening
of music with Symphony in C, one of
the leading young professional
orchestras in the U.S., starting at
8 p.m. For more information, contact
dlisker4@gmail.com or 856-963-6683.

314 Linden St., Camden,
New Jersey.

THEATRE ARIEL PERFORMANCE
In a world where family is everything,
Yehudis and her husband struggle to
have a baby. “To Reach Across a River,”
performed by Theatre Ariel at 8 p.m. at
the Green Hill Condominiums and again
on Sunday at 2 p.m., tells a story as
timeless as Sarah’s and as potent as
the rescue of Moses from the Nile.

For more information, contact
info@theatreariel.org or
610-667-9230. 1001 City Ave.,
Wynnewood. SUNDAY, MAY 7
TASTE OF ISRAEL
Celebrate the culture, people and
food of Israel with an afternoon of
fun for all ages, including a cooking
demonstrations by five-time James
Beard Foundation Award-winning chef
Michael Solomonov. This event is part
of the Jewish Federation’s Israel 75
THROUGHOUT THE WEEK,
THROUGHOUT THE WORLD
NOW on your favorite podcast platforms.

SPOTIFY, GOOGLE, AMAZON,
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Jewish Community Radio
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MUSIC | FEATURES | INTERVIEWS
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celebrations. For more information,
contact israel75@jewishphilly.org or
215-832-0547. 45 Haverford Road,
Wynnewood. T U E SDAY, MAY 9
DISCUSSION WITH ISRAELI
MEMOIRIST Ilana Blumberg is author of “Houses
of Study: A Jewish Woman Among
Books”; “Victorian Sacrifice: Ethics and
Economics in Mid-Century Novels”;
and “Open Your Hand: Teaching as a
Jew, Teaching as an American.” She will
speak at Drexel University at 12:30 p.m.

For more information, contact hpi22@
drexel.edu or 267-278-9541. 3300
Market St., Philadelphia.

WRITING WORKSHOP
Molly Antopol’s first book, “The
UnAmericans” (W.W. Norton), won
the New York Public Library’s Young
Lions Fiction Award, a National Book
Foundation 5 Under 35 Award and the
Berlin Prize, among others. She will
give a reading and writing workshop at
Drexel University at 3:30 p.m. For more
information, contact hpi22@drexel.

edu or 267-278-9541. 3300 Market
St., Philadelphia.

TH U RSDAY, M AY 1 1
UKRAINIAN POET TALK
The war in Ukraine has been raging for
a long time, and Lyudmyla Khersonska,
a poet from Odesa, has been
chronicling it fiercely in her poems.

Drexel University will host a reading
with Khersonska at 2 p.m. For more
information, contact hpi22@drexel.

edu or 267-278-9541. 3300 Market
St., Philadelphia.

NETFLIX AT KLEINLIFE
Join KleinLife Rhawnhurst in the
Tabas Community Room from
2-3 p.m. for a showing of Netflix’s
“Breaking Bad.” There will be popcorn.

For more information, contact
kleinliferhawnhurst@gmail.com or 215-
745-1201. 2101 Strahle St., Philadelphia.

JEWISH SPEED DATING
Join Be Single No More for a
night of speed dating with Jewish
singles in their 20s and 30s at
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com or message us at facebook.

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