Why Judaism Permits Eating Meat: Compassion, Desire, and the Sanctification of the Material

Isaac asks: “Hello. It seems to me that eating meat is not just a historical fact but a deeply human one. Meat is very tasty and tempting, and it seems to be an instinctive desire of man. That must be why no culture in the world was ever truly vegetarian. Then again, there are religions that avoid eating meat, and our Torah clearly shows moral concern for animal suffering. Why then did Judaism permit slaughter and eating meat?”

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Shalom and blessings,

Your question touches on a very deep psychological issue, reaching into the most delicate fibers of the human soul. Our Sages spoke many times of punishments even for righteous people who were not careful enough about the prohibition against causing animal suffering (tza’ar ba’alei chayim). So what is really happening here? On the one hand, Judaism permits slaughter and eating of animals for human need, but on the other, it forbids treating them with cruelty or neglect.

How do we reconcile this? To do so, we need to address one of the most important foundations of Judaism: the sanctification of the material.

Christianity, in its attempt to imitate Judaism, demanded complete renunciation of the material world, and failed. Islam, also imitating Judaism, encouraged material indulgence, and failed as well. Eastern religions sought escape through asceticism and withdrawal from society and were also unsuccessful. This is because none of these religions received their teachings directly from the Creator of man. They were human inventions. Only one Torah was given publicly before an entire nation of millions. Only the nation of Israel merited open miracles demonstrating divine providence in history. Only the Jewish people have the unbroken testimony of receiving the true “manufacturer’s instructions” from the Creator Himself.

The Torah teaches that eating meat is indeed a desire, explicitly acknowledged by the Torah. After the Flood, humanity was given permission to eat meat, as it says (Devarim 12): “When your soul desires to eat meat.” Desire is real, and it is human. And when it comes to desires, the Torah does not teach us to reject the physical, but rather to use it in proper measure, to overcome it, and ultimately to sanctify it. For this reason, Jews are prohibited from eating 99.9% of all species of animals in the world — only very specific kinds are permitted, and only through kosher slaughter.

The Torah teaches that the purpose of a Jew in this world is to sanctify the material and to use it as a means for spiritual growth. As it says (Devarim 8): “And you shall eat and be satisfied, and bless the Lord your God.” Enjoyment, when directed toward blessing and elevation, becomes the healthiest use of the physical. Judaism rejects both extremes of abstinence (as in Christianity or Buddhism), and indulgence (as in Islam or paganism), but calls for the sanctification of physical life. Judaism is the only faith that integrates spirit and matter.

Between Abstinence and Indulgence

Is the Jewish way abstinence from meat, or indulgence in it? Neither. It is sanctification.

The Torah permits meat, but requires compassion even in the very act of slaughter. We must not treat animals as ownerless property. The Torah commands mercy, even requiring that the blood be covered after slaughter. This means that where harshness is permitted, the Jew must bring in compassion. This act of elevating the natural human desire is greater than abstaining from meat altogether, because the Jewish mission is not to flee from the world, but to refine it.

I once witnessed an extraordinary example of this. My teacher, Rabbi Yaakov Segal was walking around the yeshiva one afternoon looking for dry bread. Curious, I followed him until he found some pieces. He moistened them with water and fed them to chickens that were sitting in a crate for use in the kaparot ritual that very evening.

When I looked surprised, he explained: “Even though these chickens will be slaughtered in a few hours, they are still in my care. The Torah obligates us to feed our animals before we ourselves eat.” He quoted the verse we recite every day in the Shema: “And I will give grass in your fields for your cattle, and you shall eat and be satisfied.” Rabbi Segal refused to eat his own lunch until he had personally fed the chickens — he would not rely on others to do it for him.

Watching this, I realized how profound the Jewish approach is. A Jew does not deny the physical world. He uses it, but in a way that elevates his soul through mercy, kindness, and spiritual awareness.

Thus, our engagement with the physical including slaughter, eating meat, and all human desires, becomes the very ground on which we can reveal compassion and holiness, even while using our natural appetites.

The Future of Meat

The prophets teach that when Mashiach comes, we will return to a higher level, like that of Adam before the Fall, and humanity will no longer need to eat meat at all.