Why Do Animals Suffer? A Jewish Perspective on Pain and Cruelty in Nature

Mark asks: “I saw a video clip of a group of hyenas hunting a poor zebra and eating it alive. Now, I understand that suffering comes to people because of sins, but I also see that animals suffer — they are eaten cruelly in nature, and there are also animals born blind, sick, or wandering around hungry. They have no free choice, so why do they suffer?”

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Shalom Mark, and thank you for your question.

Animals were created for the sake of mankind, and nature reflects human behavior. The reason we see natural disasters and what appears to be cruelty in nature is because of humanity’s sins. Before the Flood, we are told that even the animals behaved in ways “not according to their nature”, because human beings had sinned in similar ways. (According to some interpretations, even angels descended from their spiritual level in the generation of the Flood due to human sins.)

At the time of the final redemption and resurrection of the dead, we will return to the state of Adam before the sin, the world will rise to a higher level, and the cruelty you see in nature will disappear, because that cruelty is a mirror of human actions.

Of course, you may still ask why animals must reflect our behavior and suffer because of us. The deeper answer is that this suffering is not as terrible as you imagine. People tend to anthropomorphize animals, by assigning them human feelings, morals, and awareness. However, we often forget, or do not know, that animals operate on instincts, and do not think or understand the world as we do. For example, birds do not need to learn how to fly as that knowledge is encoded in their brains from birth. Chicks that hatch without ever meeting their mother will still be able to fly when they grow, and even navigate to distant lands. Ants do not learn how to build nests or gather food in lines; they are born with this knowledge. From the moment an ant hatches, it knows its role. Animals behave automatically according to what is hardwired in them, which is why they can be trained easily.

This also means that animals have no concept of “mercy” or “morality.” The same cat that tenderly cared for her kittens will attack them months later over a piece of food. Bears facing extreme hunger will eat their cubs so they can survive and reproduce in the future. Such behavior is instinctive as animals have no concept of good or evil, justice or compassion.

Experiments show that dogs scolded for “bad” behavior feel no shame if they were not caught and scolded, and that dogs scolded even for “good” behavior still displayed “shame” simply because the owner was angry. This suggests that the “shame” was not moral guilt but simply a response to the owner’s disapproval. No dog feels moral guilt for biting a stranger or attacking another animal, unless it fears punishment.

Because God created animals without moral understanding of right and wrong, they cannot have a moral complaint about what we call cruelty or injustice in nature. A cat that loses an eye will continue life normally without bitterness or resentment toward creation.

Animals live in the present moment; they do not dwell on their condition, weigh moral issues, or think about the future. They have no free will in the human sense. Their experience of physical pain is therefore not accompanied by the same kind of emotional suffering that humans feel, which is a result of self-awareness and moral reflection.

The zebra you saw in the video does not feel the moral outrage that we feel when watching it. It does not ask “Why?” and does not feel wronged. It accepts what happens as part of life, just as it instinctively eats grass or drinks water without thinking. No animal worries about the “justice” of a predator killing it, and none feels it is “dying for no reason.”

This does not mean animals feel no physical pain or emotional bonds. Clearly, animals have emotions (a dog certainly feels affection for its owner) and feel pain, but they do not reflect on those feelings as we do. Their emotions are undeveloped compared to human emotions, and they lack complex concepts like moral values, justice, and the choice between good and evil. Their behavior is driven by instinct, not conscious decision-making.

Some mitzvot (commandments) in the Torah appear to show concern for animals, and indeed the Talmud states that God is strict with those who cause unnecessary suffering to them (“tza’ar ba’alei chayim”). However, these mitzvot are not for the benefit of the animals themselves — as animals do not understand or care what happens to their bodies after death, but rather to educate us to respect creation and everything placed under our care.

Commandments like covering the blood of a slaughtered animal or not cooking a kid in its mother’s milk are designed to instill in humans qualities of gratitude, compassion, and restraint, thereby making us more like the Creator and bringing us closer to Him.

We must avoid causing unnecessary suffering to animals for the sake of strengthening our own compassion, so that we do not lose our humanity. At the same time, it is permitted to slaughter and eat animals, and to use them for our needs, with limits and sensitivity. Through this relationship with animals, we are able to fulfill mitzvot that refine our character, teach us to love creation, and thank God.