"Can One Be More Righteous Than Religion?"

Late one evening, I returned from a lecture in Tel Aviv. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a group of people gathered as if in a protest. In the center stood a large screen projecting scenes of slaughter: unfortunate cows being bound, slaughtered, with blood spurting everywhere. The protestors held signs: "Stop the Abuse," "Slaughter is Mass Murder," "We Are Not Food," and more of the like.

A young man stood next to me and said, "You see, sir, these people are more righteous than religion. There are even people with yarmulkes; they observe the commandments, but they also do more than that. They protest against this cruelty. Does this whole process make sense to you?" he asked, pointing at the large screen. "We are in the 21st century; this doesn't fit today's world."

"I'll tell you a secret," I replied. "What do you think is considered a very high level among the religious?"

"Obviously," he responded, "to be as righteous as possible!"

"Well, King Solomon said: 'Do not be overly righteous.' How can that be? Not to be exceedingly righteous? Why not? You provided a very good example here. Being extremely righteous in what the Torah commands is indeed a high level—the more, the better. But to be righteous in what the Torah does not command—'Do not be overly righteous.'

"Why? Because it's an illusion; you're not really more righteous. The Torah emphasizes a balance among all its commandments. There are many commandments in the Torah aimed at consideration for animals: Aside from the prohibition against causing animals pain, there's a specific commandment to help unload and load a donkey lying under its burden, it's forbidden to prevent an ox from eating during threshing, one does not plow with an ox and a donkey together to prevent the donkey from envying the ox who chews its cud, and even in slaughter—one does not slaughter it and its offspring on the same day. Even Shabbat is also 'so that your ox and your donkey may rest.' But the right balance is exactly what the Torah commands. People who pursue new paths often do so not because they elevate animals to the level of humans, but rather because they lower humans to the level of animals. They don’t acknowledge the moral and spiritual value of humans, whose commandments correct the world, and therefore they do not see any superior rights for humans."

"I'm sure there are many good things in religion," my conversation partner replied, "but they're telling you something very simple—that besides being religious, you shouldn't be part of the food industry. They inject hormones into cows to produce more milk, causing them suffering. They blind chickens at night to make them lay more eggs. When you pay them for the meat, you are complicit in this atrocity. Buy soy, buy substitutes, buy other things. You are after all religious; why don't you join this fight?"

"That's exactly the point," I responded. "We have a hierarchy of values. If we were in the days of the Messiah and the last issue left was animal rights, maybe we would all unite around it. But in the current situation, where we, even as religious Jews, fund transportation companies, electricity, communications, etc., that unfortunately operate on Shabbat, our taxes fund cultural events viewed as utterly unacceptable according to the Torah, forbidden foods are distributed under the guise of kashrut, and instant conversion programs are underway—if one's central struggle is for the cows—they are not really overly righteous. They regard the welfare of animals as higher than the spiritual and ethical needs of humans. Consider that."