Permission to Eat Meat/2/en
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Permission to Eat Meat
Exegetical Approaches
Never Prohibited
Meat was permitted from the beginning of time. Even Adam was never prohibited from eating animals.
"הִנֵּה נָתַתִּי לָכֶם אֶת כׇּל עֵשֶׂב זֹרֵעַ זֶרַע ... לְאׇכְלָה" – According to this position, in these words Hashem never intended to limit man's food to vegetation. The exegetes differ, though, in how they understand the statement:
- R. Saadia explains that Hashem mentioned only grasses and fruits because these are mankind's major food source while meat is a luxury eaten much less often.
- Ralbag asserts that these words are not a command to man at all but rather a further description of his creation and nature.1 Hashem is simply saying that He created humans with the ability to eat vegetation, even though grasses and plants are far from man's nature and one might have not expected this ability.2
"And you shall rule over the fish" – According to Shadal, it is this phrase that alludes to the fact that Adam was allowed to kill animals for food. He points out that it is impossible to "rule" over fish unless one takes them out of the water, which inevitably leads to their deaths.3 Hashem only alluded to the permission to eat meat rather than saying so explicitly so as not to encourage man to spill blood.
"כׇּל רֶמֶשׂ אֲשֶׁר הוּא חַי לָכֶם יִהְיֶה לְאׇכְלָה" – Ralbag and Shadal assert that Hashem explicitly states that man has permission to eat meat after the flood, not to introduce a new command, but rather to juxtapose the fact with the prohibition to spill man's blood and to tear a limb from a live animal (אבר מן החי). Hashem warns that although man is allowed to kill animals, this leniency does not extend to people, nor is one allowed act cruelly towards the animal even for the purpose of eating..
Proofs from nature – Shadal attempts to prove that Hashem could never have intended for man to eat only vegetbles from the physiology of humans. He points out that man was created
Prohibited After Adam's Sin Until the Flood
Adam was initially allowed to eat meat but after sinning in the garden, he lost this privilege until the flood atoned for his sins.
Sources:Rashba, Tzeror Hamor #2
Permitted After the Flood
Man was not given permission to eat meat until after the flood. Commentators differ in their understanding of the reason for the change.
Permission was granted as a reward
As a reward for caring for the animals on the ark, Noach and future generations were given permission to eat meat.
Permission was a concession
After the flood, mankind was allowed to eat animals as a concession to human frailties.
Original prohibition was a practical necessity
Adam was not prohibited from eating meat for any fundamental reason, but rather due to the scarcity of animals at the time or lack of knowledge regarding how to cook them.
