בס "ד


The Torah portion of Yayeshev describes the story of Joseph and his brothers (Genesis 37:2): “And Joseph brought their evil report to their father,” Rashi, the prominent commentator says: “Every bad thing he saw in his brothers, the sons of Leah, he would tell his father, such as that they were eating a limb from a living animal”. Did Joseph’s brothers transgress a prohibition incumbent upon all the Children of Noah, the eating of a limb from a living animal?

Since Joseph was righteous, he was stringent regarding the prohibition of a limb from a living animal, and he did not even allow his servants to cook for him, as servants are suspected of this prohibition. Joseph’s brothers, however, were not so stringent, and allowed their servants to cook for them. Joseph was concerned that the servants might transgress the prohibition but Joseph’s brothers, however, did not actually sin in this matter at all.

Not eating a Limb from a Living Animal is one of the Seven Noahide Commandments. This prohibition first appears in the Torah in G-d’s words to Noah and his descendants, along with the permission to eat meat: “But flesh with its lifeblood you shall not eat” (Genesis 9:4). The central reason for the prohibition of a limb from a Living Animal is the prevention of cruelty to animals, so that we do not cultivate this destructive trait within ourselves. Eating meat from a living animal is considered an act of extreme cruelty. Although Noahides are not commanded regarding causing suffering to animals in the same scope as the Jewish people, there is nevertheless a rational obligation for a Noahide not to injure, kill, or cause unnecessary pain to a living creature without a beneficial human purpose. In the absence of refrigeration in ancient times, slaughtering an animal required consuming all its meat within a short time, lest it spoil. Cutting a limb from a living animal provided a family with a smaller, preserved quantity of meat while the animal continued to live. However, in the Torah law, human dietary constraints do not justify such severe cruelty to animals.

The issue has current implications that can arise in modern meat processing plants where the speed of processing plays a role. For example, if an animal received a stunning electrical shock but its heart is still beating, she is not dead yet, but then flesh is cut from the animal on the production line, the meat in such a case is forbidden as it is considered a Limb from a Living Animal. It is therefore appropriate (but not obligatory) for Noahides to investigate the conditions of slaughter and meat processing in their area to avoid inadvertently consuming a Limb from a Living Animal.

The unity of G-d is revealed everywhere in creation, even in the reality of animals and beasts. Therefore, awareness of this constitutes preparation for the Age of Redemption. The recognition that all creatures are the handiwork of G-d and that all of reality is constantly dependent on the vitality the Creator provides is a cornerstone in understanding Divine Providence. The prophecy states that in the future: “For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:9). This means that all humanity will come to a full recognition of the infinite light of Hashem and His kingdom.

Por el rabino Moshe Bernstein

Source: Isaiah 11:9. Sefer HaChinuch, Mitzvah 452. Talmud, Sanhedrin 56a. Genesis 9:4. Genesis 37:2.



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