Teaching Team
What Would the Torah Say about Michael Vick?
It’s all over the news. NFL star Michael Vick has been accused of a federal felony for breeding and training dogs for the purpose of fighting and death. He is also allegedly responsible for killing and severely mistreating some of the animals himself. So no doubt those of us who have read about this and watched this on the news have heard countless people’s opinions about what he has done. As followers of Messiah we should ask the opinion of the Torah.
The principle against unnecessary tzaar baalei hayyim “pain of living creatures” is something that can be seen all throughout the Torah. It goes all the way back to Genesis:
Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." (Genesis 1:26)The word in Hebrew for ‘rule’ is radah and it means to subjugate. But before we get visions of a harsh dictatorship with unrestrained rule we must first remember the beginning of the verse, “Let us make man in Our image.” Obviously HaShem is our example of how to exercise our authority justly and as He rules with compassion so should we.
The LORD is good to all, And His mercies are over all His works. (Psalm 145:9)
We even see kindness to animals in the commandment of Shabbat:
“But the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. (Exodus 20:10)
When using animals for work they must not be abused:
You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing. (Deuteronomy 25:4)
You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together. (Deuteronomy 22:10)
With all this in mind it appears that if found guilty Michael Vic would not stand up to the Torah’s high standards for the treatment of animals. What are your thoughts on this?
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Visitor Feedback:
I remember a Jewish teacher I had in high school who said it was considered unethical to even eat dinner before the family pet was fed, as it would be cruel to allow the animal's hunger to continue while the owner satisfied his own.
If the law was created because of transgressions, then folks must not have been treating animals very well and had to be told otherwise. Unfortunately, if we were writing Torah today we would have to add a bunch of "thou shalt nots" regarding pit bulls to instruct those who don't grasp the obvious fact that Mr. Vic's alleged conduct is reprehensible and cruel.
MJ
MJ Belko | July 29, 2007 10:20 PM
I agree with the previous blogger and I always am mindful of the fact that when God sent Jonah to Ninevah, He pointed out to him the innocent children and the animals that were in that city as a concern of His about destroying that wicked place and He gave them a chance to repent. Mr. Vick is in danger of losing his soul to the god of this world for all eternity. Let us pray that the Lord of the harvest would send laborers to preach Yeshua to him and that he would find repentance and forgiveness. That's not to say that we should not stand against such abuse of God's creation. How sad, that man's heart could be so cold towards an animal that is called kalev, which means (I've heard) in Hebrew "whole heart" and was given to us as a faithful, loyal companion.
Shirley | July 31, 2007 10:59 PM
As pointed out above "HaShem is our example of how to exercise our authority justly and as He rules with compassion so should we." In fact it is a mitzvah to follow in HaShem's ways (Devarim 28:9). So, since "HaShem is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made" (Pslams 145:9) so too should we.
I think regarding how we treat animals can be summed up in Proverbs 12:10: "A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel."
BrianS | August 1, 2007 11:06 PM