Vintage

At that time [of the Messianic Age] human beings will recognize their companions in creation: all the animals. They will understand how it is fitting from the standpoint of the purest ethical standard not to resort to moral concessions, to compromise the divine attribute of Justice with that of Mercy

-----Rav Kook, Chazon Ha’Tzimchonut V’HaShalom

I must confess to currently being an omnivore, edging towards being a locavore--- I enjoy eating meat, chicken and turkey, especially when it is free-range, organic and kosher. I have even gone so far as to accompany the butcher into the prep room, to specify the exact cut I need from a massive side of beef before it makes it packaged to the shelf for customers. But there was a period of seven full years when I was a vegetarian. It made sense and it made keeping kosher so much simpler. But as my seven year stint dissolved amidst a late night Passover seder debate in Jerusalem with a beloved teacher, I slowly have begun to develop a newfound appreciation for animals, beyond kashrut, especially the ones I chose not to eat.

This brings me to some recent challenges regarding rituals for pets that have come across my desk as both rabbi and scholar. What follows will strike many of our readers as strange. But I share it with you, (regardless of whether you are a pet-owner), as a summer preparation  for High Holidays. After all, one of the reasons we wear no leather shoes on Yom Kippur is to ensure that on the holiest day of the year, symbolically humankind's exploitation of animals will cease – for we will no longer need extenuating concessions.

The question I was posed: Is there a Jewish "Blessing of the Animals"? This was a question that required much reflection. After researching the halachic literature, I was pleased to learn about a remarkable Jewish ritual for Blessing of the Animals by Rabbi Joshua Snyder. Most of the Jewish Blessings for the Animals occur either on the Shabbat of Parashat  No'ach(September/October) or on the Seventh Day of Pesach (as a remembrance of the emancipation of both man and beast from Egypt). While the idea of Parashat No'ach seems great, two problems arise: (1). Transportation of critters on Shabbat and having them in the congregation (2). Genesis chapter 9 presents the end result of the flood as a deeply-flawed relationship between man and beast characterized by fear. What is so remarkable is that a former veterinarian student turned rabbi has created a meaningful ritual response anchored in tradition. Rabbi Snyder's third option came to him while working in the Biblical Zoo of Jerusalem, and it is an attempt to translate the blessing of the animals centered around the life of St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226), patron saint of animals and founder of the Franciscan order of monks back into Judaism. Francis saw all of creation as inherently good, and emphasized the obligation of all animal life to praise the Creator. Saints are assigned feast days, on which rituals are conducted in accordance with their ministry. Francis’ feast day (also his “yahrzeit”) is October 4, and around the world, people bring their animals to churches to be blessed by priests. 

As Jews do not have patron saints, per se, we do have a similar concept to a saint’s feast day in the hillula. A hillula is an annual rejoicing on the anniversary of the death of an important Rabbi. Examples include the Hillula de-Rabbi Shimon Bar-Yochai on Lag Ba-Omer, in honor of the Tannaitic Rabbi who compiled the Zohar, and Maimuna, a post-Pesach celebration in Libya and Morocco of the life of Maimonides.

Another important rabbinic figure in recent memory is Rav Avraham Yitzchak Ha-Kohen Kook (1864-1935), the first Chief Rabbi of Eretz Yisrael. Rav Kook was a visionary, seeing in contemporary secular movements toward social justice and Zionism sparks of religious truth. He envisioned humanity as heading toward a universal redemption. Rav Kook is exceptional for his vision of humanity and animals heading toward a relationship of greater wholeness, envisioning the Messianic age as a time when all would be vegetarian, and no animal sacrifices would be offered. In his delightful little book, called, Hazon Ha’Tzimchonut V’HaShalom (The Vision of Vegetarianism and Peace), Kook emphasized how “the suffering of [all] creatures calls out for our compassion … this sensitivity signals a sense of comradeship, sharing another’s pain, and our having entered the borders of their inner world.” He also envisioned sharing Torah with animals in the messianic age. Rav Kook saw a vital symbiosis, both ecologically and theologically, between human and animal.

We, who share in Rav Kook’s vision by taking seriously our responsibility toward animal life, join now in celebrating his life by blessing our animal companions. Thus, a hillula for Rav Kook is an invitation to celebrate the teachings of a prominent Jewish teacher and his Torah about animals. Join us along with your favorite pet (seriously!) on the 3rd of Elul as we celebrate the Blessing of the Animals: Hillula for Rav Kook  on our JCCH atrium on Friday, August 13 at 5:45PM, leading into kabbalat shabbat services.  

These questions should be in all of our hearts and minds and then serves as bookends of community as well, between Receiving Torah and Dancing with Torah. Taking note of this discrete time in our communal calendar, we notice how blessed indeed we are to have future rabbinic leaders as interns, joining our team to promote Jewish continuity at JCCH and for the larger Jewish world. In connecting with these interns, who are a true blessing, we learn again what it means to "work to live" and make our Jewish lives count.       

As we bid farewell to last year's Atidat Ami Rabbinic Intern, Tal Sessler (and his wife, Nina Finkel) who has brought to our JCCH his own unique passion and commitment to Jewish thinking, observance and continuity, we are overjoyed to welcome our new intern, Josh Ratner (and his wife Elena, and children Dimitri and Elijah). Josh comes to JTSA Rabbinical School having graduated from Columbia with a B. A. in International Politics and Comparative Religion as well as Juris Doctor from the School of Law. Josh practiced law for five years in Manhattan and Connecticut prior to starting rabbinical school.  His diverse interests and passion for Judaism, which include exploring the contemporary meaning of Jewish theology, pastoral counseling, and Jewish perspectives on social justice outreach, will be a welcome addition to our JCCH team. Josh hopes to have experiences in as many facets of our communal life as possible.