Wild Animals

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A Vision of Universal Peace

TANAKH

Imagine a world where natural predators and prey live together in harmony, symbolizing a messianic era of universal peace. The prophetic vision in the book of Isaiah describes a future time when even wild animals coexist peacefully with humans.

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
The leopard lie down with the kid;
The calf, the beast of prey, and the fatling together,
With a little child to herd them. The cow and the bear shall graze,
Their young shall lie down together;
And the lion, like the ox, shall eat straw.

Isaiah 11:6-7

The Symbolism of Wild Animals in Prophetic Visions

TANAKH

The biblical book of Daniel offers a symbolic and visionary representation of wild animals, depicting them as powerful and otherworldly creatures with specific attributes and roles in a prophetic vision. Daniel interprets the wild animals in this vision as symbols of the four main exiles of the Jewish people.

Daniel 7:2-7

Miracles and Challenges on Noah's Ark

MIDRASH

The detailed logistical challenges and miraculous occurrences involved in caring for the animals on Noah's Ark are both fascinating and instructive. The compilation of stories from the Talmud, Ein Yaakov, offers a rich tapestry of stories and parables that includes this discussion about the care of animals on Noah's Ark.

(Gen. 8, 19) After their families. R. Jochanan said: "Infer from this that each family was placed separately." R. Chana b. Bizna said: "Eliezer, the servant of Abraham, questioned Shem the senior (son of Noah). 'As all the animals were placed separately, where was your family placed?' And he answered: 'We had great trouble in the ark to feed all the animals. The creature whose habit it is to eat in the daytime we had to feed by day, and those whose habit it is to eat in the night, we had to feed by night. A chamoleon, my father did not know what its food was…

Ein Yaakov (Glick Edition), Sanhedrin 11:118

Divine Protection in the Lions' Den

MIDRASH

The miraculous protection of Daniel in the lions' den demonstrates divine intervention and leads to the acknowledgment of God's sovereignty by King Cyrus. Louis Ginzberg’s early 20th-century compilation, Legends of the Jews, retells the story of Daniel, blending various midrashic sources into a cohesive narrative.

Daniel, too, was exposed to much suffering at this time. King Cyrus cast him into a den of lions, because he refused to bow down before the idol of the king. For seven days Daniel lay among the wild beasts, and not a hair of his head was touched. When the king at the end of the week found Daniel alive, he could not but acknowledge the sovereign grandeur of God. Cyrus released Daniel, and instead had his calumniators thrown to the lions. In an instant they were rent in pieces.

Legends of the Jews 4:11:11

Divine Encounters with Wild Animals

SECOND TEMPLE

The encounter with the wild animal and the subsequent events were divinely orchestrated for the benefit of the Hebrews. Josephus, a 1st-century Jewish historian, provides a detailed account of Jewish history, including divine interventions, in his work 'The Antiquities of the Jews'.

5. Now when he once came with his parents to Timhath, a city of the Philistines, when there was a great festival, he fell in love with a maid of that country, and he desired of his parents that they would procure him the damsel for his wife: but they refused so to do, because she was not of the stock of Israel; yet because this marriage was of God, who intended to convert it to the benefit of the Hebrews, he over-persuaded them to procure her to be espoused to him. And as he was continually coming to her parents, he met a lion, and though he was naked, he received his onset…

The Antiquities of the Jews 5:8:5

Taming Wild Beasts Through Prayer

REFERENCE

The power of prayer and divine intervention can control even the most fearsome wild animals. Rabbi Chiya bar Aba, an Amora from the Talmudic period, exemplifies this through his experiences and teachings.

Rabbi Chiya bar Aba was very pious and many wondrous tales were related of the effects of his prayers. Some he cured through prayer and for others he obtained long life. Once there appeared a wild animal which destroyed all the trees which it chanced upon. The people came to Rabbi Chiya to ask him to pray that the animal should depart. He prayed and the animal suddenly heard the voice of its mother and fled to the desert whence it came.

The Jewish Spiritual Heroes, Volume II; The Amoraim of Palestine and the Jerusalem Talmud, Rabbi Chiya bar Aba Hacohen 6

A Heroic Encounter with a Lion

TANAKH

Benaiah son of Jehoiada's bravery is exemplified by his heroic act of killing a lion in a pit on a snowy day. The biblical narrative in Samuel II recounts the valiant deeds of Benaiah, a soldier from Kabzeel, including his encounter with a lion.

Benaiah son of Jehoiada, from Kabzeel, was a brave soldier who performed great deeds. He killed the two [sons] of Ariel of Moab. Once, on a snowy day, he went down into a pit and killed a lion.

II Samuel 23:20

Life Over Shabbat

HALAKHAH

The preservation of human life takes precedence over the observance of Shabbat restrictions, even when it involves killing dangerous animals. Rabbi Eliezer Melamed’s contemporary halakhic work, Peninei Halakhah, discusses the principle of pikuach nefesh, which allows for the violation of Shabbat laws to save a life.

Danger to life overrides Shabbat. Therefore, animals likely to endanger human life may be killed even on Shabbat, like poisonous snakes and scorpions. Even if one is unsure whether a particular animal is poisonous, he may kill it. Similarly, a dangerous dog or rabid animal may be killed.

Peninei Halakhah, Shabbat 20:10:2

The Laws of Teeming Animals

HALAKHAH

The Torah’s laws regarding the consumption and ritual impurity of certain teeming animals are detailed and specific, requiring careful study to observe properly. In his 12th-century legal code, the Mishneh Torah, Maimonides meticulously outlines the laws concerning the eight teeming animals mentioned in Leviticus, including the measurements required for contamination.

The eight teeming animals that are mentioned in the Torah are: the weasel, the mouse, the ferret, the hedgehog, the chameleon, the lizard, the snail, and the mole. A person who eats a lentil-sized portion of their meat is liable for lashes. The minimum measure that one is prohibited to partake of their meat is the same as the minimum measure that conveys ritual impurity. They all may be combined together to reach the measure of a lentil.

Mishneh Torah, Forbidden Foods 2:7

The Danger of Wild Animals

RESPONSA

The Torah commands us to take great care of ourselves, even when it comes to our livelihood. In his 18th-century responsa, Rabbi Yechezkel Landau discusses the prohibition against placing oneself in danger, using the example of Esau and wild animals.

Thus far I have addressed the aspect of proper behavior, [contending] that man ought to distance himself from this. Now I say that it is even forbidden, for anyone who engages in this must enter the forests and place themselves in great danger, in places of packs of wild animals. And the Merciful One said: “Take great care of yourselves” (Deut. 4:15). And who was a greater and more expert hunter than Esau, about who Scripture attests: “Esau was a skillful hunter…” (Genesis 25:27). Yet look at what he said about himself: “I am about to die…” (ibid. 32)…

Noda BiYehudah II, Yoreh Deah 10:20

Liability for Animal Damages

MISHNAH

Understanding the legal distinctions and liabilities concerning damage caused by animals can provide insight into the ethical and legal principles of responsibility in Jewish law. The Mishnah, a foundational text of Jewish oral law from around 200 CE, in tractate Bava Kamma, discusses the liability of animal owners for damages caused by their animals.

There are five damage-causing acts that an animal can perform twice and remain innocuous even when its owner was warned each time to prevent it from doing so. After the third time, the animal is rendered forewarned. In such cases, the owner is liable to pay only half of the damages. And there are five damage-causing acts for which an animal is considered forewarned, at times even if it had never caused damage in that manner. In such cases the owner is liable to pay the full cost of the damage…

Mishnah Bava Kamma 1:4

Dominion Over Wild Animals

COMMENTARY

Humanity's ability to dominate wild animals through trapping and training reflects our unique role in the natural world. The 16th-century Italian rabbi and commentator Sforno offers insights into the Torah’s view on human dominion over the animals.

ורדו, trapping the beasts, training them to bend to man’s will.

Sforno on Genesis 1:28:2

Desolation of the Wild

TANAKH

The suffering of wild animals due to a lack of vegetation highlights the severity of the drought and its impact on all living beings. The prophet Jeremiah vividly describes the desolation and desperation of wild asses standing on barren heights, sniffing the air in search of sustenance.

And the wild asses stand on the bare heights,
Snuffing the air like jackals;
Their eyes pine,
Because there is no herbage.

Jeremiah 14:6

Trapping Wild Animals on Festivals

GUIDES

The labor of trapping wild animals, even within one's domain, is prohibited on Jewish festivals. The Babylonian Talmud, a central text in Rabbinic Judaism, discusses the intricate laws of trapping non-domesticated animals on festivals.

The fundamental conclusion is that the labor of trapping applies only to non-domesticated animals that do not live in one's house on a permanent basis; taking hold of domesticated animals, however, does not constitute trapping. Regarding non-domesticated animals, even if they are in one's domain, and even if catching them does not require a full-fledged act of trapping, nevertheless if it is not within one's ability to take hold of them at any moment, then their capture constitutes trapping and is prohibited on a Festival.

Introductions to the Babylonian Talmud, Beitzah, Summary of Perek III 1

Divine Wisdom in Creation

LITURGY

The divine wisdom and providence in the creation and sustenance of all creatures highlight the interconnectedness of life and the renewal of the earth through God's spirit. Taken from Psalms 104, the 'Barchi Nafshi' prayer, recited during the Shacharit service of Rosh Chodesh, poetically reflects on God's creation and providence.

How many are Your works, Adonoy! You made them all with wisdom; the earth is full of Your possessions! This sea, great and wide— therein are innumerable creeping things, animals small and great. There ships travel; this Leviathan You formed to frolic with. They all look to You expectantly, to provide their food in its time. [When] You give it to them, they gather it in; [when] You open Your hand, they are sated with goodness. Whey You hide Your face, they are panic-stricken; When You gather in their breath, they perish, and to their dust they return…

Siddur Sefard, Weekday Shacharit, Barchi Nafshi 7

Judah's Lion Legacy

TARGUM

Judah is likened to a lion's whelp, symbolizing his strength, righteousness, and tranquility. The Targum Jonathan, an Aramaic translation and interpretation of the Hebrew Bible, elaborates on Jacob's blessings to his sons, and focuses here on Judah, foreshadowing the Davidic lineage and the Messiah.

I will liken thee, my son Jehuda, to a whelp, the young of a lion; for from the killing of Joseph my son thou didst uplift thy soul, and from the judgment of Tamar thou wast free. He dwelleth quietly and in strength, as a lion; and as an old lion when he reposeth, who may stir him up?

Targum Jonathan on Genesis 49:9

The Lion's Supreme Status

COMMENTARY

The lion holds a supreme status among animals, symbolizing its elevated position in the divine hierarchy. Rashi, the renowned 11th-century French rabbi, offers a mystical interpretation of the lion's role in the divine throne vision described in Ezekiel's prophecy.

The king of the beasts is the lion, etc. — and these four are on the throne, whereas [its position] is the highest of them.

Rashi on Chagigah 13b:5:2

The Lion Seeketh Whom He May Devour, James Tissot, 1896-1902

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