By: Kohenet Yael Tischler   Have you ever been plagued by the question, “What does the fox say?” Perek Shira, an ancient Jewish text, has the answer. In fact, it has the answer about many different creatures, as well as plants and other wonders of nature. Perek Shira imagines that every element of our ecosystem […]

There’s a famous Talmudic saying: אֵין קֶמַח, אֵין תּוֹרָה Ein kemach, ein torah If there’s no flour, there’s no Torah. – Pirkei Avot 3:17 In other words, how can we even begin feeding our minds, if we haven’t yet fed our bodies? I’ve known this saying for a while, but what I didn’t learn until […]

Jewish tradition imagines G-d/dess as one who cares for all creatures. According to the Babylonian Talmud, “in the third three hours (of the day), G-d sits and nourishes the entire world, from the giant-horned wild oxen to the eggs of lice” (Avodah Zara 3b). But kindness to animals isn’t only something ascribed to the Divine, […]

I remember a conversation I had with a fellow community member a few months ago. I told her about my job at the Jewish Vegetarian Society and immediately a perplexed expression danced across her face. “Judaism and vegetarianism?!” she said. “How could those things possibly go together?!” She’s not alone with this question – many […]

Animal rights activists often pose the question: “If animals could speak, what would they say?” The Torah actually offers us an answer to this question, with an incredible talking she-donkey in the starring role. Here’s the context: The Israelites are in the midst of their forty-year-long wanderings through the desert, during which they pass through […]