Questions to Consider:
1) If we had to wipe out an entire species of animals to save the life of one human being, would it be worth it?
2) Creating more ideal farm conditions for animals would drive up the price of food, creating less families being able to afford having balanced diet, should we institute such a practice?
3) Animal breeders raised prized pedigree to turn a profit, while dogs and cats in shelters routinely get put down with no one to adopt them. Should animal breeding be outlawed?
(1) והנחש היה ערום AND THE SERPENT WAS SHREWD— What was the snakes intent? He saw them naked and unashamed and he coveted Eve (so he thought to kill Adam to be able to live with his wife).
Question to Ponder: What really is the difference between man and animal?
(5) וירדו בדגת הים AND THEY SHALL RULE OVER — The expression may imply dominion as well as descending — if he is worthy he dominates over the beasts and cattle, if he is not worthy he will sink lower than them, and the beast will rule over him
With regard to food, Hashem did not permit Adam to kill any creature and eat its flesh, but all alike were to eat herbs. But when the era of the “Sons of Noah” began He permitted them to eat meat, for it is said, (Genesis 9:3) “every moving thing that lives should be for food for yourselves … “even as the herb” that I permitted to the first man, so do “I give to you everything”
Question to Think About:
Why after the flood, were we allowed to eat meat? How does that make us more ethical?
Midrash on Exodus 3:1
During Moshe’s tenure as a shepherd, one of the sheep ran away. He chased the sheep, he brought it back to the rest of the flock, and he carried it home. G-d looked upon him and said, “A man who cares for his sheep, will care for his people."
Rabbi Moses Feinstein - Igros Moshe
“[in regard to the situation in which] every calf is in its own pen, which is so narrow that it does not have space even to take a few steps, and the calves are not fed the appropriate food for them, and have never tasted their mother’s milk, but they are fattened with very fatty liquids…this is certainly forbidden on the basis of cruelty to animals. Even though it is permissible [to cause pain to animals] in order to satisfy human needs, by slaughtering animals for food, or by employing animals to plow, to carry burdens or other such things, it is not permissible otherwise to cause them suffering, even when one stands to profit from such practices.