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04-15-2008, 04:19 PM
(This post was last modified: 05-13-2013, 03:30 PM by Director Michael.)
Although the liability for a transgression is upon the Gentile who actually willfully commits it, it would be wrong to take a male cat to that "shelter." A pious individual would go a little out of his/her way to find another shelter which doesn't routinely do castration as a standard practice for all the pets it receives.
That is because the judgment of whether or not castration or spaying of a Gentile's pet is justified (for the sake of some specific human need regarding that specific animal) should be made on a case-by-case basis. Simply making an opinion that "there are too many pets", and then inflicting physical injury on a specific animal on that arbitrary basis alone, violates the injunction against inflicting unjustified pain or suffering on a living creature.
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01-05-2009, 11:14 PM
(This post was last modified: 01-08-2009, 03:30 PM by Director Michael.)
I have a question. Is it allowed for a Noahide to hunt?
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01-08-2009, 03:32 PM
(This post was last modified: 01-08-2009, 03:34 PM by Director Michael.)
From "The Divine Code," Volume I, Part 4, Chapter 7, topic 13:
"Hunting an animal is permitted only when it is necessary for human benefit, e.g., to eat the meat of the animal or use its hide or fur. Hunting merely for the sake of sport is not permitted because of the pain caused to the animal."
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I want to start my beagle pup on rabbits. Is this a valid reason to kill a rabbit?
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04-28-2009, 08:53 AM
(This post was last modified: 04-28-2009, 08:55 AM by Director Michael.)
We will have to know more details about this to give an answer, so please write back to me through the Forum email.
- Is this for the purpose of training your beagle to be a rabbit-hunting dog?
- If so, will this be hunting for food or for sport?
- Who will kill the rabbits, and how?
- Is the rabbit carcass going to be totally wasted, or can you salvage some or all of it for a useful purpose? (e.g. food for yourself or your pets, or the pelt/fur for a garment?)
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should i therefore not castrate my cats to prevent unwanted breeding. I have 3 cats already 2 are a result of my female getting pregnant and i dont want anymore .What should i do?
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02-05-2010, 02:52 PM
(This post was last modified: 10-29-2017, 04:17 PM by Director Michael.)
From "The Divine Code," Volume 1, p. 351:
"A Gentile is not forbidden to castrate or neuter any animal, either male or female, *if* it is done specifically to facilitate the use of the animal by humans, for example, ... neutering a female pet so it will not bear offspring in the owner's home. It is, however, forbidden to perform these activities when they will not directly benefit humans."
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Director Michael Wrote:Our overseeing Rabbi, Rabbi Moshe Weiner, says it appears that a person has no permission from G-d to perform a “mercy killing” of an animal. This means that if one sees an animal that is sick or injured, even it if will surely die, he should not kill it just from the desire to end its suffering. If there is a practical benefit the person can legally derive from some part or all of the animal's carcass, it is OK to kill the animal and follow through with that purpose.
I read the relevant section in "The Divine Code" just this week, and this is (as far as I can recall), the first time I have seen this thread.
My wife and I have had many dogs over the 19 years we have been together, one died as the result of being run over by a car, some died on their own, some we had put to sleep by the vet. This was all before I had read the Torah Laws concerning this subject.
My wife is VERY sensitive to the idea of cruelty to animals and it pains me to watch her seeing the pets suffering, especially when there is nothing that can be done to ease the suffering of our pets in the final stages of oldf age, cancer, or other fatal disease/disorder. Would I be permitted to put a terminally ill pet to sleep to ease my WIFE's suffering?
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09-15-2010, 01:08 AM
(This post was last modified: 02-12-2015, 02:11 AM by Director Michael.)
B"H
There is nothing new in this question that isn't included in your cited statement from Dr. Michael. We humans don't have permission to mercy-kill any living animal.
We humans must concentrate on this point: we are obligated to help/have mercy on all living beings up to, but not including extinguishing life. We should not on our own determine the death for any living creature, since that is G-d's authority. On G-d's authority, He permits us humans to use animals for our well-known necessary or practical needs, including taking the life of the animal if our human need requires that (for example, to kill an animal for our food), but we should not be cruel in the process.
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The fact that an animal is suffering (even perhaps from an illness) does not preclude the possibility that parts of its carcass (meat, fur, hide, etc.) can be used for some practical human need, so it would be justified to kill it for that purpose.
For example, it is not very sentimental, but animals can be killed to use for food not only for humans, but also as food for other animals that humans are responsible for.
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