Hot Topic: Hazon

At the Urban Adamah farm, chickens are treated with respect and care during their lives and their slaughter. This is in contrast to factory poultry operations, where chickens are often indoors and caged their entire lives, fed processed feed and antibiotics, and slaughtered and processed mechanically.

Yet, despite Urban Adamah’s commitment to humane practices, groups such as Jewish Vegetarians of North American still called upon them to cancel their plans to slaughter animals. What does Jewish tradition have to say about our relationship with animals?

Article, lesson plan and source sheet included.

GRADES: 7-10, 50 minutes

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: What does it mean to not be cruel to animals and still eat meat? How can we care for the animals that are raised for consumption or farm work?

LESSON AT A GLANCE Humans are omnivores, and historically people around the world have consumed both plants and animals. In order for us to be able to eat a hamburger or chicken, farmers need to raise and care for the animals that we eat. Jewish tradition clearly teaches us that we cannot be cruel to animals, but it is also clear that it is acceptable, or even preferable at certain times to eat meat, kill animals, and/or have animals perform farm work.

OBJECTIVES

Students will study Jewish texts related to raising and eating animals and using animals for farm work. They will learn the concept of tza’ar ba’alei hayim, the prohibition against unnecessary cruelty to animals.
Students will learn about factory farming practices and discuss real-world applications of biblical concepts.
Students will debate whether it is possible to reconcile mandates against cruelty to animals with raising and eating meat.