Man And Beast: Our Relationships With Animals in Jewish Law And Thought

by Natan Slifkin

Man and Beast presents a comprehensive Jewish perspective on our relationship with the animal kingdom. From the blessings to be recited when visiting the zoo, to understanding what exactly sets us apart from animals, to the issues involved in keeping pets - an entire framework is presented.

Genres: Judaism, Jewish

266 pages, Hardcover

First published April 11, 2006

About the author

Born in England, Rabbi Dr. Natan Slifkin spent many years of study at yeshivot in Jerusalem and received his rabbinic ordination from Ohr Somayach Institutions. He graduated from the Lander Institute in Jerusalem with an MA in Jewish Thought and Law, and completed a PhD in Jewish history at Bar-Ilan University, with a dissertation on rabbinic encounters with zoology. Rabbi Slifkin has published numerous works on the interface between Judaism and the natural world. He has also taught at several institutions and is a popular lecturer around the world. Rabbi Slifkin is the founder and director of The Biblical Museum of Natural History in Beit Shemesh, Israel, and he lives with his family in Ramat Beit Shemesh.

Reviews

[Seth Isenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoughtful examination of animals in halacha and the deeper values exhibited. Highly recommended!

[Michael Lewyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book addresses a variety of questions related to animals (both as pets and as food, and in other ways as well) under traditional Jewish law. It is definitely designed for an Orthodox audience, so it has a lot of cites to the Talmud and to more recent rabbinic opinions; Slifkin is careful to point out areas of dispute, and areas that are sufficiently complex that you should talk with your local rabbi if you want a definitive ruling.

One small thing that I would have done differently: at the beginning of each chapter there is a question from a reader, but it was not always clear to me where Slifkin was answering the question.