Rav Kook: Holy Eating | Rabbi Aaron Goldscheider

everybody this morning great to be together with you uh just to uh announce the sponsor we have a sponsor for the coming year the 2025 Academic Year it's Miram Beno so we thank our sponsor and the learning that we do this morning should be in El all right we are going to look at a uh a topic in R cook which is uh one of his most fascinating topics and uh I'll begin in the following way when I was in smik rabinal school at yiv University so I think the last Bina the last test that I had to take which like kind of took me a while to finally complete that section was an Malik Theos of salting of meat and uh that was the last Bina that I took the last test before receiving SM you also as part of whyu SM and uh many who give SM you have all the laws of of slaughtering animals that rabbis should uh be aware of and to be expert in that area even though today's as we know rabbis are not generally asked those questions around Malik and people go to a supermarket and they buy their meat and their hamburgers and their hot dogs and there aren't a lot of questions to rabbis but you know in the old days rabbis were were asked that question so it's still part of the the uh the Regiment of of SM and right that's right that mothers did it in their kitchens absolutely right and they had questions they went to rabbis so the assumption is and the Assumption uh the Assumption was and it still is that we eat meat and we enjoy eating meat we salt the meat we Shack the meat we do what's necessary all the alas around meat but we sit down and we enjoy a meal of meat on chabas and Yan during the week that is that's the Jewish way but Ru cook comes along and uh he has a different pathway in terms of the way that we see the eating of meat or what we would call vegetarianism of not eating meat and He suggests that he finds in the Torah and in the Ala that you have a number of passages a number of hints to the idea that it is an ideal not to be eating meat and I would say he's really I don't know of other rabbis that took this position uh he wrote about this in a number of places and one in particular in a work that's called shom which is a work which is actually a combination of a couple of articles that ruuk wrote in the Nazir his student the Nazir compiled it in that work known as Shalom and we're going to see today in our learning this morning we're going to see a number of excerpts from that so let's begin here where does ruk see this idea in the Torah itself so we are familian I think this is somewhat well known where the discussion begins and that is in Gan Eden the Garden of Eden when Hashem commands Adam and in terms of what they are to eat the PK says we can look at that page one it's ous Al that you can have all of the vegetation and you can eat of the trees a pre so clearly Hashem says enjoy all of the fruits all the vegetables and thear is going to say that he was limited only to that that he was not to eat Adam and K were not to eat animals so that is the That's How The Story begins and God already presents to man and presents to us what eating was like in the Garden of Eden in ghadan but then we find something surprising you may be familiar with this as we move ahead and not that far ahead in no we have the following and this is on the left side of the page this is per gim and Hashem says to Noah and to his children to the familyes everything that crawls everything that is alive you're allowed to eat the animals as well like the vegetation that originally I said you could eat that and ate you can eat everything you can eat meat as well so here we have something interesting going on at first we hear from Hashem that we should be eating the vegetation we should be eating from plants and now we hear that we could eat from all items now what happened and the maam actually are challenge with this right what happened from ganeden to the story of Noah so this is what ruuk writes and again this is we're looking at a translation this is from again this work Shalom a vision of vegetarianism and peace and here we have a translation this is part of a a book called the spiritual revelation of rev cook where there are a number of uh or many translations of of R Cook's writings in fact the Torah has already testified that in the past humankind did possess the highly moral trait that that there is a highly moral trait of mankind meaning sensitivity to only eating of vegetation as kazal explained the gared says Harish the first man was not permitted to eat meat I have given you every tree yielding seed for food that's the P that we just saw a moment ago ago only after the children of Noah survived the flood was meat permitted to them every living moving thing will be your heed like the vegetation I have given you everything R cook believes that there was a compromise that there was a concession that ideally man on a high ethical level which was man and woman in the Garden of Eden that they were only to eat of the vegetables and the fruits but now that man has sinned and now that man has fallen to a lower Place ethically God says you know what okay we'll make a concession here we'll compromise I'm going to allow you now to eat meat and sayra cook can we possibly imagine that we have forever lost that highly moral sensitivity that was once our inheritance meaning that's something that we look towards as an ideal that's what R cook says that ideal of ganen is something that remains in our sights that we want to get back to that if God said if that was God's ideal that that's what God commanded Adam Anda and it's only a compromise and Concession so don't we want to get back to ganeden I mean all of us want to be back in ganaden right in response to such matters it is written I will bring wisdom from afar and I will ascribe righteousness to my Creator so AP go from IO that we will have that wisdom that that Insight will be will eventually that we will recognize that there'll be an epiphany that will recognize one day you know what why are we doing this why are we eating hot dogs and hamburgers right why are we causing any pain to animals taking the life of an animal let's get back to that ideal yes please ah you're saying how what's going to happen on that front ah okay good that's a good question yes did you yes okay good good absolutely right so we'll get to that and as you just mentioned RI cook does say that in Messianic times not only are we going to be elevated that there's going to be a greater sense of godliness that we're going to recognize God in the world but that's also going to affect the animal kingdom as well that your dog and your cat not that they're going to be humanlike but they're going to have a greater sensitivity to to Godliness that their that their spiritual um makeup that their nature is going to change as as the prophets speak about okay good so that is one yes wild anim wild animals as well yes yes wild yeah not yeah not only pets yes wild that's right the wolf and the lamb the wolf and the lamb lions lions absolutely the lions are going there there's going to be a change in nature there's going to be a change in terms of a the godliness and spirituality and the light of God in the world that is going to affect everything that's going that's that's what R cook believes we'll see that in uh in a few minutes so that's Source number one it begins there that's that's sort of the foundation of uh of R Cook's argument he says something else as well which is really fascinating the word listen to this word the word t is TAA is that a positive or is there is that a negative how do we translate the word TAA TAA is a desire or a lust T is that generally when the Torah or kazal use that term do you think of that in a good way or in a bad way right that's right good thumbs down that's correct thumbs down Ty is not a good thing generally maybe there are some okay we can find some you know beon but generally when that term is used it's not a positive term that's the term that the Torah uses when it speaks about eating meat and here's the PK the PK says this is a PK inar as we're making our way to the end of the Torah talking about the Jewish people when they will enter the land of Israel this is Source Four the bottom Source page one when you open up the borders of Israel as you come to the land of Israel you'll expand the borders and you will say that I want to eat meat that the Jewish people entering the land of Israel they say we want to have meat why or is that let's read that right okay yes let's just read the P correctly when you have a desire when when you desire in your soul you can eat meat you can enjoy meat but what is it how does it describe your eating of meat when the Jewish people come to land of is Israel that you're giving into your lust you're giving into your desire actually that word is used twice in the the is is going out of its way to to say it a second time as well that or so look at what the and I'll take I'll take your question in a moment look at what R cook writes by the way we're reading a translation of ruuk while the Torah speaks of eating meat it explains and when you crave meat and say I desire some meat then you may eat as much of it as you want 1220 that's what we just read in this in this PUK this is what ruk writes there is a subtle hint of criticism and a call for restraint that's how he reads this P if the Torah is saying that's the TAA that's something maybe you should try to refrain from when you can instead of buying the hamburger if there're the veggie burgers on the Shelf maybe get that before you take the the regular burgers in other words you may eat as long as your inner sensitivity is not disgusted by eating the Flesh of animals as you are already disgusted by eating the Flesh of people if you're not disgusted by it okay go to oirad and buy the meat but maybe you should sayar cook maybe you should be somewhat disgusted by meat eating by taking the life of an animal oh yeah let me just finish this paragraph then we'll take the the comments for the latter the Torah does not need to write explicit prohibition meaning to eat the Flesh of people one does not need to be warned about that which is already ingrained in one as a natural truth right that's something that we are abhor when we think about the idea of eating the Flesh of a person however when the time does arrive and here R cook is saying something that is unique and novel and that is that a time will come we're in a process of maturing spiritually am Israel and the world we're getting better and better as time goes on and ethically we're getting to a higher place by the way I read recently that t Aviv has one of the highest percentages of vegetarians in the world per capita which is fascinating because that's not we're not talking about religious Jews per se even though I'm sure there are many religious Jews but we know many many secular Jews that are living in Tel but somehow as Jews they have a sensitivity this higher sense of we don't want to take the life of animals however when the time does arrive when the inner moral sense of humankind precludes the eating of animals then there will be no desire to eat meat and thus we will not eat it okay there was a question or two yes first yes ask one more time the derivation of the word Tava Ah that's that's interesting by the way I never thought about that that it does sound it's interesting to it's interesting that it sounds similar and refers often points that out TOA and TAA which is it's something that TOA means something that's important Tava is kind of a lust for something that is inappropriate yes you're yes absolutely right right it's not the same word no it's not the no it's not the same word but often you have even words that are spelled somewhat you know that are differently spelled differently that there's a relationship Reggie did you want to ask something oh does it apply to fish it's a good question I don't know if Fook speaks specifically about fish but I would say yes in other words we're talking about we'll see in a moment the sensitivity to the Animal Kingdom the sensitivity to Nature as well did you want to make a comment please have the Jewish folk okay so you're asking the question well at the end of the days we're going to be eating meat so how does that fit into that it's a very good question I don't I don't have an answer to that yeah because it's a fish yes oh not the sh board that's a latan well we have both we have the livyatan we have fish and we also have meat yeah certain that you know and sometimes you know somebody's craving me craving yeah okay okay okay you're saying you're saying there's a in other words there's a need for that means that there may be a there may be a need a a uh a natural need for the biological need for it yes that's possible yes whose mother recognizes when they're not there which is not the case for fish talking about sensitiv right now that that that's an interesting point by the way you could make and it's possible to make that distinction which we'll see in a moment by the way we'll see that right now that Rook is going to talk about that the animal kingdom that the that animals have a sensitivity to one another and that they show emotion where is Fish lesso yes very good very good yes did you want to make a comment please yeah my other thought is that theoretically the T should have ah okay so that's an interesting question permitted yeah okay that on it own yeah an animal that dies on its own okay good we we'll get to that Rook actually comments on that okay Le let's yeah let me take one last com I just want to yeah yeah okay let's leave that for now okay so we see Rook makes an argument that from the beginning of the Torah from ganen the story of Noah of allowing and the term t for meat all are hints to the idea that maybe we should refrain from eating meat let's now turn to page two and here we have the following Ru cook makes the following comment on the AL of now we are all familiar with the idea that why do we sha an animal one of the reasons one of the ways that we understand shaing animals is that it causes the least amount of pain to the animal in the process of so this is what ruk writes about it's actually you have it I want to read in the Hebrew we'll read the Hebrew words of of Rook his writing and it's also translated below that when it comes to it's a reminder that we need to sanctify the way that we interact with animals the way that we treat animals we have to treat animals according to the way that God has commanded us and it has to be done in a very sensitive manner says that we bring the least amount of pain to the animal now look at what he writes here it's in order that a person learns a lesson that it implants in the heart of man have that a person is not just dealing with an object an animal is not to be seen as an object that it's not an that it's not just an object that is that's just that it moves or functions by automation it's not mechanical it's not just an object rather that you are engaging an animal that is alive and What's mar that the animal has reges it has feelings that's right that you have to think about its feelings that the animal also has feelings of the heart feelings of the heart as well it has em motion that an animal is aware of other family members as part of the as as part of their familyes part of the animal kingdom and it has has Mercy on its offsprings and how do we know that there's a in the T that you're not supposed to shaft a mother and child on the same day not sure if you're familiar with that ala the Torah says that no not no no no not Birds no that's a that's ala for animals not to Shack the same day and then we also have the of birds right and that is that we she away the mother bird before we take the chick or before we take the egg so what do we see that the Torah is teaching us or it's hinting to us that we should be aware that we should be sensitive to the emotions of the animal that the bird the mother bird who's present when you're taking away the chicks that that's going to be heartbreaking for the bird that that's going to cause pain and suffering to the bird so we see the Torah is sensitive to this and if the Torah is sensitive to this idea it means the Torah wants us to become more sensitive to this idea now we have the following gamar quite an amazing gamar and it's a gamar about rud anasi who's considered to be one of the greatest of all of the tamic sages he's the uh the editor of the mishna of course of udaasi and it says that he suffered for uh that he suffered for a number of years that God actually brought suffering upon rabuda Nasi why so this is what the gamar says the gamar you have it in the Hebrew or Aramaic and the translation let me just read the beginning in the the gamar itself this is a gamar I don't have it on the source but it's gamar B 85b it says the following because of the following episode he had the following pain or suffering mayi what was that that happened what was the episode in the life that he it seems that he was actually punished for that there was a CF he was on his way the calf was on its way to being slaughtered oal it went Talia and it rested L its head but con the rebi it went under the Garment of rebi it like ran away and it hid as his little calf was about to be slaughtered it ran away and was hiding under rabi Huda anasi's garment in other words it sensed that it was about to be slaughtered animals can sense that by the way it sens that it was about to be slaughtered it runs to rabi Huda and what does rabi do the before before rabi the what's what does that mean that the C the calf was crying the C what it sense that's right and what did rabud do Zeal go that's why you were created you were created to be slaughtered you were created that man can you know enjoy your meat Z so therefore it was said said from Heaven Ho the L because you rabi did not have ra you didn't show Mercy he had God brought yur and brought suffering upon RAB hudi quite an amazing remarkable story right one of the great rabbis one of the greatest of our history all he says is to an animal that's why that's why you're here and you should go to the slaughter that's what God intends but it sounds like that's not what what the gamarra or what God intends per se that there should be a greater sensitivity to the animal let's just read the end of the gamar I'll just read in the translation below the gamar explains the following and left him meaning that he healed he was healed or the suffering stopped due to another incident one day the mid servant RAB Huda anasi was sweeping the house there were young weasels kushta lying about and she was in the process of sweeping out these weasels from the house so what did rabi Huda Nasi do rabi Huda Nasi said to her let them be as it's written the Lord is good to all his Mercy are over all of his Works they said in heaven since he was compassionate we shall be compassionate on him and he was relieved of his suffering so he leared the lesson and here he now responds differently to these mice or weasel weasels that are in the house it says you know just let them be did you you had a comment or yes ah okay we're gonna get to that that question we're going to address that very question that's a great question in other words if we're arguing Ezra cook is arguing we're so concerned with s we're so concerned with sensitivity and all so just say you're not allowed to eat meat I mean let's let's simplify things right if that's the if that's the intent okay so yes so let let's just see Rook by the way on this gar Rook writes the following this is the bottom of page three there's a translation again from the work Shalom the bottom sorry the bottom of page two number three the very bottom of the page uh they tell us that the holy Rabbi you was visited with Affliction because he told the calf being led to slaughter that had sought refuge in the skirts of His Garment go this is the purpose for which you were created his healing too was brought about by a deed when he showed Mercy to some weasels right the gamar that we just said above they did not conduct themselves like the philosophers who exchanged Darkness for light for the sake of pragmatism now he's referring to the rabbis so the rabbis did not just for the sake of pragmatism say that we can take the life of animals it is impossible to imagine that the master of all that transpires who has mercy upon all of his creatures would establish an eternal decree such as this in the creation that he pronounced exceedingly good that it should be impossible for the human race to exist without violating its own moral Instincts by shedding blood be it even the blood of animals he says something quite remarkable here this line I'm not sure if you picked up on it he says I cannot believe I'm not willing to believe that Hashem has created a world of goodness and it is a world of good that's a world that also requires or that we act upon our desire to have meat that we're not going to refrain at some point from eating meat I I he says I don't believe it h okay how did he argue with the Torah okay good good question I'm gonna answer that question right now here we go page three how did he argue with the Torah yeah okay good so Riv cook believes that's going to change as well that he says I can't imagine I I no he says I can't imagine a world that God created that we need to be eating meat I can't imagine a world that God created of goodness and IM morality and sensitivity that we're not going to be sensitive to not taking the life of an animal I can't imagine that's not what God's intent is now he has many proofs again he's try he's proving this based on the story in braid based on the fact that it says Tava based on the fact that is to teach us sensitivity and to ingrain in our heart that maybe we should not be doing this at all by the way he says what do we do after the that we have the dam that we have the blood we then cover the blood R cook says why are we covering the blood we cover the blood because we're embarrassed about what we just did we're covering up what we are embarrassed about we're embarrassed that we just took a life of an animal that we just took that we just killed an animal so we're covering it up out of embarrassment that's the way that he reads it I want to just share one more and that is what's called the when you sh an animal can you eat every part of the animal no no there are parts of the animal you're not allowed to eat you're not allowed to eat the blood that's Malika we take the blood out any other part of the animal that we don't eat the get anha there's another part of an animal that is forbidden it's called it's called Kev Kev is the fat of an animal that is removed when you go to a store you go to the butcher right up here you cannot buy it you're not it's not a kosher part of the animal look at the PUK and we generally it's cut away and there is a way what's called nikor and that there's a way of but generally it's cut away and it's given to non-jews yes that's correct that's the fatty part in the back exactly right so the P says that part of the animal we're not we think that's is like a Coen thing like a b mdash thing no it's a it's a kosher thing ruk says why are we not eating why do we not eat the fat R cook says you're allowed to eat the meat what's necessary but this fatty part just for the enjoyment just the pleasure of having having the fat of the animal the Torah says you're not allowed to do that again this idea that there is a concession here and to recognize it for that that's R cook it really is a unique position look at what R cook writes this is also from the same work that we've been quoting when Humanity reaches its goal of complete happiness and spiritual Liberation when it attains that lofty peak of perfection that is the pure knowledge of God and the full manif manifestation of the essential Holiness of life then the age of Motivation by virtue of Enlightenment will have arrived he believes that we're getting to a point where we're going to natur natur Al feel a certain abhorrence for meat as we become more sensitive to the world around us that we're not going to have a desire for it at all they will no longer need extenuating concessions at that time these are all concessions to allow for the eating of meat as in those matters in which the T States the Torah speaks only of the evil inclination okay this is argument number one why do we why is it being permitted we have a concept called that's what he says the Torah speaks only of the evil inclination there's certain in the Torah that God allows but God really doesn't want you to follow through with that can anybody think of an example of that I mean that sounds strange right what okay good but is there any anything that the Torah says you can do it but it's something that's that's really a concession it's what we would call A so we have a Al it says in war that a soldier can take a can take a woman can rape a woman can bring home a woman to possibly rape her as well there's a question if if that's how can that be the Torah says you're allowed to do it so the gar says no Dior conned y it's a concession we're allowing it because we just know that's the reality that a person may do that they have a Yar to do it and we want to find a way to to permit it interesting there's a whole section in the Torah a lot of detail called Dar making the to make vows and the rambam the says you really should not be making vows it's not the right thing to do you may take hashem's name in vain you're going to promise you're going to swear you're going to do something you're not going to follow through with it so we have examples in the Torah of things that just appear as that God says here it is here are the 63 mitzvot and yet there are certain mitzvot that are really not ideal I mean it's a fascinating idea idea in other words for God to present a mitzvah and to see that Mitzvah not as an ideal not as really the proper thing to do so here ruuk makes the argument that this falls into that this is really a ra I think it's a bit of a radical argument but he says that eating meat falls into this category as well and and God is hinting to this God says God says you should really eat vegetables and fruit but after Noah I'm gonna allow you you're allowed to do you're supposed to she away the mother bird you're not allowed to Chef both the mother and child in the same day are you not hearing God says are you not hearing what I'm telling you right are you not hearing that this really is not an ideal that's the way the ruk is reading all of these and the story one other argument that he makes and this maybe this will kind of plate us a bit in terms of well why does the Torah not just say it's user like stop Hashem stop beating around the bush right just tell us if you don't want us to eat meat so tell us don't eat meat so why did Hashem not do that I mean Rook is arguing this is what's happening here so this is what R cook says this is Source number four again translation from the uh the work that we've been that we've been quoting from a vision of vegetarianism and peace if Pious treatment of animals becomes a public norm and desire within Society before the correct time it will bring with it many necessary evils so he says this needs to be done at the right time words when we abstain from me we need to do it at the right time now what does that mean for example we may encounter many cruel people who would hurt and Slaughter human beings without Mercy when their moral conscious comes to overwhelm them with guilt they will pacify it with their righteous Behavior towards animal very simply very good very simply Ru cook says first we need to get things right our ethics morality our sensitivity first we need to get that right where in the domain of people we got to get that right and maybe that's why there's a concession in other words until we get this right we first we need our love and sensitivity to others then we can move once we're getting once we get that right then we can move on to sensitivity to uh to the Animal Kingdom man's sophisticated ability to commit evil would find in this an opening to justify many terrible Deeds this would only strengthen the hands of cruel people there is no end to the amount of confusion negativity pain and Injustice that would come about due to this prematurely becoming a social Norm it's a fascinating idea somebody just mentioned the uh the Nazis and Hitler so I look this up many of the Nazi leaders and Hitler himself according to many they that he was this is uh from Wikipedia I looked it up Adolf Hitler followed a vegetarian diet Albert spere in his Memoir inside third R noted that Hitler used Vivid and gruesome descriptions of animal suffering and Slaughter at the dinner table to try to dissuade his colleagues from eating meat I know it's unreal an examination carried out by French scientists on the fragments of Hitler's skull in 2018 found no traces of meat fiber in the tartter on Hitler's teeth and one last line several this from again from Wikipedia several eyewitnesses eyewitness sources maintain Hitler was a vegetarian because of his concern for animal suffering noting that he was often distressed by images of animal cruelty and suffering period so this is I think this is what R cook is referring to I mean this is a kind of a radical presentation of it that you if you for a person to have a sensitivity to animals before and to say that they find it horen to for for animals to suffer before they have mastered before they have excelled in the area of our sensitivity to others that's out of place so that's what R cook says yes please they were taking care wow wow wow wow right destroy people wereing destroy uhuh and be sensitive to the yeah yeah yeah yeah so this is this is R Cook's point R cook says I do believe in this ideal of vegetarianism but we have to make sure that we are doing it in an appropriate way right step by step first let's make sure the Torah is sees this as an ideal this is something that we should be that we should be um that there should be a vision of vegetarianism but maybe we're not ready for it just yet yes H we're gonna I'm gonna that's our last that's our last point we're gonna do it right now let's go to page four yeah please the eggs of chicken the of sheep yeah yeah how far does it go I'm not sure it's a good question it's very good question that's like the vegan as as opposed to the vegetarians vegans that don't have eggs or milk yes kind yeah right right right interesting all right two other two more sources that I want to share with you somebody I think somebody asked before about corbane and about uh sort of end of days so this is what we say at the end of daving this is Page four the top page four we say this at the end of ourida every day every day 365 days a year we end the with the following paragraph we pray for the rebuilding of the and there will be able to serve you in fear like the days of old like the years past now look at the last line that we say and it should be sweet to God the of and Jerusalem like the days of old now Rook is very sensitive here he writes to the word the it doesn't say theban theote but we're going to bring a Min now what's a Min offering a Min offering is vegetarian offering that's right it's it's um it's oil and flour that's correct look at what R cook writes in his sitter his comment when the time in the future time there'll be a there'll be a overflow or a flow of understanding of knowledge know knowledge of God it will spread and it will penetrate it'll be injected even animals and this I mentioned earlier even animals there'll be a heightened awareness a heightened awareness of God animals are going to change as well again they're they're not going to become humanlike but your dog and your cat will not be the same they're they're gonna be they're gonna be even more sensitive they're gonna be and by the way dogs are very I don't know about cat I don't really like cats so much dogs I grew up with dogs in my house dogs they're wonderful you know you come home and they jump on you and they lie next next to you and you you're very one becomes very attached so ruk says what's going to happen in the end of days that this do of hem this awareness of God God's light is going to spread not only to uplift the human being but the animals as well and therefore we're not going to bring animals any longer how could we bring an animal that's has like an awareness of God to bring that to bring that as a corbon that's what he argues so and he quotes a that's found in yes this is they will not hurt they will not destroy which sounds like there isn't going to be what's Yash there isn't going to be any longer on thei this is a Messianic this is a vision of yes that there isn't going to be that the world is going to know God that's and he writes the following what is going to be the what's going to be the carbon or the offering to God as uh that's what we say every single day at the end of our daving they were praying we want to bring a again not that we want to bring animals we want to bring a offering from that which grows in the ground that will be pleasing to God like those cor that we brought 2,000 years ago all the animals that we were bringing but that's not going to be pleasing to God at that time what's going to be pleasing is the that's the way that he inter interprets there's a whole question around R cook he writes in other places that there will be carbano he does write in other places here he writes that will not be the regular carbon note of animals yes yeah okay okay good let's read that right now so that's what we're going to do right now so there's a book that came out you see it's uh it came out 2015 called Ki it's a collection of all of Ru Cooks uh all of his comments and his teachings around vegetarianism again which is really fascinating what was Ruff Cook's practice what did he do okay he's he's talking a lot about it but what was his own practice in his life so this is what's brought down so here in the book K it says the following um Rabbi keval Levitz was a young student Riva in the city of yafo so we're going back early cook comes to yafo 1904 when Rabbi Calvis decided to become a vegetarian he went to his Rabbi RB cook to discuss it with him R cook praised him for his absence and said the following the Torah says and when you have a lust for meat this is to say eating meat is only a matter of lust R cook added unfortunately I myself cannot be a vegetarian in order not to obligate the rest of the community to hold back from eating meat what did he mean by that when a rabbi does something and everybody looks up to that Rabbi so every body is going to follow the rabbi he felt that he did not want to make this an obligation to others ones people would hear that's one explanation why Ru cook was not a vegetarian but what was his practice and that's the next paragraph RAR yashon you may know that name he was the uh he was the son of the Nazir yeah that's correct he himself was a full vegetarian you're absolutely right and the Nazir was a full vegetarian roren was a full vegetarian based on these teachings R cook his his main disciples all became vegetarians all of R Cook's main disciples became vegetarians R said that ruk held back from eating meat during the week for ethical reasons as it's written in theom that we've been learning this morning and only on Shabbat would eat meat or chicken that was the practice of Rook according to RAR yashon on shabas by the way that's been my practice for the last 10 15 years or so trying to follow the path of cook during the week vegetarian on chabis I eat a lot of meat and a lot of a lot of a lot of a lot of Chell I get it in not during the week no okay fish I I don't know he I haven't seen this I I can't say I haven't seen what he what I did not come across his position on fish is it like yeah I don't know I think it's closer to me than like fish um idealism versus realism last line here from ruk rook's son R Yuda explained that his father preferred not to eat meet at all there words he wished that was the ideal for him that even on Shabbat however since he was a Alor like we just saw a moment ago and a communal leader ruk believed it was not right that he should forbid himself that which is permissible for others okay let me just end with the following um so just to see sort of the bigger picture of Ru cook I wanted to share one story we'll close with this story this is a great book and one of the classics sadic in our time this is the the the life of it was first written in Hebrew by RIM it was then translated R just passed away recently I think just about a month ago or so um just a wonderful author and this is really just a this is a mustre must read for everyone so R lein this is one of the famous stories and I'll just read it to you because it's nice to read it straight from uh from this work it's when RAR Lin first met rev cook 1905 so I recall this is r r AR lvin who is the sadic the great sadic um and he has a memoir and this is what he writes just one paragraph I recall the early days from 1905 onward when it was granted me the grace of the Blessed Lord to go up to the Holy Land so he came 1905 RAR Lin and I came to yafo I came to Jaffa there I first went to visit our Great Master Ram y aen cook of blessed memory who received me with good cheer as it was his Hall custom to receive everyone we chatted together on themes of Torah study after an early Min we went outside as his hallowed custom was to stroll a bit in the fields and to gather his thoughts and I went along with him on the way I plucked some Branch or a flower uhoh our great master was taken aback and then he told me gently believe me in all of my days I have taken care never to pluck a blade of grass or a flower needlessly when it had the ability to grow or Blossom you know the teachings of the sages that there's not a single blade of grass below here on Earth which do not have a Heavenly Force an angel above telling it to grow every Sprout every leaf of grass says something conveys some meaning every stone Whispers some inner hidden message in silence every creation utters its song in the praise of the Creator and the last line from revar Lin those words spoken from a pure and holy heart engrave themselves deeply on my heart from that time on I began to feel a strong sense of compassion for everything so the whole discussion about rook's position on vegetarianism I think it really comes down to to this idea he was a man Ru cook was a man of immense love love for the world love for nature love for Animals love for God's creation he saw the Divine the Divine spark in all he saw godliness in all and he couldn't imagine as we quoted earlier that God could have created a world given a Torah and in that Torah that there would be an obligation to take the life of an animal he could not he could not fathom that and he saw that we're moving and he believed that we're moving towards a GAA we're moving G that's something that he said again and again and as we're moving to that time we are to become more and more sensitive to this issue and here we see that he a unique position of vegetarianism being an ideal we can all think about in terms of our own life and uh how we want you are good how we uh how how we want to uh to live our lives in in this area but this is something that Ru cook felt is is the ascent of the Jew the ascent of the Jewish people as we're coming back to the land of Israel as we are a nation as we're becoming more sensitive to our Torah and to Godliness that this is part of part of that Vision all right I wish everyone well yes if anybody has any questions or comments please