tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post7413015178387428211..comments2024-01-30T02:37:28.387-06:00Comments on Notes from a Jewish Thoreau: I love animals, but I'm not a vegan - and here's whyYonassan Gershomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07918610823274529036noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-74828615675963045972023-08-22T08:43:35.728-05:002023-08-22T08:43:35.728-05:00This is a great post thanksThis is a great post thanksSoftware TTShttps://minus3db.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-23281671809159423462014-01-10T07:52:06.510-06:002014-01-10T07:52:06.510-06:00I can respect that stance, Dan. Rabbi Nachman of ...I can respect that stance, Dan. Rabbi Nachman of Breslov told the story old how, when he was young, he got to worrying about possible leaven in the village well during Passover (thereby rendering it unfit to use.) What if somebody had dropped some bread down there or something? <br /><br />After a long convoluted trail of rabbinical reasoning, he came to the conclusion that the only way to be absolutely sure there was no leaven in the water would be to camp by a mountain spring during Passover. But the he would be away from his family, friends, the synagogue services, etc. He would be doing the Seder alone. And what kind of holiday was that?<br /><br />He used this example to say, "Don't be a fanatic." In today's language, we might say, don't be obsessive-compulsive about things. It is impossible to be a complete purist about everything we do. We all just have to do the best we can in our own circumstances. <br /><br />When I have a choice between fair-trade products or exploitative ones, I choose fair trade. Ditto for humane versus cruel. But I do not drive myself insane worrying about the origins of everything I use.Yonassan Gershomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07918610823274529036noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-30570753599704444732014-01-09T19:05:12.085-06:002014-01-09T19:05:12.085-06:00Vegetarianism is a life saver — for humans and ani...Vegetarianism is a life saver — for humans and animals. I am a strict vegetarian because it reduces the suffering and death of animals, as well as being better for spiritual, personal, public, and planetary health, but I am not strictly vegan because I choose not to have a higher standard for animal exploitation than I do for human exploitation. Knowing that they are not mutually exclusive, I nonetheless still consume products sometimes made by human super-exploitation, even while advocating against it, and therefore won’t totally eschew products made by animal exploitation or draw an uncrossable line for animals that I’m not unwilling to cross for humans.Danhttp://www.brook.com/vegnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-56525457546911457242011-07-01T14:21:41.237-05:002011-07-01T14:21:41.237-05:00Karima: I, too, have struggled with the dairy iss...Karima: I, too, have struggled with the dairy issue, it is one of the areas where I am probably a hypocrite at this point, but Caryl (my wife) feels that having given up so much to keep kosher, be vegetarian, and now dealing with a diabetic diet in her old age, she just can't give up anything else. She just does not make it well on a vegan diet (and please, people, do NOT send us your latest fad diets, we have heard it all before, most of those are WAY to expensive for us anyway.)<br /><br />The Torah says a baby calf, goat or sheep must remain with its mother at least 8 days before separating them. A longer time would be even better, perhaps until weaned? So people who take away the calf at birth are violating God's commandments.<br /><br />I thought about getting my own goat, until I realized I'd have to breed her periodically and there would be the same issue of what to do with babies when they grow up -- and billy goats REALLY STINK when older. <br /><br />So I guess the bottom line is, as I've said before on this blog, this world is not the Garden of Eden. We all just have to make our own decisions based on our situations.Yonassan Gershomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07918610823274529036noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-49455576572584156562011-07-01T14:07:05.473-05:002011-07-01T14:07:05.473-05:00Nekkid: We have no poisonous snakes here, but if w...Nekkid: We have no poisonous snakes here, but if we did, I would do the same. Ditto for aggressive roosters I've given away and which probably became somebody's dinner but if they attack me they will attack kids, so away they go. I have also eliminated wasp nests if they were in areas where people might get stung. On the other hand, the ones on the second-sory eaves i leave, because they are caterpillar predators and useful in the garden.Yonassan Gershomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07918610823274529036noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-61928108823595860582011-06-30T17:07:46.933-05:002011-06-30T17:07:46.933-05:00One reason I'm not a lacto-ovo- vegetarian (wa...One reason I'm not a lacto-ovo- vegetarian (was for a year once and would rather be, really) is that just when I was getting reading to make a longer term commitment to it, somebody told a story about a cow searching for her calf. So, what about all those calves the cows have to have to keep the milk coming? Would I have just been supporting the veal industry? We eat free range meat now, and I do think 'work animals' are fine as long as there's no cruelty. But how can this be achieved? Hope this isn't a downer, peace.Karimahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12378730969142488722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-62059430414328168252011-06-29T20:30:37.407-05:002011-06-29T20:30:37.407-05:00HUMMMMS, I am by no means a vegan nor in thinking ...HUMMMMS, I am by no means a vegan nor in thinking about your post could I be. We too are limited in our income but, we treat our animals humanely though no longer regard them as pets. <br /><br />I too think you are right about folks never really having a personal relationship with an animal outside say a dog, bird, fish, cat or rodent. We just killed a rattler in our yard. I am guessing we would be considered in humane but, I think we made a prudent choice to keep our young sons safe. <br /><br />The said viper was in our yard for 10 hrs and thus very dangerous if we were in the yard with it. <br /><br />People just amaze me sometimes with their prejudgements.<br /><br />Take care,<br />MalNekkid Chickenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08749417208223478262noreply@blogger.com