Be A Kind Human == Kind to Animals

Hello Friends,

Judaism Teaches Us to Be Kind to Animals

As we spend more time outdoors and in the country, we are surrounded with other creatures of G‑d’s creation. Whether caterpillars or butterflies, bees or lizards, squirrels or chipmunks, frogs or deer, we have to show respect to the other creatures who share our world.

The Torah instructs us to be kind to animals—to treat them with respect and consideration because they are creations of G‑d. Here are nine ways that Judaism teaches us to be compassionate to animals.

1. Don’t Cause Needless Pain to Animals

Causing any unnecessary pain to animals is prohibited. The Torah commands: “You shall not see your brother’s donkey or his ox fallen [under its load] on the road, and ignore them.” Deut. (22:4) We are required to help unload an overburdened pack animal as quickly as possible—even if the animal belongs to a wicked person or your enemy—in order not to cause any needless pain to the animal. Killing animals for sport, teasing cats, cruelly chasing squirrels and bullying any animal would also be wrong. There are only seven Noahide Laws (universal laws of morality that everyone must keep, Jew and non-Jew alike), and one of them is not eating the limb of a live animal.

See The Jewish View on Hunting for Sport

2. Be Considerate to Mother Birds

Did you hear about a special mitzvah called shiluach haken? If someone wants to take eggs from a nest, they must first send away the mother bird. There are some who explain that the reason for this mitzvah is so as not to cause added grief to the mother bird in seeing her eggs being taken.

See Shiluach Hakan

3. Feed Your Animals First

If you have animals (like on a farm) or pets (like fish, hamsters, a dog or a cat), they must be fed a meal before you eat. Yes, even before you sit down to breakfast!

4. Milk Animals Even on Shabbat

Ordinarily, milking a cow is forbidden to do on Shabbat. However, in order not to cause pain to the animal, one would be permitted to milk a cow on Shabbat. (The best way to do this would be without our personal involvement, like through a milking machine that is attached to a timer or by a non-Jew. However, if neither option is available, the cow must to be milked manually, as usual.) You are doing this for the cow—to relieve it, not for yourself to consume the milk—and that’s why we would not use this milk for our own consumption.

5. Don’t Neuter Animals

It is forbidden to spay or neuter animals. You are not allowed to interfere with their natural propagation or deny them progeny.

6. Compassionate Killing

Although we are permitted to eat animals—and it is a mitzvah to do so at certain times, like Shabbat and holidays—the species we are allowed to eat must be killed through kosherritual slaughter. There are many laws for how this must be done, including using a very sharp knife without any serrations in order not to needlessly hurt the animal. The laws of kosher ritual slaughtering are the most painless and compassionate way to kill an animal.

See About Shechitah

7. Feed Birds

On Shabbat Shira, we read the Torah portion of Beshalach that speaks of the manna that G‑d sent daily for the sustenance of the Jewish nation in the desert. It is customary to leave crumbs of bread to feed birds before Shabbat, in appreciation for them foiling the plans of Datan and Aviram who tried to discredit Moses. Moses instructed the nation that the manna would fall daily, and only each day’s needs should be collected. The exception would be Shabbat, and a double portion should be collected on Friday. Datan and Aviram put out manna to make it seem that the manna had fallen on Shabbat and cause the nation to sin. The birds ate up this manna before the nation awoke, and in gratitude, we feed them on this Shabbat.

8. Remember the Kindness of Animals

The Torah urges us to remember the debt we owe certain animals: like the ravens who brought food to Elijah the prophet, the dogs who didn’t bark during the plague of the firstborn in Egypt, the lions who didn’t eat Daniel when he was thrown into their den, and the aforementioned birds. Although of course these animals were acting according to Divine will, we still remember and appreciate their actions.

9. Learn From Animals

We are taught to learn from the good qualities of animals. King Solomon, who was the wisest man ever, was known to be able to talk to animals and pointed out the wisdom of animal behavior. “Go to the ant, you sluggard; see its ways and grow wise” (Proverbs 6:6). King Solomon even had a zoo for which he imported exotic animals: “For the king had ships that went to Tarshish,” which would return “carrying gold, silver, ivory and monkeys and peacocks” (Chronicles II 9:21). The Talmud also teaches that we can learn much from animals. “Rabbi Yochanan said: ‘Had we not been given the Torah, we would have been able to learn about the virtues of modesty from the cat, respect for other people’s property from the ant and loyalty from the dove’ ” (Eruvin 100b). Animals are not only G‑d’s creatures, but G‑d’s teachers.

One of the characteristic traits of Jews is their compassion. That compassion must extend to both Jew and non-Jews alike, as well as all creatures great and small.

Life After Dealth !!

Hello Friends.

It's the age-old question, and some people can answer 'what happens after we die?'

6 people who've come back from the grave reveal what happens when we die

1. Like reading a book

Five years ago monitormonkey underwent major surgery during which he bled out, causing him to be dead for several minutes.

"I woke up in what looked like space but there weren't any stars or light. I wasn't floating so to speak, I was just there.

What comes after death has been a question no one can conclusively answer (Image: Getty)

"I wasn't hot or cold, hungry or tired - just a peaceful neutral kind of thing. I knew there was light and love somewhere nearby but I had no urge or need to go to it right away.

"I remember thinking over my life, but it wasn't like a montage. More like I was idly flipping through a book and snippets stood out here and there.

"Whatever it was, it changed my thoughts on a few things. I am still afraid to die, but I'm not worried about what happens after that."

2. A visit from someone dear

Schneidah7 was thrown from his motorbike while cruising at 50 mph and was medically dead when he was taken to hospital. As he lay in the road before the ambulance came, he recalled someone he knew encouraging him.

"I just remember being on the pavement and things slowly going black and quiet.

Another user claims he was visited and comforted by his brother (Image: Getty)

"The only reason I didn't fall asleep was because of a bizarre moment where I heard someone yelling, 'Ranger up you candy f***! Come on man, get up. Get up. GET UP!'

"Then someone was slapping my helmet (which was basically smushed really hard onto my head).

"When I opened my eyes I saw my brother squatting on the pavement next me to. This was odd because my brother died from an overdose several years ago.

"The only other thing I remember is him glancing at his watch and saying something like 'They'll be here soon' and then walking away.

"I wish I could give more detail but I honestly don't remember much of the incident and still have trouble with my memory as a result of the accident."

No one claimed to have seen God (Image: Getty)

Have you had a near-death experience? Email YourMirror@mirror.co.uk or get in touch via the form at the bottom.

3. A garden

While many users described their 'death' as being like a void, IDiedForABit had a very different experience after an allergic reaction which caused their heart to stop.

"I remember a feeling of being sucked backwards, extremely slowly, like being pulled through water and this blackness fading in and out.

"At one point it faded back in and I was staring out at a garden.

"It wasn't filled with flowers, just dust and patchy grass. There was a playground with a merry-go-round in the middle and two children running around it. A boy and a girl.

No one explicitly said they'd seen 'heaven' (Image: Getty)

"It's difficult to describe but I got the feeling I could choose if I wanted to stay or leave, but every time I tried to go back I was held in place.

"I went through all the reasons I wanted to go back, and when I told the presence I didn't want to abandon my mother whatever held me finally let go.

"I snapped back into my body. My heart had stopped for six minutes."

The Grim Reaper luckily doesn't feature in this theory (Image: Getty)

4. Hitting snooze

As a teenager, TheDeadManWalks had been going through months of chemotherapy when his nose started bleeding uncontrollably.

Due to a sepsis and Clostridium difficile infection, his condition worsened, and he slipped in and out of death, which he describes beautifully.

"The worst part of it all, looking back, is how peaceful it can seem.

Dear David makes his appearance at the same time each night (Image: Getty)

"It's like wanting to hit the snooze button on your alarm at 7am.

"And maybe you do hit it once or twice but then you remember that you have work or school and that sleep can wait because you've still got s*** to do."

5. Or is it a hoot?

altburger69's brush with death didn't stop them from cracking jokes.

"Had a heart attack last year and my heart stopped three times in the emergency room.

Many experiences took place on the operating table (Image: Getty)

"Apparently, each time they shocked me back I 'woke up' (how it felt) and told the staff a different knock-knock joke each time.

"No lights or whatever, just felt like sleep."

6. There is nothing after

In the aftermath of a motorbike accident, Rullknuf's breathing and pulse stopped and he went "cramp and stiff". After two minutes, his friend managed to resuscitate him.

Hello Friends,

This is my first blog , and the title of my blog is Trust in Karma.  Which means trust in doing instead of imagination. 

Trusting karma is something that many of us struggle with in our practice. But are we clear about what karma really means? Here, Phakchok Rinpoche reminds us that the Sanskrit word karma means “action.” We create karma when we act with our physical body or when we speak. However, it may not be so obvious that we create karma when we think as well. Thoughts produce karma. And our actions may then be either positive (good karma) or negative (bad karma). We can also act neutrally, which produces neutral or indeterminate karma.

Trusting Karma: Why Does it Matter?

Rinpoche explains why it is important for us to develop correct faith or trust in the working of karma. This means that we look at our own current situation or circumstances. We can acknowledge that everything we experience comes about due to causes and conditions. If we consider this, then we can understand that any of our previous good actions contribute to our current pleasant experiences. In the Buddhist context, this karma accumulates throughout our many lifetimes. And we usually can’t remember our previous actions, can we? Just think about your current life: do you remember every good or bad action you performed? But, if we are in a good situation, it helps to remember that this did not arise without cause. Our prior good deeds created this state.

Trusting Karma Means Seeing Opportunity for Practice

So, what to do? Rinpoche recommends that we consider how fortunate we are and that we remember that we created this opportunity through virtuous activity. But we don’t just stop there. Instead, we recognize the value and rarity of this state, and we commit to our Dharma practice. When we experience physical or mental discomfort, our minds don’t want to practice, right? We just don’t feel ease or desire. We’re worried or want to change our pain, right? We tend to complain or to spend our time absorbed in our difficulty. That’s not unusual. Most of us react in this way. So Rinpoche suggests that when times are good, we need to remind ourselves that we have the perfect situation to practice. And we can reflect that situations change without warning. We recall that in the future, we may not have all these conditions. If we approach our situation honestly, then we know that we cannot predict what may come about. But right now, we have the wonderful opportunity to engage in practice. And we can make aspirations and set our motivation so that whatever happens in the future, we can carry our practice into those difficult situations or times.

Trusting Karma Means Taking Difficulties as Practice

“Believing in karma,” Rinpoche says, “is making your mind ready to approach your practice.” If we trust karma, then we don’t relate to our difficulties as a victim or as an unfair external load we received. Instead, we can take our difficulties into our practice. We realize that we don’t know what negative actions we carried out in our past lives, so we aren’t looking for something to blame. When we believe or trust in karma we don’t just want to be happy all the time. That’s an incorrect understanding. Instead, as genuine practitioners, the Dharma remains our refuge regardless of whether our life is easy or difficult.

Many of us look for solutions when we have difficulties. We turn to mantras and prayers or divination. Or we may visit doctors and experts looking for a “silver bullet,” Rinpoche says. We look for pills or special medicines to reverse the natural process of aging. But what does this indicate? Doesn’t it mean that we don’t really trust in karma, which comes down to action and result?

Trusting Karma Means Remembering Change

Karma also means that everything changes. Nothing is permanent or lasting. Neither good situations nor bad situations last forever. They all come to an end. So if we’re enjoying pleasant circumstances now, we should repeatedly recall the simple fact that these will not last forever. Because we remember that, we can use the time to practice when things are easy and comfortable. And because we have developed trust in karma, we know that the Dharma is our refuge in good times and in bad.

How do we know that we have stability in our belief in karma?

Our Job is Not to Explain Others’ Karma

Rinpoche reminds us that karma is extremely difficult to understand. Only the Buddha can see all the effects of karma. For example, we can’t imagine what causes a peacock feather to shine with so many colors, right? We simply don’t see all the causes and conditions that give rise to those variations. Similarly, we can’t know all a person’s previous actions. It is not our job to explain “why” something occurs. There are so many factors we just can’t know or understand. A person who eats all the right foods and watches their weight can still die of disease. It does happen. Cause and effect definitely works, but we don’t know all the subtle workings. And we certainly don’t know when we will die.

Trusting Karma: How Do We Know Our Belief is Steady?

We can check ourselves to see if we have trust in karma? If we trust completely, then whatever happens — good or bad — does not cause us to look for answers as to “why” it occurred. We don’t lose our faith or confidence in our practice, even when things don’t seem to work. Karma does not mean that everything is completely predetermined. Karma is not set in stone. We can choose to act in certain ways, and if we choose to be virtuous and practice the Dharma then it will definitely help.

Trusting Karma in Difficult Situations

If we go through difficulties, we know that we have suffering. But we don’t take the bad situation as a punishment. Instead, we can learn to accept this as our practice. We can work without difficulty by practicing compassion and by confessing all our known and unknown negative actions. If we practice in this way, our bad karma becomes a spur to our practice and becomes part of our path. We can turn the situation into an opportunity to truly find refuge in the Dharma.