“If you see your enemy's donkey collapsing under its burden, you shall not leave it with him; you shall help him to lift it up.” (Exodus 23:5)
As well as there being specific lessons to learn from animals, there is also a comprehensive Torah worldview on how man is to relate to the animal kingdom. The Zoo Torah program provides a comprehensive explanation of these important concepts, which include the following topics:
Kindness to animals – There are many laws in the Torah that teach us to treat animals with kindness and compassion. Yet these are fundamentally different from the idea of animal rights – they are based not on the legal rights of the animals, but rather on the moral responsibilities of humans. The Zoo Torah program explains this critically important topic in full.
Conservation – Why is it important to invest effort in preserving the natural world? Sometimes, an obscure creature can provide extraordinary medical benefits, and in many cases, it is vital to preserve ecological balance. But the ultimate answer from the Jewish perspective, is that everything was created for a purpose, and man has been charged with the task of looking after God's creation. The Zoo Torah program explains the philosophical issues involved in this issue.
Using animals – May we use animals for medical experimentation? How about for developing superior cosmetics? Is it permissible to engage in fox-hunting? How about wearing a fur coat? And what about keeping animals in zoos? The Zoo Torah program explores a range of classical Jewish sources on these questions.
Comparing and contrasting animals with human beings – There are many attributes of animals that we are to learn from. Yet there are also critical differences between humans and animals. There is currently a movement to bring an ape to court where it will testify in sign language that it wants equal rights. What position does Judaism take on these issues? The Zoo Torah program demonstrates how Judaism has a unified and sophisticated approach to this topic.