<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" ><tr><td valign="top" style="font: inherit;"><div id="yiv1224439040">From: http://www.koltorah.org/ravj/Bullfightandzoo.htm;<br><br>Bullfighting:<br><br>Rav Ovadia characterizes the institution of bullfighting as “a culture of<br>sinful and cruel people” that runs counter to Torah values. An important Torah<br>value is to avoid inflicting gratuitous pain on animals (Tzaar Baalei Chaim).<br>The Gemara (Bava Metzia 32-33) indicates that Tzaar Baalei Chaim is a Torah<br>level prohibition. According to the Gemara (Berachot 40a), it is improper to<br>eat before one has fed his animals...[snip] <br><br>The following Halacha demonstrates the priority Chazal accord Tzaar Baalei<br>Chaim. The Gemara (Shabbat 128b) permits helping an animal that fell into a<br>water ditch on Shabbat by supporting it with a pillow, even though it is a<br>violation of the rabbinical prohibition to render an item Muktzeh on
Shabbat.<br>The pillow was not Muktzeh when Shabbat began and becomes Muktzeh when it is<br>placed beneath the animal on Shabbat. Chazal waived this rabbinical prohibition<br>because of concern for Tzaar Baalei Chaim. This passage in the Gemara is<br>codified as normative by the Rambam (Hilchot Shabbat 25:26) and Shulchan Aruch<br>(Orach Chaim 305:19). In fact, this Halacha serves as the basis for the<br>Shulchan Aruch’s (O.C. 305:20) permission to ask a non-Jew to milk a cow on<br>Shabbat. Rav Ovadia points out that it is rare for Chazal to waive a rabbinical<br>prohibition relating to Shabbat. Tzaar Baalei Chaim is one of the very few<br>considerations that merit such a waiver.<br><br>HB: why would chazal waive a rabbinical prohibition<br>(muktzeh) to alleviate the pain of an animal, while at the same time we are<br>told that we can save an a”y on shabbas only because of “eiva” (enmity)?* <br><br>Can we apply the following kal vechomer:
if to prevent an<br>animal from suffering that is not mechuyav on any mitzvos then for sure we<br>should be able to save a life of a ben adam, who is chayav 7 mitzovs and who<br>was/is created in Hashem’s image, by violating the shabbas?? [either midoraisa (a"y), or midirabonnon (muktzeh - animal) or both...]<br>hb<br><br> <br><br>* And/or if we (our doctor’s) don’t save them on Shabbas,<br>they will come to not save us. <br><br> <br><br></div></td></tr></table>