Doesn’t this title sound like an oxymoron? We all know that dogs
are everything but self-restrained. This is why, in this week’s parasha,
it was such a miracle that, “No dog wagged its tongue against
the children of Israel,” during the last plague in Egypt. A large
percentage of my community, Bat Ayin have dogs. These super-friendly
wholehearted animated creatures are known to be “man’s best friend.” In
addition, dogs can be excellent watchdogs that help protect Jewish settlements
from Arab infiltration. One of my students actually went to volunteer at a
dog-training center in Itamar settlement, Shomron. These dogs are trained specifically to search for explosives and prevent
terrorist attacks. They learn to remember several hand and verbal commands. The
barking of dogs can warn us against impeding danger as well as scaring off
unwanted intruders. When people live alone especially women and elders, the
protection and companion of a dog can be very helpful. Nevertheless, for Jews
to be dog-owners is a new phenomenon. I would say that only in the last century
has it become gradually more popular for Jews to raise dogs. Although, in Chareidi
(ultra-orthodox) circles this is less so., especially in Jerusalem. What could
be some of the reasons many Chassidic Jews typically refrain from raising dogs?
Making this week’s parasha our starting point, we can further ask, why
did the dogs hold themselves back from barking during the Exodus and what does
this teach us about the nature of dogs?
The Dogs Distinguished Between the Israelites and the Egyptians
ספר שמות פרק יא:ז וּלְכֹל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא יֶחֱרַץ כֶּלֶב לְשֹׁנוֹ לְמֵאִישׁ וְעַד בְּהֵמָה לְמַעַן תֵּדְעוּן אֲשֶׁר יַפְלֶה הָשֵׁם בֵּין מִצְרַיִם וּבֵין יִשְׂרָאֵל
“But not a dog snarled at any of the children of Israel at man or beast; in order that you may know how that Hashem makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel: (Shemot 11:7). As the Jews were leaving Egypt, the dogs are praised
for keeping quiet so that the Jews could escape without drawing attention to
themselves. No dog barked or bit even when the destroying angel came to smite
the Egyptian firstborn (Ibn Ezra). Even though
“when the angel of death comes to a city, dogs usually bark” (Baba Kama 60b),
no dog wagged its tongue. The miracle is amplified by the fact that dogs usually
bark when they see people holding rods. Yet, the dogs still didn’t bark when
they saw Israel with rods in their hands (The Riba). Rabbeinu Bachaya explains
that dogs are connected to the power of judgment that
was smiting all of Egypt. The main time of judgment is in the middle of the
night. This is why the plague of the firstborn took place then. There are three
watches of the night. The second night watch corresponds to the barking of the
dogs (Babylonian Talmud, Berachot 3a), which is judgment. Scripture thus
emphasizes the power of the great miracle: At that very hour when it was the dogs’
time to bark, and they did bark at the Egyptians, “The dogs didn’t wag their
tongue at any of the children of Israel, in order that you may know how Hashem
makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.” Therefore, we must reward the
dogs to receive our non-kosher meat as it states, “…therefore you shall not eat
any flesh that is torn of beasts in the field; you shall cast it to the dogs” (Shemot
22:30). The Wholehearted Dog – Man’s Best Friend
The Talmud recognizes that dogs are loyal to their masters. “Rabbi
Elazar was asked by his disciples: “Why does a dog know its owner while a cat
does not?” (Babylonian Talmud, Horayot 13a). The Maharal answers the
Talmudic question by explaining that the dog has a soul (nefesh), as it
states, “The dogs are עַזֵּי נֶפֶשׁ/azei nefesh – “brazen
of soul” (Yesha’yahu 56:11). This is why dogs have the ability to recognize
their master. Furthermore, the dog is called כֶּלֶב/kelev
in Hebrew, which can be read, ‘k’lev,’
meaning “like the heart.” This is why dogs can be very loyal, as the English
expression goes, “dog is man’s best friend.” Although not every dog is necessarily friendly by nature,
there are stories of dogs becoming separated from their family and undertaking
an incredible journey toward reunion. Dogs are used in therapy for Alzheimer’s
disease and in clinical settings as comfort for the terminally ill. During the
winter of 2008, five different families in North America were saved by their
dogs when their homes caught fire (http://animals.howstuffworks.com/pets/dog-best-friend.htm).
The Responsibilities of Dog Breeders
Despite the many benefits of keeping
dogs, dog-owners are responsible to ensure that their dogs don’t cause damage
to others. Here in Bat Ayin it has been a constant struggle for dog-owners to
abide by the Torah law to keep their dog on a leash. Accordingly, we have a
rule in our community that no loose dogs are allowed. Yet, it is still a
challenge to keep dogs on a leash even when trying. Apparently, dogs know how
to free themselves of their leash, or their owners have mercy on them and
refuse to impede the freedom of their dog by tying it up, feeling this would be
tza’ar ba’alei chaim (causing pain to animals) also forbidden by the
Torah. The Torah
is replete with teachings about the prohibition of keeping lose dogs. “Our Rabbis taught: No man should breed a
dog unless it is kept on a chain. He may, however, breed it in a town adjoining
the frontier where he should keep it chained during the daytime and let it loose
only at night” (Babylonian Talmud, Baba
Kama 83a). It is prohibited to own a
vicious dog. “He who breeds a vicious dog in his house keeps loving-kindness
away from his house, the poor are afraid to call. Thus, he can show no loving-kindness
to them, nor can he earn the love of G-d (Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat
63a-b). Even if the dog itself is
not dangerous, the fear of dogs that many people have can be detrimental. The
Talmud recounts a story of a woman who miscarried because of being traumatized
by a dog. In this story, the immense fear that the woman experienced caused her
to miscarry (Babylonian Talmud, Baba Kama 83a). Children are often
petrified by barking dogs, which can cause them irreparable traumas. Rabbi
Nachman ben Yitzchak said: He also casts off the fear of Heaven from himself,
as it states, ‘He forsakes the fear of the Almighty’ (Iyov 6:14). A
certain woman entered a house to bake. The dog barked at her, [whereupon] her
child [in her womb] moved. The householder said
to her, ‘Fear not: his fangs and claws have been extracted…’She retorted, ‘the
child has already moved’ (Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 63a-b). Since Torah
living is very concerned with how our actions affect others, the halacha
(Jewish law) teaches that it is prohibited to own a dog that could be perceived as dangerous, even if it’s not actually dangerous. This is because
of the damage that the fear of dogs could cause people (Shulchan Aruch,
Choshen Mispat 409:3, Shulchan Aruch Harav, Choshen Mishpat). See
the well-written article on the topic by Allison Josephs (http://jewinthecity.com/2011/11/why-do-i-never-see-orthodox-jews-with-dogs-or-any-other-pets/#ixzz3NeemNVoH)
The Dog-Loving, Dog-Faced Generation of Mashiach
Although many
Torah-Jews in Western countries keep dogs as pets, the
Torah does not recommend keeping dogs inside of the home, except for
therapeutic purposes. When we do keep dogs as house pets, it is important to
beware of the risk of blurring the distinction between animal and human being. People
often keep dogs as companions for their children, and although the children
benefit from taking the responsibility of caring for an animal, they may also
learn animalistic behavior from bonding too closely with animals, something
that dogs invite. Dogs easily mesh with us to such a
degree as to affect our personality. Dogs are generally unrestrained,
and the nicest, friendliest dogs will come up and lick you all over your face
with their dribbling drooling tongue. This is neither sanitary nor conducive to
kedusha (holiness). I recall staying at an orthodox Rabbi’s home on one
of my international speaking tours. The family-dog would eat leftovers right
off the plates on the table licking the dishes that the family eat from with
gusto. The Talmud teaches that in the times
leading up to Mashiach’s arrival, “the youth will embarrass the elders… and the
generation’s face will be like that of a dog” (Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin
97a). Rashi explains that the faces of people will
really look like the dogs. They will similarly not be embarrassed of one
another (Rashi, Sanhedrin 97a). Alternatively, we can understand this
Talmudic dictum as a praise for the dog. The word פְּנֵי/p’nei – ‘the face’ is the language of importance, like the importance of the
dog, as our sages taught, the heart of the generation will become understanding
and faithful to its master. Likewise, at the times right before the
Mashiach, people will develop a complete understanding heart and become
faithful to the Master of the universe” (Benayahu ben Yehoyada, Sanhedrin
97a). Perhaps the increase of dogs serving as
Jewish pets is part of the process of bringing the Mashiach? May we learn and
integrate only positive traits from the dog becoming more connected to our
hearts and more faithful to Hashem – the Master of the Universe!
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