Animal sacrifice and compassion in Judaism

The Bible repeatedly tells us that God is compassionate;

Ex 34:6,

Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, "The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in loving-kindness and truth;

See also: Num 14:18, Deut 4:31, Neh 9:17, Ps 86:15, 103:8, 108:4, and many more verses.

People love God because they consider Him the creator of all things and therefore compassionate. Deut 11:15 "and I gave grass in your field for your animals and for you"

Now if God is so compassionate and kind how can we understand a law to sacrifice animals?

However absurd it might sound, a merciful God can only command killing an animal for sacrifice because He doesn't consider slaughtering an animal for sacrifice to Him as causing suffering.

While He considers killing animals for food as causing suffering He considers slaughter for the sake of sacrifice as not causing suffering.

We have to conclude that, in the opinion of the all merciful God all killing is suffering except when done for sacrifice to Him in the Temple.

Somehow the existence of the Temple combined with the intention to sacrifice the animal and not use it simply to satisfy the human lust for meat ameliorates the suffering. Otherwise how can we understand the merciful God commanding us to perform animal sacrifices?

For example, in the case of the binding of Isaac, we can only assume that God's order to father Abraham to sacrifice his son; Isaac, was given because slaughtering him for a sacrifice wouldn't cause him suffering. This is the only way we can understand God, who is merciful and compassionate giving such a cruel command.

As long as there was the Temple a special relationship with God existed, and making sacrifices was part of the relationship.

We can assume that animals slaughtered for sacrifices, in some miraculous way didn't suffer pain and that the whole ceremony of sacrifice was joyous for people and for animals; nobody suffered, otherwise how could there be a celebration between God and Man?

The fact that the rabbis prohibited sacrifices after the Temple was destroyed shows that this relationship was ended; animals now slaughtered suffered pain because they were being slaughtered to satisfy man's desire for meat and not for the sake of God, as was the case in the days of the Temple.

The destruction of the Temple inaugurated a new era in the history of civilization. Man had to find a new way to establish his relationship with God, without sacrifices. This is why the rabbis decreed that prayer should replace sacrifice.

There is no law in Judaism permitting the slaughter of animals for food. Jews who slaughter animals for food receive religious dispensation by interpreting the laws of sacrifice as applying to the slaughter of animals for food or clothing.

Slaughter of animals was only permitted in the Temple. Today there is no Temple and Judaism doesn't permit slaughter of animals for food.

Man's lust for meat has caused the Rabbis to disgracefully misinterpret Torah by adopting the pious laws of sacrifice as laws permitting the slaughter of animals for food.

Slaughtering animals for food and not for Temple sacrifice contravenes all the laws of kindness and contradicts God's compassionate nature.

We aren't supposed to be eating meat or being cruel to animals in any way.

As long as rabbis condone the slaughter of animals and cruelty in their treatment we can forget about the Temple being rebuilt or the coming of the Messiah.