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A question about a pig that killed the butcher.

שו”תCategory: moralA question about a pig that killed the butcher.
asked 3 years ago

Hello Rabbi, I have a slightly strange question. Maybe it’s not a question at all, but this is what I’m trying to find out.

I heard a story today about a pig in Hong Kong that attacked and killed its butcher. As expected, the discussion in the comments was populist, and quite a few argued that if you kill him, you will kill him. And although the discussion there was emotional and shallow, I wonder if there is something to what they said.

I do hold, as the Rabbis do, that animals have no rights, only we have duties towards them, but nevertheless, is an animal that kills the person who seeks to kill it a tragedy like an electrician who is injured at work? Or perhaps we could say that it is not a tragedy. You sought to kill a living creature, do not expect it not to react and attack, I am not speaking only on a technical level, but even on a moral level, it is a basic right of an animal to defend itself. If so, this is not a tragedy. This is about the one who comes to kill you, hurry up and kill him.

Maybe I’ve confused my mind. I’d be happy if the rabbi told me that. Or maybe there’s something here.


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0 Answers
מיכי Staff answered 3 years ago
I don’t understand the question. It’s clearly a tragedy because the person died. Are you asking whether to judge the pig for what they did if they have a defense claim (a persecutor)? Well, really.  

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