Bullfighting and Butterflies

There are events and certain actions where we may feel there is no prohibition involved but yet it doesn’t seem right. R’ Ovadia Yosef[1] was asked if it permitted from a Halachic standpoint to go to a stadium to watch bullfighting? He answered that there is no doubt that this is completely against the spirit of the Torah because this is the culture of sinners and cruel people, which is not in the portion of those who are from Yaakov. As the Gemara[2] says there are three identifying marks of a Jew—merciful, bashful and they do acts of kindness…With bullfighting, they starve and pain the bull before he enters and after they incite him…and we are taught it is forbidden for a person to eat before he gives food to his animal.[3] Also, the Gemara[4] relates that Rebbi once told his maidservant who was sweeping up baby weasels that were on the floor to leave them be and quoted the Pasuk ורחמיו על כל מעשיו, His mercy is upon all His creations.[5] They then said in heaven since he shows mercy, let us show mercy to him…One who enters a stadium to watch bullfighting and pays the entrance fee is a friend to a destructive person and is מסייע ידי עוברי עבירה[6], assisting those who commit transgressions…To go where people enjoy themselves on the cruelty of pain of animals implants that trait in the people who enjoy it and they destroy their soul. It is a Mitzva to publicize not to go to such places.

The Noda B’Yehuda[7] deals with the question if hunting is permitted. He says that there is no problem of Baal Tashchis and Tzaar Baalei Chaim.[8] However, in Torah, the only hunters we find are Nimrod and Esav,[9] and it is not the ways of the Avos. Why would a Jew unnecessarily kill an animal and waste his time? Going into a forest is dangerous since there are many animals there and thus if one goes there, he transgresses ונשמרתם מאד לנפשותיכם.[10] The expert hunter Esav said הנה אנכי הולך למות...[11], meaning he was afraid of being with those animals. However, the Noda B’Yehuda does say that an עני who hunts for his sustenance is permitted to do so.

The Kitzur Shulchan Aruch[12] writes that the Torah forbids us to inflict suffering on any living creature. Furthermore, one is obligated to remove the suffering of any creature even if it is ownerless or belongs to a גוי. However, if they are troublesome to people or if they are needed for medical purposes or any other purpose, it is permitted even to kill them…Therefore it is permitted to pluck feathers from living geese to use as a quill if you have no other feather with which to write. However, people abstain from doing so because of cruelty.