Spirituality of the Vegetarian

The Torah explains how permission was granted to eat meat, even when it was not part of a sacrifice. It is described as בשר תאוה, “meat of lust.”

The מעינה של תורה analyzes the difference between Adam and Noach. Some may have thought that Noach was on a higher level than Adam, because he was allowed meat and Adam was a vegetarian.

This was just the opposite. Adam was created directly from G-d and was very holy. The satisfaction that others got from meat, he got from vegetables. It was similar to the Manna that could taste like anything the person wanted.

This might indicate that the need for meat comes from a less spiritual need. The realization that most people could not reach the level of Adam, called for the laws of ritual slaughter and permission to eat meat whenever desired.

Perhaps this should cause us to be more respectful of our vegetarian friends, who may be on a higher spiritual level, than we realized.