Eve Levy

Day 4
Elephants

Today we got up close and personal with some magestic and gentle elephants in an ethical elephant sanctuary and rehab center. We fed them, played with them and bathed them. It was a bucket list kind of day for many of us. Some women, real animal lovers, were emotional and really connected to these beautiful animals. I kept repeating this line in my head: “ma rabu ma’asecha Hashem!” “How great and awesome are your creations, G-d!” 
In Judaism we have many mitzvot surrounding taking care of animals. The Torah teaches us to take care of their needs before our own. Heaven forbid, we are not allowed to oppress or subjugate them to any harm. The concept in Hebrew is called “Tzar Ba’alei Chaim”, which means we are not to bring any suffering to any living species or animal. Judaism is meant to teach sensitivity. We have a mitzvah called “shiluach Haken” which is sending the mother bird away before taking the eggs. We have another mitzvah called “otoh v’et bno” which is not to kill a mother animal and it’s baby on the same day. Even ritual slaughter is set up in the most humane way possible, insuring that the animal does not suffer unnecessarily. 
All of this and more teaches us sensitivity. And my lesson of the day: if we need to be so sensitive to animals, how much more so do we need to be caring, loving, and sensitive to our fellow human being!
#bucketlist #elephantsanctuary #travelwithmeaning