(20) When the Eternal enlarges your territory, as promised, and you say, “I shall eat some meat,” for you have the urge to eat meat, you may eat meat whenever you wish.
How grudgingly is such permission granted! ‘If you cannot resist the temptation and must eat meat, then do so’ seems to be the tenor of this barely tolerated dispensation.”
..צִוּוּ חֲכָמִים בְּדֶרֶךְ אֶרֶץ שֶׁלֹּא יֹאכַל אָדָם בָּשָׂר אֶלָּא לְתֵאָבוֹן. שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים יב כ) "כִּי תְאַוֶּה נַפְשְׁךָ לֶאֱכל בָּשָׂר". דַּיּוֹ לַבָּרִיא לֶאֱכל בָּשָׂר מֵעֶרֶב שַׁבָּת לְעֶרֶב שַׁבָּת.
The sages instructed us that the proper path is that one should not eat meat save when craving it, even as it is said: "Because thy soul desires to eat flesh" (Deut. 12.20). It is enough for a healthy person to eat meat from Friday night to Friday night.
(י) אֲכִילַת בָּשָׂר וּשְׁתִיַּת יַיִן בְּשַׁבָּת עֹנֶג הוּא לוֹ. וְהוּא שֶׁהָיְתָה יָדוֹ מַשֶּׂגֶת.
(10) Eating meat and drinking wine is considered delight (oneg), as long as one can afford it.
(יח) ...וְהָאֲנָשִׁים אוֹכְלִין בָּשָׂר וְשׁוֹתִין יַיִן שֶׁאֵין שִׂמְחָה אֶלָּא בְּבָשָׂר וְאֵין שִׂמְחָה אֶלָּא בְּיַיִן.
(18) ...the menfolk should eat meat and drink wine, for there is no real rejoicing without the use of meat and wine.
בית יוסף אורח חיים סימן תקכט
ויש לתמוה על הרמב"ם למה הצריך שיאכלו בשר וישתו יין דהא בברייתא קתני דבזמן הזה אין שמחה אלא ביין ומשמע דביין סגי בלא בשר:
Beit Yosef, Joseph Caro's Commentary on the Tur
And there is good reason to be astonished at the words of Maimonides, why he made the eating of meat and drinking of wine mandatory on festivals, because the rabbis taught that in this time (now that the temple has been destroyed) the only happiness is with wine, which implies that wine alone is sufficient and meat is not required.
It was taught in a baraita that Rabbi says: It is prohibited for an ignoramus to eat meat, as it is stated: “This is the law [torah] of the beast and of the fowl” (Leviticus 11:46). He expounds: Anyone who engages in Torah study is permitted to eat the meat of animals and fowl, and anyone who does not engage in Torah study is prohibited to eat the meat of animals or fowl.
חידושי הריטב”א מסכת פסחים מט:
גמרא עם הארץ אסור לאכול בשר. פירש הרי"ט ז"ל כי מתוך עמי[ו]תו אינו יודע לשחוט ולמלוח (ולעקר) [ולנקר] כראוי.
R. Yom Tov Alshabili, Pesachim 49b
Gemara: "An ignoramus is forbidden to eat meat" - R. Yom Tov explains that this is because of his ignorance, that he doesn't know how to slaughter, salt, and clean the meat appropriately.
ע"י מעשה באו מאי היא דההוא עגלא דהוו קא ממטו ליה לשחיטה אזל תליא לרישיה בכנפיה דרבי וקא בכי אמר ליה זיל לכך נוצרת אמרי הואיל ולא קא מרחם ליתו עליה יסורין
Rabbi’s suffering came upon him due to an incident. What was that incident? For there was a certain calf that was being led to slaughter. The calf went and hung its head on the corner of Rabbi’s garment and was weeping. Rabbi said to it: Go, as you were created for this purpose. It was said in Heaven: Since he was not compassionate toward the calf, let afflictions come upon him.
It is impossible to imagine that the Master of all that transpires, Who has mercy upon all His creatures, would establish an eternal decree such as this in the creation that He pronounced “exceedingly good,” that it should be impossible for the human race to exist without violating its own moral instincts by shedding blood, be it even the blood of animals. [ii]
Rav Kook inferred that the Torah’s phraseology — “after all the desire of your soul you may eat meat” — contained a concealed reproach. [iii] He predicted that a day would come when people will detest eating the flesh of animals because of a moral loathing – “and then it shall be said that ‘because your soul does not long to eat meat, you will not eat meat.'” [iv]
The Vegetarian Teachings of Rav Kook (with responses to arguments used against vegetarianism, based on his writings)
~Richard H. Schwartz, Ph.D.
Now, new research published in the journal PNAS combines the two perspectives to show that the widespread adoption of vegetarian and vegan diets could save millions of lives and trillion of dollars. “There is huge potential,” says study author Marco Springmann, a researcher at Oxford University, “from a health perspective, an environmental perspective and an economic perspective, really.”
Researchers assessed four different scenarios with humans consuming varying levels of meat to evaluate the links between diet, health and the environment. The lowest level of meat consumption—widespread adoption of the vegan diet—could help avoid more than 8 million deaths by 2050, according to the study. A vegetarian diet would save 7.3 million lives.
The environmental impacts of a dietary shift could be just as dramatic, according to the researchers. Livestock alone account for more than 14% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and by 2050 the food sector could account for half if cuts are implemented in other sectors along the lines that countries have committed to doing. A vegan or vegetarian diet could cut those emissions by 70% and 63%, respectively.
Changing dietary patterns could save $1 trillion annually by preventing health care costs and lost productivity. That figure balloons to as much as $30 trillion annually when also considering the economic value of lost life. And that doesn’t even include the economic benefits of avoiding devastating extreme weather events that could result from climate change.
Shmuel said: Whoever sits in observance of a voluntary fast is called a sinner. The Gemara comments: Shmuel holds in accordance with the opinion of the following tanna, as it is taught in a baraita: Rabbi Elazar HaKappar the Great says: What is the meaning when the verse states, with regard to a nazirite: “And he will atone for him for that he sinned by the soul [nefesh]” (Numbers 6:11). But with what soul did this nazirite sin? Rather, the nazirite sinned by the distress he caused himself when he abstained from wine, in accordance with the terms of his vow. And are these matters not inferred a fortiori? And if this nazirite, who distressed himself by abstaining only from wine, is nevertheless called a sinner and requires atonement, then with regard to one who distresses himself by abstaining from each and every matter of food and drink when he fasts, all the more so should he be considered a sinner. Conversely, Rabbi Elazar says: One who accepts a fast upon himself is called sacred, as it is stated with regard to the nazirite: “He shall be sacred, he shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow long” (Numbers 6:5). Here too, one can apply an a fortiori inference: And if this nazirite, who distressed himself by abstaining from only one matter, wine, is nevertheless called sacred, then with regard to one who distresses himself by abstaining from every matter, all the more so should he be considered sacred.
(ח) הֲלָכָה לְמשֶׁה מִסִּינַי שֶׁיִּהְיוּ כּוֹתְבִין סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה עַל הַגְּוִיל וְכוֹתְבִין בִּמְקוֹם הַשֵּׂעָר. וְשֶׁיִּהְיוּ כּוֹתְבִין הַתְּפִלִּין עַל הַקְּלָף וְכוֹתְבִין בִּמְקוֹם הַבָּשָׂר. וְשֶׁיִּהְיוּ כּוֹתְבִין הַמְּזוּזָה עַל דּוּכְסוּסְטוּס וְכוֹתְבִין בִּמְקוֹם הַשֵּׂעָר. וְכָל הַכּוֹתֵב עַל הַקְּלָף בִּמְקוֹם שֵׂעָר אוֹ שֶׁכָּתַב בִּגְוִיל וּבְדוּכְסוּסְטוּס בִּמְקוֹם בָּשָׂר פָּסוּל:
(8) It is a rule dating back to Moses who received it on Sinai that the scroll of the Law should be written on Gevil (whole hide parchment), and the writing should be on the side which had been next to the hair. The Tephillin should be written on Kelaf (the exterior part of the split hide) and the writing should be on the side which had been nearer the flesh; and the Mezuzah should be written on Duxustus (made of the inner part of the split hide), on the side which had been nearer the hair. If, on a Kelaf, one writes on the side that had been next to the hair, or, on a Gewil or Duxustus, one writes on the side that had been next to the flesh, the Scroll, Tephillin or Mezuzah so written is unfit for use.