‫בס”ד‬
Nature in the Parasha
By Rebbetzin Chana Bracha Siegelbaum
Parashat Bo – The Self-Restrained Dog
Doesn’t this title sound like an oxymora? We all know that dogs are everything but self-restrained.
This is why, in this week’s parasha, it was such a miracle that, “No dog wagged its tongue against the
children of Israel,” during the last plague in Egypt. Although a large percentage of my community, Bat
Ayin have dogs, I never had or ever plan to become a dog owner. It is not just because they are noisy
and messy, something instinctually repels me from these over-friendly wholehearted animated
creatures. If I have to pin it down, I really do not like the smell of dogs. Therefore, I never let anyone’s
dog into my home. I am not saying that there is no place for dogs in a Jewish community. I know dogs
can be excellent watchdogs that help protect Jewish settlements from Arab infiltration. One of my
students actually went to volunteer at a dog-training center in Itamar settlement, Shomron. These
dogs are trained specifically to search for explosives, and prevent terrorist attacks. They learn to
remember several hand and verbal commands. The barking of dogs can warn us against impeding
danger as well as scaring off unwanted intruders. When people live alone especially women and
elders, the protection and companion of a dog can be very helpful. Nevertheless, it has never been
the custom of Jews to be dog-owners. I would say that only in the last century has it become
gradually more popular for Jews to raise dogs. Although, in Chareidi (ultra-orthodox) circles this is less
so, especially in Jerusalem. What could be some of the reasons many Chassidic Jews typically refrain
from raising dogs? I like to delve into a few Torah sources in order to answer the question of whether
it’s a good idea or not according to the Torah to get a dog as a pet. Making this week’s parasha our
starting point, we can further ask, why did the dogs hold themselves back from barking during the
Exodus and what does this teach us about the nature of dogs? If you keep a dog as a pet you may not
want to read the remainder of my article, and I apologize in advance that my research came out very
stark. I really hope you will not take any of this personally. I have many friends whom I highly respect
that own dogs. Nevertheless, I had to be truthful to the Torah sources that I found on the topic, so
please do not take offence.
Dogs and the Forces of Destruction
‫ספר שמות פרק יא )ז( וּלְכ ֹל ְבּנֵי יִשׂ ְָראֵל �א יֶח ֱַרץ ֶכּלֶב לְשׁ ֹנוֹ ְל ֵמאִישׁ ְועַד ְבּ ֵהמָה ְל ַמעַן תֵּ דְ עוּן ֲאשֶׁר י ַ ְפלֶה ָהשֵׁם‬
:‫בֵּין ִמצ ְַרי ִם וּבֵין יִשׂ ְָראֵל‬
“But not a dog snarled at any of the children of Israel at man or beast; in order that you may know
how that Hashem makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel: (Shemot 11:7).
As the Jews were leaving Egypt, the dogs are praised for keeping quiet so that the Jews could escape
without drawing attention to themselves. No dog barked or bit even when the destroying angel came
to smite their firstborn (Ibn Ezra). In spite of the fact that when the angel of death comes to a city,
dogs usually bark (Baba Kama 60b), no dog wagged its tongue. The miracle is amplified by the fact
that dogs usually bark when they see people holding rods. Yet, the dogs still didn’t bark when they
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saw Israel with rods in their hands (The Riba). Maharal explains that the reason why the dogs didn’t
gnarl was because it was Leil Shemurim – the Night of Protection, and the forces of destruction do not
have power during that night (Chidushei Aggadot, Part I: 99). Rabbeinu Bachaya also associates dogs
with the forces of destruction. He explains that dogs are connected to the power of judgment that
was smiting all of Egypt. The main time of judgment is in the middle of the night. This is why the
plague of the firstborn took place then. There are three watches of the night. The second night watch
corresponds to the barking of the dogs (Berachot 3a), which is judgment. Scripture thus emphasizes
the power of the great miracle: At that very hour when it was the dogs’ time to bark, and they did
bark at the Egyptians, “The dogs didn’t wag their tongue at any of the children of Israel, in order that
you may know how Hashem makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.” In other words, we can
learn from this to distinguish between Egypt, associated with the dog, and Israel, associated with
Hashem who does wonders. Dogs are known to be physical creatures that never get satiated as it
states, “Dogs are greedy, they never know when they have enough” (Yesha’yahu 56:11). The same
way the forces of destruction will never be satiated. Since it was these forces of destruction that
caused beasts to be torn, “…therefore you shall not eat any flesh that is torn of beasts in the field;
you shall cast it to the dogs” (Shemot 22:30).
The Wholehearted Dog – Man’s best Friend
What I have learned so far about dogs certainly does not help me feel any friendlier towards them.
However, the Talmud does have one nice thing to say about dogs, it recognizes that dogs are loyal to
their masters. “Rabbi Elazar was asked by his disciples: “Why does a dog know its owner while a cat
does not?” (Horayot 13a). The Maharal answers the Talmudic question by explaining that the dog has
a soul (nefesh), as it states, “The dogs are ‫עַ זֵּי נֶפֶ שׁ‬/azei nefesh – “brazen of soul” (Yesha’yahu 56:11).
This is why dogs have the ability to recognize their master. Furthermore, the dog is called ‫ ֶכּלֶב‬/kelev in
Hebrew, which comes from the words ‘k’lev,’ meaning “like the heart.” This is why dogs can be very
loyal, as the English expression goes, “dog is man’s best friend.” Although not every dog is necessarily
friendly by nature, there are stories of dogs becoming separated from their family and undertaking an
incredible journey toward reunion. Dogs are used in therapy for Alzheimer’s disease and in clinical
settings as comfort for the terminally ill. During the winter of 2008, five different families in North
America were saved by their dogs when their homes caught fire
(http://animals.howstuffworks.com/pets/dog-best-friend.htm).
Warning for Dog Breeders
Here in Bat Ayin it has been a constant struggle for dog-owners to abide by the Torah to keep their
dog on a leash. Accordingly, we have a rule in our community that no loose dogs are allowed. Yet, it is
a challenge to keep dogs on a leash even when trying. Apparently, dogs know how to free themselves
of their leash, or their owners have mercy on them and refuse to impede the freedom of their dog by
tying it up, feeling this would be tza’ar ba’alei chaim (causing pain to animals) forbidden by the
Torah. Therefore, I often find loose dogs in my garden, and more than once did I have to clean up
their mess from my grass, something that doesn’t help me become more of a dog-lover. The Torah is
replete with teachings about dogs. “Our Rabbis taught: No man should breed a dog unless it is kept
on a chain. He may, however, breed it in a town adjoining the frontier where he should keep it
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chained during the daytime and loose it only at night. It was taught: Rabbi Eliezer the Great says that
he who breeds dogs is like him who breeds swine. It states, ‘…And when it rested, he said, Return O
Hashem unto the tens of thousands [and] the thousands of Israel’ (Bamidbar 10:36). This, teaches
that the Shechinah does not rest upon Israel if they are less than twenty-two thousand Jews,
[comprising the minimum of the plural tens of thousands, which is twenty thousand and the
minimum of the thousands, which is two thousand]. Were, therefore, the Israelites to be twenty-two
thousand less one, and there was among them a pregnant woman capable of completing the
number, but a dog barked at her and she miscarried, the dog would in this case cause the Shechinah
to depart from Israel. A certain woman entered a neighbor’s house to bake and a dog suddenly
barked at her, but the owner of the house said to her: ‘Do not be afraid of the dog as its teeth are
gone.’ She, however, said to him: ‘Take your kindness and throw it on the thorns, for the embryo has
already been moved [from its place]’ (Baba Kama 83a). This Talmudic story links dogs with the
departing of the Divine Indwelling presence and furthermore teaches us that even if the dog itself is
not dangerous, the fear of dogs that many people have can be detrimental. In this story, the immense
fear that the woman experienced caused her to miscarry. Children are often petrified by barking
dogs, which can cause them irreparable traumas. Therefore, it is prohibited to own a vicious dog. The
Talmud recounts a second story of a woman who miscarried because of being traumatized by a dog:
“He who breeds a vicious dog in his house keeps loving/kindness away from his house, [The poor are
afraid to call. Thus, he can show no loving/kindness to them, nor can he earn the love of G-d.] …
Rabbi Nachman ben Yitzchak said: He also casts off the fear of Heaven from himself, as it states, ‘He
forsakes the fear of the Almighty’ (Iyov 6:14). A certain woman entered a house to bake. The dog
barked at her, [whereupon] her child [in her stomach] moved [from its place]. The householder said
to her, ‘Fear not: his fangs and claws have been extracted.’ ‘Take your favors and throw them on the
thorns,’ she retorted, ‘the child has already moved’ (Shabbat 63a-b). Since Torah living is very
concerned with how our actions affect others, the halacha (Jewish law) teaches that it is prohibited
to own a dog that could be perceived as dangerous, even if it’s not actually dangerous. This is
because of the damage that the fear of dogs could cause people (Shulchan Aruch, Choshen Mispat
409:3, Shulchan Aruch Harav, Choshen Mishpat). See the well-written article on the topic by Allison
Josephs (http://jewinthecity.com/2011/11/why-do-i-never-see-orthodox-jews-with-dogs-or-anyother-pets/#ixzz3NeemNVoH)
The Demonic Dogs
Although many Torah Jews in Western countries keep dogs as pets, you will not find a dog in a
traditional Chassidic home. In Kabbalah, the dog is the symbol of the demonic powers. The Zohar is
replete with descriptions of dogs as the incarnation of evil. For example, “We learn there are souls
that are compound from the dog, therefore David said, ‘Deliver my soul from the sword; my only one
from the power of the dog.’ What is ‫י ְחִ ידָ ִתי‬/yechidati – my only one? That is the soul. Could a soul be
connected to a dog? Yes, it could. It is like this uncircumcised serpent that seduced Chava and all
human beings. This is the dog, which is the yetzer hara (evil impulse). He is brought into this world
linked to it [the dog] in order to receive his punishment (Tikunei Zohar 133a). Since the Maharal was
well versed in the Kabbalah, it is not surprising that he holds that there is no creature lowlier than a
dog. This is why in the Bible a dog is used most often to depict an inferior creature, see for example II
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Shemuel 3:8 and Iyov 30:1, (Maharal, B’er HaGolah 5). Maharal further explains that when a person
brings a dog into his home, he connects with evil and damaging forces, which prevents his home from
being open to loving/kindness. This particularly pertains to a bad dog. The reason why a dog loves its
master is that it exist in the realm underneath the domain of man rather than in the world, which is
underneath the domain of Hashem. This is why when a person breeds a dog in his home he removes
the fear of Heaven from himself (Maharal, Netivat Olam 1, The Path of Kindness 5). Maharal further
explains that we use a stick to push away and distance those that needs to be pushed away such as
dogs. This explains why Hashem punishes the evil nations including Egypt with a stick, because they
are compared to the dog, which is hit with a stick. Therefore, Moshe was instructed to perform the
sign for Pharaoh with a stick, as this wicked person deserved to be pushed away by a stick. (Gevurot
Hashem 32). To backup that dogs are the opposite of G-dliness, I just noticed that the English word
for ‘dog’ is identical with the word of ‘G-d’ spelled backward.
The Dog-loving, Dog-faced Generation of Mashiach
In conclusion, the Torah does not recommend keeping dogs inside of the home, except for
therapeutic purposes. The place of a watchdog is in a doghouse outside of the home where people
live. Why blur the distinction between animal and human beings? Dogs are generally unrestrained
and even ‘nice dogs’ will come up and lick you all over your face with their dribbling drooling tongue,
something which is neither sanitary nor conducive to kedusha (holiness). Dog owners may not notice,
as they have gotten used to it, but for those who are sensitive to smells, it is sometimes hard to learn
Torah or recite blessings in homes where dogs live. People often keep dogs as companions for their
children, and although the children may benefit from taking responsibility in taking care of an animal,
they may also learn animalistic behavior from bonding too closely with animals, something that dogs
invite. I remember staying at an Orthodox Rabbi’s home once. The family-dog would eat leftovers
right off the plates on the table licking the dishes that the family eat from with gusto. No wonder the
children were unruly and disrespectful to their parents. The Talmud teaches that in the times leading
up to Mashiach’s arrival, “the youth will embarrass the elders… and the generation’s face will be like
that of a dog” (Sanhedrin 97a). The Chida writes that a dog is described as the “poorest of all animals”
(Shabbat 155b). Nevertheless, they are also depicted as stubborn and insolent (Beitza 25b). The
generation of Mashiach’s arrival will possess a combination of being needy and deficient, yet also
shameless and audacious. Perhaps the increase of dogs serving as Jewish pets is part of the process of
bringing the Mashiach? Still, I recommend pets that don’t mesh with us to such a degree as to affect
our personality. What about fish or birds?