Ramat Gan Chief Rabbi Yaakov Ariel Shlita opposes the law banning the import of goose liver, a law intended to protect animals from unacceptable procedures such as forced feeding. Rabbi Ariel explains “there must be a priority system and first and foremost we must be concerned with humans, not animals. There must be action to address the widening social gap in Israel.”

The new law is sponsored by MK (Yesh Atid) Dov Lipman who is pushing the bill which he hopes will be passed into law. The bill has already been approved by the Ministerial Legislative Committee and awaits it preliminary reading in Knesset.

The Ariel questions “You don’t concern yourselves with people but geese you are worried about? Are you done addressing the issue of salary variances in our country? Are you done addressing hunger in Israel?”

The rav told a kenos that in the past a law was passed in Israel prohibiting force feeding geese. An Israeli set up a factory in Hungary and began importing the product, thereby bypassing the law. When asked if the law is worthy from a Halachic point of view the rav responded it is. He asked if there will be a law as well prohibiting the import of alcoholic drinks, for these items damage the liver too, yet this is ignored. “You worry about goose liver but human livers you ignore” he asked.

The rav added if there is such a bill he will support it for he believes the dinking is not a “Jewish thing” and it is best left for the goyim to become alcoholics. However, the rabbi feels lawmakers are blinding the people, pointing out “a bank manager makes millions while a clerk warns 4,000 NIS, all the while they are busy dealing with goose livers”. He pointed out that Rav Kook was concerned with people whose concerns are to animals first, and only then with people.

He reminded the Nazis were humanistic, prohibiting shechita while they butchered children. “After the Holocaust we have learned there is no such thing as humanism. Western humanism is compelled by one’s concern with oneself, with survival. Who was more humanistic than the Germans, open minded and cultured as they were…” The rav concludes that observance of Torah and Mitzvos does not make one less sensitive, but quite the contrary, one learns to serve Hashem and not oneself!

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)