Holding a young crocodile at Turtle Back Zoo, Rabbi Natan Slifkin — known as the “zoo rabbi” — talks to members of Congregation Ahavas Achim about the reptile’s place in Jewish tradition.
Photo courtesy Rabbi Steven Miodownik
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March 3, 2009
Members of Congregation Ahavas Achim in Highland Park recently gained insights into the Torah from an unusual source: crocodiles, snakes, owls, and other creatures.
Rabbi Natan Slifkin, known internationally as the “zoo rabbi,” conducted three Shabbat programs on Feb. 20 and 21 and then took members the following day on a tour through Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange.
“It was really fantastic,” said the synagogue’s Rabbi Steven Miodownik. “We identified different animals mentioned in the Torah. The lessons on zoology really brought to life what they represented in the Torah and midrashic literature. He let children touch the animals.”
Adding to what Miodownik termed “a meaningful experience” were Slifkin’s explanations of the Jewish requirement to practice tza’ar ba’alei chaim, or kindness toward animals.
In his Friday night lecture, Slifkin spoke about dinosaurs and the fossil record and the compatibility of natural science and the biblical account of creation (a position that has made him a figure of controversy in the fervently Orthodox world).
In his Saturday lectures, Slifkin spoke of the mythical creatures of the Bible and Jewish responsibility toward the animal kingdom, and touched on topics such as vegetarianism and wearing fur.
The British-born Slifkin, whose website is www.zootorah.com, is a resident of Ramat Beit Shemesh in Israel and has conducted lectures throughout the world — including on safari in Africa — about animals and Judaism and the religious obligation to appreciate the world’s wonders.
He has written several books and has appeared on international broadcasts and in print outlets.
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