Teaching Kids About Animals from a Torah Perspective

Jewish teachings give us plenty of guidance on how to treat animals. If you own animals, you are supposed to feed them before you feed yourself. It’s forbidden to eat the limb of a live animal. And because the dogs didn’t bark when we left Egypt, we have a special connection to canines. 

These are just some of the countless lessons about animals. Now, author and Rabbi Levi Welton has written a book to teach young children about the Jewish view on animals as well. His book, “My Animal Teacher,” goes through the different types of animals and what we can learn from them. There’s the dog, who teaches us loyalty, the tortoise, who slows down to enjoy nature and the caterpillar, who goes on an inspiring life journey.

“The caterpillar, for many, she’s just a pest who is slow, but she knows that a good struggle can make your wings grow,” Welton writes, showing photos of a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly. 

“This book is a labor of love, a tribute to the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov, and a testament to the boundless lessons that nature, particularly the animal kingdom, has to offer,” Welton told the Journal. “As we journey through the pages of ‘My Animal Teacher,’ we find ourselves in the captivating realm of the animal kingdom, where each creature, great and small, serves as a living testament to the wisdom and teachings of the Baal Shem Tov. In every rustle of leaves and chirp of a bird’s song, there lies a hidden message, a profound life lesson waiting to be discovered.”

While the author points out that the great rabbis of Jewish history didn’t have pets, they did have animals they worked alongside that were also given a weekly day of rest, as it states in Exodus, “Six days you may do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest, in order that your ox and your donkey shall rest.”

“The Torah teaches us that animals are not just our food or pets but can [also] be our co-workers and teachers.”

“The prominent Rabbi Shmuel Eidels, The MaHarSha, once said that the reason the Hebrew name for a dog is ‘kelev’ is that it shares an etymological root with the words ‘kulo lev’ or ‘all heart,’” Welton said. “Obviously, [this is] a Divine tribute to dogs being role models for love and loyalty … the Torah teaches us that animals are not just our food or pets but can [also] be our co-workers and teachers.”

“My Animal Teacher” features beautiful, full-page photos of the animals, with rhymes and prompts for readers — on the lion page it asks, “Can you roar too?” and on the oxen page, it states, “How are the oxen helping the human?” On the spider and bug pages, Welton writes, “The human King David took notes from a spider, even the littlest bug can be a spiritual provider.” 

“Young readers will embark on a thrilling adventure, exploring the lives of various animals, from the mighty lion to the humble ant,” Welton said. “Through vivid illustrations and heartwarming narratives, they will discover the profound lessons that these creatures impart, and in doing so, they will cultivate a deep sense of kindness, modesty, honesty, love and so much more.”

Essentially, every creature we encounter can teach us something. We just have to stop and pay attention. “From the most majestic of mythical beasts to the humblest of garden insects, each being carries within it a unique story, a message that transcends the boundaries of species and resonates with the very core of our existence,” Welton said. “When we gaze into the soulful eyes of a trusted canine companion, we witness the profound depths of love and the art of unwavering loyalty. In the graceful glide of a bird in flight, we find inspiration in the freedom to explore and embrace life’s limitless possibilities. To acknowledge every creature’s potential as our teachers is to embark on a journey of boundless enlightenment.” 

“My Animal Teacher” is available on Amazon.