This week’s Torah portion invites us to reflect on humanity’s place at the heart of creation — and how reverence for life shapes even the way we prepare and consume food.
In Parashat Re’eh, the Torah gradually unveils the mystery of “the Place that He will choose” — the divinely designated site where the Creator’s Name will rest in this world, ultimately ushering in the prophetic age of universal harmony and rectification across all layers of existence.
But until that future era arrives, the question remains: What is our role in relation to the animal world around us? The Torah’s intricate laws of preparing and consuming meat are not simply ritual details; they are lessons in reverence, humility, and sensitivity toward all life.
In this week’s Jerusalem Lights podcast, Jim Long and Rabbi Chaim Richman explore how Torah’s timeless message calls us to a mindful, elevated way of living — one that recognizes humanity’s central role in creation, not as a license for dominance, but as a sacred responsibility toward every living being.
