We're diving into a fascinating passage from Vayikra Rabbah 27, a midrashic collection that expands upon the Book of Leviticus. The central verse is from Leviticus 22:28: “A bull or a sheep, it and its offspring you shall not slaughter on one day.” Seems straightforward, right? But the rabbis saw something deeper here.
Rabbi Berekhya, quoting Rabbi Levi, connects this seemingly simple law to Proverbs 12:10: “The righteous one knows the nature of his animal.” He interprets this to mean that God, the ultimate righteous one, demonstrates compassion even in the laws He gives us regarding animals. As it says in Deuteronomy 22:6, “Do not take the mother with the fledglings.” It’s about not causing undue suffering, a recognition of the bond between parent and child.
But then, the midrash takes a sharp turn. "The mercy of the wicked is cruel," Proverbs continues. This is contrasted with the actions of the wicked Sennacherib, of whom it is written, “Mother and children were torn asunder” (Hosea 10:14). It’s a stark reminder that cruelty often masquerades as strength or necessity.
The midrash then offers another interpretation of the verse about not slaughtering a mother and its offspring on the same day, linking it to another wicked figure: Haman from the Book of Esther. Haman, driven by his hatred of the Jews, sought "to destroy, to kill, and to eliminate [all the Jews, from lad to elder, women and children, on one day]" (Esther 3:13). According to some readings of the text (as suggested by Rabbi David Luria), the verse in Leviticus should be read as "A bull or a sheep, it and its offspring you shall not slaughter on one day." The midrash sees a parallel between the compassion shown to animals and the complete lack of compassion shown by Haman toward the Jewish people.
Rabbi Levi then presents a powerful idea: that throughout history, the enemies of Israel have consistently believed they've devised a better, more foolproof plan than their predecessors.
Think about it. Esau, consumed by his hatred for Jacob, planned to kill him after their father's death, but he didn't account for Jacob having children in the meantime. Pharaoh, fearing the growing Israelite population, ordered that newborn sons be thrown into the Nile (Exodus 1:16, 22), but he failed to consider that the daughters would marry and continue the lineage. And as we just discussed, Haman sought total annihilation, believing he’d learned from Pharaoh's mistakes.
Rabbi Levi even suggests that in the future, Gog and Magog will think themselves cleverer than all those who came before. They’ll believe the ancients were fools for not realizing that Israel has a "Patron in Heaven," so they'll try to confront God directly. "The kings of the earth will mobilize" (Psalms 2:2).
But the Holy One, blessed be He, will have none of it. He will declare, "Wicked one, is it Me that you have come to confront? As you live, I will wage war against you." (Isaiah 42:13, Zechariah 14:3). And ultimately, "The Lord will be King over all the earth" (Zechariah 14:9).
What’s the takeaway here? This passage, rooted in a seemingly minor law about animal slaughter, reveals a deep and timeless truth: that compassion, even for the smallest creatures, is a sign of righteousness. And that those who seek to inflict cruelty and destruction, no matter how clever they think they are, will ultimately fail. The Vayikra Rabbah challenges us to reflect on our own actions and to choose compassion over cruelty, remembering that true strength lies not in domination, but in empathy. It's a powerful message that resonates just as strongly today as it did centuries ago.