His Character · Ethics · Primary Source from the Press

AZR's Vegetarianism

"Twenty years of a life of purity without bloodshed": a path that began with illness and became a principle

For AZR, vegetarianism was neither a whim nor a diet — it was a meeting point of his religiosity, his ethics, and the influence of Tolstoy. A dedicated article was devoted to it on his 80th birthday, which shows that his contemporaries regarded it as an essential part of his character.

The Origin Story: How It Began

From Illness to Principle

AZR was not a vegetarian from birth. One day he fell ill, and the illness, in Maimon's words, "reminded him of his sin" and stirred him to repentance.

He tried, as an experiment, to abstain from meat, "and his experiment succeeded well." He found that one could live without meat, and that his body was even "growing healthier."

"An immense joy seized him. A new period in his life began." From then on he settled firmly on the path of vegetarianism.

As of 1934, some 20 years without tasting meat, "and he is entirely healthy." Vegetarianism had become his "second nature."

"Once he fell ill, and the illness reminded him of his sin... He tried, and his experiment succeeded well... An immense joy seized him. A new period in his life began... For twenty years he has not tasted meat, and he is entirely healthy." N. Ts. Maimon, "AZR's Vegetarianism," Davar, February 8, 1934

The Moral Foundation: The Heart of the Matter

Maimon stresses: above health, above everything, stands for AZR "the moral foundation." Neither his body nor his health is the consideration, but the very killing of the animal, which was always "repugnant" to him, even in slaughter with a sharp, smooth knife. On this foundation he built his entire edifice.

"Thou shalt not kill" — animals included

According to AZR, the Torah said "Thou shalt not kill" in general terms, animals included. It did not specify "the human being thou shalt not kill, but the animal thou mayest."

Jewish compassion

Not a mere instinct, but "a Jewish trait, compassion for the fate of our mute brethren."

Hasidism and the Essenes

His soul was close to "the teaching of the later Hasidim," and he joined to it "the doctrine of the first Hasidim (the Essene sect)."

"The captive woman"

Eating the meat of a clean animal was permitted only in the way that the "beautiful captive woman" was permitted — a concession after the fact, not an ideal.

"The Torah said 'Thou shalt not kill' in general terms, animals included. It did not specify: the human being thou shalt not kill, but the animal thou art permitted to kill." AZR, quoted in Maimon, Davar, February 8, 1934

The Sharp Formulations

AZR did not soften his position. Meat, in his words, is nothing but "a piece of stinking carrion." Even a dish in which meat had been cooked could not pass his lips. And yet, Maimon emphasizes, there was in this not a grain of zealotry or condescension toward others: "a man who has recognized the truth goes on his way, doing what he does as a natural thing, self-evident."

The Broader Context: Tolstoy and Tradition

The vegetarianism connects to two central axes in AZR's life:

Tolstoy: AZR translated Tolstoy and wrote his biography ("The Life of L. N. Tolstoy," 5684/1924). Tolstoy was a famous ideological vegetarian, and his doctrine of nonviolence (ahimsa) and moral simplicity resonated deeply with AZR. Documented connection
His religiosity: AZR was an observant Jew all his life. Vegetarianism did not stand in opposition to his Judaism but flowed from it — from "tza'ar ba'alei chayim" (the prohibition of cruelty to animals), from compassion, and from Hasidic tradition. Maimon concludes that AZR, "a lover of the commandments, fulfilled this first commandment with his own body."

An Echo in the Labor Movement

The vegetarianism drew the attention of the labor movement's leaders. In that very week, Berl Katznelson published his article about him, "He Chooses Life" (Davar, February 9, 1934), a title hinting at the connection between vegetarianism and an ethos of the affirmation of life. Years later, a piece in "HaZman" (April 23, 1943) described "the Palestinians who have not eaten meat for 20–30 years," a community of vegetarians of whom AZR was a pioneer. For future verification

Source and methodology note: the text was retrieved from the OCR scan of "Davar" in the historical press archive (NLI). The OCR is imperfect, and the quotations were reconstructed from it with care. For deeper research: Katznelson's article "He Chooses Life" and the 1943 "HaZman" piece await full retrieval. This source differs from the usual biographical archives — contemporary press.