Panel: "BE FRUITFUL AND MULTIPLY AND FILL THE EARTH AND SUBDUE IT" (GEN 1,28). HUMAN-ANIMAL-INEQUALITY AND THE CONCEPT OF RESPONSIBILITY FROM AN INTERRELIGIOUS PERSPECTIVE



248.4 - JEWS LEARNING FROM AND WITH OTHER ANIMALS: COMMENTARIES TO PEREK SHIRA OVER THE CENTURIES

AUTHORS:
Schorsch J. (Universität Potsdam ~ Potsdam ~ Germany)
Text:
Perek Shira (Chapter of Song), an ancient text, offers a biblical verse "song" for a large number of animal species and natural entities (streams, the rain, the moon, sun, etc.). The simple and suggestive litany, possibly mystical, provoked commentators over the centuries. Reading across a number of commentaries, all in Hebrew, all rather understudied, ranging from the early middle ages to the 19th century, some rationalistic, some kabbalistic, I look at how these authors at times destabilize the boundary between the human and animal (Deleuze and Quattari) as they collectively discover and construct cosmic supernatureculture (Mayanthi Fernando) from a Jewish perspective. Through the lens of tradition, myth, science, and direct experience, animals are endowed by the commentators with surprising subjectivity, the authors recenter anthropocentrism by centering the animal, all within proper theocentrism, of course, indeed, through theocentrism. Coming upon and building an often messy human-animal knowing, encountering, sharing, kinship, differences, similarities, alliances, hostilities, relationship (Haraway), the spiritual and ethical consequences for humans/Jews — responsibility, care, attentiveness — follow strongly for these authors, and, in the case of one late commentary, taking on the language and values of modern animal rights.