בראשית, פרק א׳, פסוק כ״ט

At the dawn of creation, God established the original dietary boundaries for humanity, defining the ideal relationship between humans, animals, and the natural world. This initial grant was not merely a promise for the future, but an immediate transfer of ownership and usage rights over the plant kingdom [רשב״ם, חזקוני]. God equipped humans with the physiological ability to digest and draw nourishment from these plants [רלב״ג]. Furthermore, God embedded an innate understanding within the first humans, giving them the natural instinct to know which plants were edible and which were toxic. They inherently knew how to cultivate seeds and use plants for healing, sparing them the deadly risks of trial and error [רס״ג].

The primary approach among commentators is that early humanity was restricted entirely to a vegetarian diet. Killing animals and consuming their meat was strictly forbidden, a restriction that remained in place until the days of Noah. Several reasons are offered for this original prohibition. Animals possess a moving soul and a degree of consciousness that causes them to flee from pain and death, prompting God to extend His mercy to them [רמב״ן, טור]. Additionally, the human body was simply not designed to consume meat at the time of creation [מלבי״ם]. Practically, the initial animal populations were so small that hunting them would have quickly led to their extinction [רס״ג]. On a spiritual level, a plant based diet was intended to sustain eternal human life, whereas eating meat introduces physical decay. It was only after humanity sinned and mortality was decreed that the human body was altered to process meat [ביאור יש״ר].

While exploring the exact nature of this restriction, a subtle difference of opinion emerges. Some suggest the prohibition focused specifically on taking a life, meaning humans could not kill a creature for food, though they might have been allowed to eat an animal that died of natural causes [שפתי חכמים, חנוכת התורה]. Others maintain that the ban on meat was absolute. Regardless of the exact parameters, this vegetarian existence reflects a harmonious peace between humanity and the animal kingdom, an ideal state that prophets envision returning in the Messianic era [מלבי״ם, קאסוטו, רש״ר הירש].

God established a clear division between the food designated for humans and the food meant for animals. Humans were granted the nutritious seeds of plants, such as wheat, barley, and legumes, along with the fruits of trees. In contrast, the grass itself, along with straw and green leaves, was reserved for animals. Humans were not permitted to eat the raw grass of the field until after the first sin, when they were cursed to do so [רמב״ן, טור, מלבי״ם, חזקוני].

The exact definition of the permitted tree fruits carries further significance. Some understand this as a limitation allowing only natural fruits, thereby prohibiting humans from eating fruits grown through the artificial grafting of mixed species [הכתב והקבלה]. Alternatively, this precise definition serves to exclude the Tree of Knowledge. That specific tree did not merely produce fruit; rather, its very trunk was the fruit itself, placing it outside the permitted dietary boundaries [אור החיים].

Generations later, following the Flood, this original command was altered and meat was permitted. Beyond the physical changes that occurred in the natural world due to the Flood, God foresaw the immense effort Noah would invest in saving the animals aboard the Ark. As a reward for his dedication and hard labor, God granted Noah and his descendants the right to consume them [רד״ק].