בראשית, פרק א׳, פסוק ל׳

The culmination of creation establishes a profound dietary order, weaving a harmonious relationship among all living creatures. A clear hierarchy is set in nature, where beings possessing the breath of life stand above the plant kingdom. Consequently, the lower plant life was formed specifically to serve and sustain the higher, more developed living creatures [רד״ק, שטיינזלץ, שד״ל].

Within this natural order, God creates a sharp distinction between human and animal diets. Humans are granted plants that produce seeds and the fruits of trees. In contrast, all beasts, birds, and creeping creatures are given the green, moist grasses that grow naturally without the need for seeds [רד״ק, ספורנו, שד״ל]. The logic behind this division rests on intellect. Humans possess the knowledge and ability to sow and plant wherever they choose, a capacity absent in the animal kingdom [שד״ל]. However, if natural field grasses run scarce, human food becomes available to animals to prevent them from starving [אור החיים].

The absence of meat from the diets of both humans and animals presents a profound reality. The primary approach among commentators is that at the dawn of creation, consuming meat was entirely forbidden, rendering the entire world vegetarian until God permitted meat to Noah and his sons after the flood [רשב״ם, מזרחי, קאסוטו, ברטנורא, שטיינזלץ]. Originally, animals did not possess a predatory nature, as consuming flesh breeds cruelty and rage. It was only after the sin of the first man that animals fell from their elevated state and their nature became corrupted, a reality that will only return to its original harmony in the distant future [ביאור יש״ר]. According to this perspective, the mandate for humans to rule over the animal kingdom was never intended for consumption, but rather for utilizing them for labor and various tasks [מזרחי, ברטנורא].

Conversely, another perspective argues that human anatomy and teeth indicate humanity was designed to consume meat alongside plant life. According to this view, killing animals was permitted from the very beginning. This is evident in the command to rule over the fish of the sea, as one cannot master fish without removing them from the water and ending their lives. God simply refrained from explicitly telling humans they could kill living creatures to avoid training their hands to shed blood. The permission only became explicit after the flood to establish a clear boundary between the permitted killing of animals and the strictly forbidden act of human murder [שד״ל].

The conclusion of these dietary instructions with a final confirmation of completion is intriguing. Unlike the earlier days of creation, no new physical entity was brought into existence here; rather, a set of dietary rules was issued. This confirmation points to a deep psychological and biological transformation. God actively instilled within the animals a desire and craving to be sustained by plant life, even though it might seem distant from their physical nature [רד״ק, הכתב והקבלה]. Furthermore, God placed within the hearts of these early creatures a complete lack of desire for meat. He ensured that the killing of an animal would be viewed by them as a severe prohibition, much like human murder is perceived today. Without this fundamental cognitive imprint, they would not have been capable of upholding the mandate of a vegetarian world [הטור הארוך].