Part I: The Sanctity and Responsibility of Animal Skin

I'm going to get myself some animal skin tefillin. I decided to sit with this decision for a few weeks before writing about it. This is a partial response. I've had a surprising number of friends ask about it.

Here are my reasons/rationalizations for violating veganism for tefillin:

1. I'm so drawn toward the practice that I feel as though I can't ignore it. I feel like my Jewish prayer is incomplete without it. I'm a child of interfaith marriage who grew up in NH. . . it's rare that I so naturally desire something that is so traditionally Jewish without questioning my right to it that I can't ignore this.

2. I've talked to my rabbi and she informed me that somebody eats the cow. . . for some reason this makes me feel better. My fiance and I talked about tefillin in the context of giving up hope in a vegan planet and living our own values to the best of our ability. This is probably a HUGE rationalization, but I think that there will always be Jews who believe in eating meat. . .this makes me feel less guilty about harvesting their by-products. I know that there are organic farming Jews in my part of the world (SW New Hampshire and VT), whom I respect, who believe in responsible consumption and compassionate ritual slaughter.

3. I've really started to accept parchment Torah scrolls . . .I don't know if the lost life adds to the sanctity or a part of me has concocted a story about parchment being more durable/eco than . . .say . . hemp . . .

4. I think that ritual object animal consumption . . especially when the object can be passed down. . .is different from making that consumption part of your daily routine.

5. My animal rights record is slippery in other areas. . . I'm definitely against animal testing on cosmetics, but tend to waver on life saving medical testing practiced in humane conditions. When it comes down to it, I will place human beings above animals as long as the animals are treated with respect.

6. I can't seem to find viable vegan replacement materials with which I am capable of working. I also can't find anyone who can carve tefillin boxes for me for a reasonable price.

I'll let these ideas sit out in the cyberspace for a bit and then see how my libran scales of indecision are swinging in a day or two.