Question: If Judaism requires us to be kind to animals, shouldn't we be commanded to be vegetarians?
Response: I have the utmost respect for anyone who chooses not to eat meat out of concern for animal welfare. There have even been some who have suggested that this is in keeping with Judaism's ideals (although all agree that Judaism allows eating meat).
There is another way of looking at it though, a more spiritual angle, that indicates that eating meat is not just an accommodation to human desire, but has a holy purpose.
The Talmud teaches that the reason Adam and Eve were created after all other creatures was to teach them a dual lesson: humans can be either the pinnacle of creation, or its lowest life-form. If they act appropriately, then everything was created just to serve them; but if they debase themselves, then they should remember that "even a flea preceded you."
The human being is the only creature with free choice. This means we can either work on ourselves and become better than our nature or abuse our gifts and become worse. Only a human can be generous, kind, and selfless and act higher than his or her instincts; only a human can be cruel, destructive, and murderous. (Although sometimes animals do what seem like acts of kindness or destruction, they are invariably just following their instinct for survival - there is no altruism or malice in their actions.)
When we use our freedom to act in a kind, holy and selfless way, we are the highest life form, and the rest of creation is there to serve us. Then, by eating other creatures, we are, in fact, elevating them to places where they couldn't go by themselves.
For example, if I eat a tomato and then expend the energy that that tomato gave me into performing an act of kindness, the tomato has become a partner in my action, thus making the world a better place - something a tomato can't do on its own.
On the other hand, if I use my energy only to further selfish goals or to oppress or inflict harm, then what right do I have to eat a tomato? The tomato never hurt anybody, and by eating it and causing harm, I am corrupting an innocent tomato!
This is why Judaism doesn't see eating animals as necessarily being cruel. In fact, it could even be cruel not to eat animals because you are robbing them of a chance to serve a higher purpose (unless, of course, it is for health reasons). However, if you yourself are not living a life of purpose, then it is just as cruel to eat a tomato as a chicken!
