If a bull gores a man or woman to death, the bull is to be stoned to death, and its meat must not be eaten. But the owner of the bull will not be held responsible. The animal liability laws reflect the covenant community's concern for order and safety. The bull that kills is destroyed — the principle of life for life applied to animal violence. But the meat cannot be eaten because the animal that took human life has become defiled by the act. Leviticus 17:14 prohibits eating the blood of any creature — the animal that killed is associated with blood guilt that makes its meat inappropriate. The owner's non-liability when the animal had no prior history of violence reflects the principle of reasonable care: no one can be held responsible for what could not reasonably be foreseen.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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