Kindness to pets

It is surprising that Rabbi Engelmayer did not reference the Hebrew rubric “tza’ar ba’alei chayim,” which enjoins us to be sensitive to the plight of the “living creatures of the world” (“Learning Torah by caring for a pet,” March 27). Of equal note is the fact that in the Torah, only two mitzvot carry with them the promise of a “lengthening of days.” The best known is the behest that one is to “honor thy father and thy mother.” Less well known is the fact that such a reward is promised to one who returns a fallen fledgling bird to the nest, where its mother can care for it.

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