Benefit from Cruelly Extracted Wool

Question

As you know, one of the seven commandments of Noah forbids gentiles from tearing flesh off a living creature.
Very sadly, undercover videotape has exposed workers in third world countries brutally ripping wool off live sheep (and other animals) as the animals scream in pain throughout the process. The wool that has been extracted is subsequently used to produce garments sold in major retailers in developed countries. When purchasing a woolen garment, there is no way of knowing how the wool was sourced.
Is there a prohibition in Jewish law against benefiting from wool when there is a chance it could have been extracted this way?

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Answers

  1. The Just Ask! - AskTheRabbi.org Team

    Whilst what you are describing is truly disturbing, there is no prohibition, per se, against benefitting from such wool. The prohibition of “Eiver Min HaChai” is against eating the flesh of a living animal. However, having said that, what they are doing is disgusting and it should be stopped immedaitely.

    Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team