(כט) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֗ים הִנֵּה֩ נָתַ֨תִּי לָכֶ֜ם אֶת־כָּל־עֵ֣שֶׂב׀ זֹרֵ֣עַ זֶ֗רַע אֲשֶׁר֙ עַל־פְּנֵ֣י כָל־הָאָ֔רֶץ וְאֶת־כָּל־הָעֵ֛ץ אֲשֶׁר־בּ֥וֹ פְרִי־עֵ֖ץ זֹרֵ֣עַ זָ֑רַע לָכֶ֥ם יִֽהְיֶ֖ה לְאָכְלָֽה׃
(29) And God said: ‘Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed—to you it shall be for food;
(כ) אַל תְּהִי בְסֹבְאֵי יָיִן בְּזֹלֲלֵי בָשָׂר לָמוֹ.
(20) Be not among winebibbers; Among gluttonous eaters of flesh;
Talmud Bavli Pesachim 49b
An empty minded person has no right to eat meat.
Rav Abraham Isaac Kook:
When humanity reaches its goal of compete happiness and spiritual liberation, when it attains that lofty peak of perfection, this is the pure knowledge of God and the full manifestation of the essential holiness of life, then the age of motivation of virtue of enlightenment will have arrived. Then the human beings will recognize their companions in creation: all the animals.
Rabbi Shlomo Riskin:
The dietary laws are intended to teach us compassion and lead us gently to vegetarianism.
Isaac Bashevis Singer:
Even in the worm that crawls in the earth there glows a divine spark. When you slaughter a creature, you slaughter God.