Adapted by Duby Arbel

Rav Kook, in his book on vegetarianism, explains that the Torah's

need to grant us permission to eat meat implicity sees the craving for meat as a moral weakness.

After stressing the sanctity of the commandments given at Sinai, the Torah dwelled on the question of meat eating at length. "And if you say, 'I shall eat some meat,' for you have the urge to eat meat, you may eat whenever you heart desires it". This contains a hidden rebuke, an almost imperceptible comment. That is to say, you may eat meat as long as your inner morality is not as repulsed by eating the flesh of another living being as it would be at the thought of eating human flesh. The Torah did not need to forbid cannibalism explicity, since human nature and innate morality recoil at the thought of it.

Rav Kook explains further that as human beings become more lofty, they will innately feel that it is wrong to take the life of birds or beasts. As we know, primordial man was forbidden to eat meat. Those simple folk did not have the power to raise divine sparks because they did not have in them the strength of the sacred Torah. Therefore, they were not permitted to eat meat, as it would have irreperably damaged their human spirituality. Only a person with proper knowledge of halachah  and equipped with the sancity and ability to rise above the beast and to elevate the physical is allowed to eat meat. This sort of person, says Rav Kook, is on a middle level. They can transcend the inherent weakness in consuming meat and still be elevated spiritually.

Once they have attained a higher level, however, they would not desire to eat meat at all, due to a deep sensitivity to the cruelty involved in taking the life of an animal.