Part 1: The Sages On Meat

Throughout the generations, our sages understood that man’s ideal status began with us not eating meat and they were anticipated the fulfillment of this vision. However, they knew that their generation was not ready for it yet. The Halacha is that you don’t issue a decree to the general public unless most of them will abide by it. (רמב”ם הלכות ממרים ב, ו), “It is taught that Rabbi Yishmael ben Elisha said: From the day that the Temple was destroyed, we should decree upon ourselves not to eat meat and not to drink wine, but the Sages do not issue a decree upon the public unless a majority of the public is able to abide by it.” (בבא בתרא ס, ב)

Our sages also did not distance themselves from the public in order to be able to continue to lead. The Rav, Rabbi Soloveitchik, for example, did not publish his writings on the subject while he was alive. What he wrote about veganism as an ideal was only published after he passed. Similarly, Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Kook said that his father (Rav Kook) used to eat very little meat, only on Shabbat, and he would rather not eat meat at all. But due to his position he did not remove himself from the public by forbidding it on himself while allowing it to the public.