Reward/ Punishment For Animals

Revisiting the issue of reward/ punishment for animals touched on in the Divrei Chaim blog.  One of the sources that would seem to indicate the concept of reward/ punishment is from the forgs.  The Midrash on Tehillim (Ch. 28) says the frogs that jumped into the ovens were rewarded and didn't die but those that didn't did die.  This profo is cited by Rav Yosef Engel (Beis Haotzer Klal 55.)

Rav Yosef Engel cites a Midrash Berashis (26:6) in which it is clear that it is a three way machlokes

דְּאָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר אֵין לְךָ שֶׁהוּא מִתְחַיֵּב בָּאָדָם הַזֶּה אֶלָּא אָדָם כַּיּוֹצֵא בּוֹ. רַבִּי נָתָן אוֹמֵר אֲפִלּוּ זְאֵב וְכֶלֶב. רַבִּי הוּנָא בַּר גּוּרְיוֹן אָמַר אֲפִלּוּ מַקֵּל אֲפִלּוּ רְצוּעָה, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (ישעיה ט, ג): כִּי אֶת עֹל סֻבֳּלוֹ וְאֵת מַטֵּה שִׁכְמוֹ שֵׁבֶט הַנֹּגֵשׂ בּוֹ הַחִתֹּתָ כְּיוֹם מִדְיָן, כְּיוֹם הַדִּין. אָמַר רַבִּי אַחָא אַף אִילָנֵי סְרַק עֲתִידִין לִתֵּן דִּין וְחֶשְׁבּוֹן. רַבָּנָן אָמְרֵי מֵהָכָא (דברים כ, יט): כִּי הָאָדָם עֵץ הַשָּׂדֶה, מָה הָאָדָם נוֹתֵן דִּין וְחֶשְׁבּוֹן, אַף עֵצִים נוֹתְנִין דִּין וְחֶשְׁבּוֹן.

R' Elazar only assigns punishment to mankind.  R' Nassan assigns it even to animals and R' Huna even to inanimate objects.  While one may be able to argue for some form of limited bechira for animals, it is hard to hear that for inanimate objects.  Rav Yosef Engel further points to a Yalkut in Koheles that learns the punishment for a stick from the possuk in Noach (9:5-6) שופך דם האדם which says the punishment of the inanimate object is death.  What does that mean?  Rav Engel explains based upon the principle of the Kabbalists that everything has a spark of kedusha that gives the item its existence and death means that spark of holiness is extinguished.    

It is possible in light of this to argue that reward and punishment of the Midrash just means if this holy spark will keep on going or will be extinguished.  It is not a real punishment but due to the fact that a negative effect happened due to an animal of object, it loses its right to be elevated, וצ"ע. 

There is an article discussing some of the points about reward/ punishment for animals on animallaw.info