Parashat Shmini by Aaron Kogut, High School Science Teacher

3/22/2022

What values does the Torah try to teach us from a list of random birds? As a biologist I can’t help but be drawn to the zoological lessons from our tradition. In this week’s parashah, Parashat Shmini, The Torah lists the rules for what makes many different categories of animals kosher. From an explanation of ruminants and split hooves in cattle, to scales and fins in sea life, the Torah elaborates in detail about qualifications for fauna from a variety of ecosystems across the planet. These rules are useful in their simplicity. However, when it comes to fowl, the Torah uses a different approach. Fowls are individually listed by species as being non-kosher, a list of 20 different categories of birds. While this list has presented a difficult challenge, as identifying the biblical list with modern day birds is no easy task, I’d like to focus on the particular name used to identify one bird on the list: the chassidah — חֲסִידָה.

The word chassidah — חֲסִידָה — comes from the root chesed (חסד), which translates as kindness. This seems like a peculiar name for a bird — why is it named after kindness? Rashi asks this question and explains that the reason this species, often identified as a stork, is given this name is “שֶׁעוֹשָֹׁה חֲסִידוּת עִם חַבְרוֹתֶיהָ בִּמְזוֹנוֹת” “Because it deals kindly (חסד) with its fellows in respect to food." (Chullin 63b) (Rashi, Leviticus 11,19) The implication here is that this bird will assist others of its kind when they are unable to find food by providing them with needed sustenance — a kindness not often seen in the animal kingdom.

This leads to a deeper question: why is this animal not kosher? Shouldn’t these actions be lauded and be something that encourages us to act in the same way? What is the deeper meaning behind this explanation that Rashi brings? The Gerrer Rebbe explains that the chassidah only took care of "its fellows," but did not look out for other birds, and for this reason it is not kosher.

It turns out the stork might need to expand its sphere of concern and influence. This, in turn, leads us to a deeper understanding of our own call to action as Jewish People. Our calling is to be an אור לגויים, a light unto the nations, not just a people who are insular and help our own kind. It is not enough to take care of our own, but we are called to look to the larger community and world, to see what kindness we can do to make it a better place. Today’s world is fractured by beliefs, politics, nationality, and creed. If we want to truly be “kosher,” we are called upon to spread kindness not just to those in our closest circle, but to the entire world, as well.

Wishing everyone a meaningful Shabbat filled with new opportunities for kindness.

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