“If a bird’s nest happens to be on your path, whether in a tree or on the ground, if there are chicks or eggs and the mother bird is sitting upon them, do not take the mother with the children. Send the mother away, and the young ones you may take; it will be well with you and you may prolong your days.” (Devarim 22:6-7)
This section, along with much of parashat Ki Tetzei teaches compassion. It’s not an easy thing to teach, nor an easy thing to learn. Amazingly, much compassion is taught through action or mimicry, a fact understood by the Torah. The child that is hugged when sad or hurt does the same for a friend. First the action, then the feeling. It’s a lesson that takes years to truly internalize.
“Send the mother away, and the young ones you may take; it will be good with you and you may prolong your days.”
Unfortunately, it is also a lesson easily undone. That same child, scorned or teased only once, not receiving the reward expected, may then react negatively rather than continuing on the path of compassion. Teens and adults are not so different from that child. We expect the world to be fair and balanced, and when it not, we are disappointed and disillusioned. What happens when our positive action or acts of compassion are not met with goodness or the lengthening of days? Tradition connects this verse to the greatest apostate in our history, Elisha Ben Abuya. The story is told that Elisha Ben Abuya saw a youth climb a tree to a nest. After shooing the mother bird from the nest, the youth took the eggs and climbed down, but, upon reaching the ground, the youth was bitten by a snake and died. Struck by, what he saw as hypocrisy, Elisha turned from mitzvoth and God.
Our world is not so literal as Elisha Ben Abuya would like it to be. There is goodness for individuals and long life beyond the number of years we live. The lesson to learn is how do we strive to attain this, and how do we define it. Looking into Elul we my be able to find an answer for this in Psalm 27, added to the liturgy morning and evening through Sukkot “Hazak v’ya’ameitz libecha…” “Be courageous and God shall strengthen your heart…” To find goodness and life is an attitude. It is an attitude we all should strive to adopt.
Shabbat shalom.
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