Some interesting Bird Lessons
We are “sparking” something interesting this week, the awareness that Kosher laws are meant to engender in us a more refined nature. That is why certain animals and bird are off-limits to us, because of their natures that are not refined and good. Here are some interesting bird lessons:
The Chasida
There is a generous bird good at the art of giving
It seems through her acts that a Chesedik life she’s living
But the Chassida is only nice to her friends
And that is where her Chesed ends
So although she’s called a Chasiddah
She is quite a meanah.
OUR LESSON: Chesed has to be done for everyone, not just to our friends.
[Quick notes: Chesed means kindness, of which Avraham was the paragon, doing for everyone, of his ilk and of any stripe and color. Some folks think they are kind when they do favors for their friends only. And that is where the Chasida, a bird that is kind only to its kind, teaches us that we are wrong.]
Raiyah – Little Miss Negativity
Perched on a branch in Babylon
Sits a bird with her sight right-on
From miles away she can see
Myriad types of misery
She looks out for rot and decay
Finding negatives makes her day
Which is why on a Jewish menu she won’t be
Never Kosher is the trait of Negativity.
OUR LESSON: Be a positive person…or else you are a negative non-kosher being.
Aiyah-Insincere Lie’ah
Of birds not kosher because of character flaws there are a few
And the Aiyah is one because she makes commitments untrue
When a need is brought up she cheeps of how she’ll help out
But when it comes time to do things she won’t be found about
That is why she is called Aiyah, which means ‘where is she’
The bird who gives offers of assistance insincerely
And though you believe the promises of help given by the Aiyah
You find out when it comes to deliver she is quite the lie’ah
OUR LESSON: Keep your commitments to help out…or don’t make those commitments. When you promise to help, you must deliver.
Dai’yah – Naysayer to Good Deeds
Negative character traits can be found in another bird unkosher.
That the world has maxed out on good deeds she is so sure
Any time there is a call to do good, to take up a cause and give
She caws ‘why can’t all you do-gooders just finally let us live.
“Daiy, enough,” she cries, “haven’t we done more than our share
“Stop talking about doing good, too much asking is no fair.”
Always cawing, always complaining, after every Tzedaka solicitation
“Daiy,” she caws, “daiy,” she cries, recruiting others to non-participation
Because she stops others from going ahead and getting good work done
This ornery bird, the Daiy’ah, joins the list of food we shun.
[What is most interesting is that the Daiy’ah has the option of just not joining in the good work. However, she doesn’t want to be the only one not so good, so she tries to convince others not to get involved. And that is completely inexcusable.]
And so, Dear Friends of Belz, that wraps up our Spark for the Week. Just remember, what is fascinating is that some birds should be kosher as they have the kosher simanin/signs, but we consider them nonkosher because of some aspect of their personality disorders. The bottom line to remember is that to be “kosher” you have to have your personality in the right order. You have to be a positive, giving, loving human being!