[Avodah] Shemini Olam Chesed Yiboneh

[Cantor Wolberg]

There's a verse in this week's Sidra (Lev. 11:13) which states: "These  
shall you abominate from among the birds, they may not be eaten; they  
are an abomination..."  In other words, fowl that are cruel are not  
eligible to be kosher. One will not always find cruel fowl necessarily  
exercising cruelty (we see this in the human species as well).  It  
would therefore have been impractical and impossible to have  
positively identified a specific bird as being unfit. Therefore, the  
Torah must list all the fowl that are unsuitable for eating.

There is an overriding concept in the laws of kashruth that the  
characteristics of what we eat somehow have a great influence on the  
way we behave. The old saying: "You are what you eat." We do not want  
to associate ourselves for instance with cruelty, therefore we are  
forbidden to eat cruel animals, and in this case, some species of  
fowl. Among the fowl that are listed as being non kosher is the  
chasidah, the white stork. You may ask what cruel character trait does  
the stork possess. Rashi mentions that the reason it is called a  
"chasidah" is because it does chesed only with its friends regarding  
the food it finds. On the surface this seems strange.  If the stork  
acts kindly with its food, why is it disqualified as being kosher?

A beautiful explanation to this difficulty has been given by the  
Chidushei Harim, in which he explains the nature of the stork. He says  
that the fact the stork only shows its kindness with its friends  
defines its cruelty.  A fowl who is not in the circle of the stork's  
good buddies is excluded from getting any help from the stork in  
finding food.  In other words, the stork is very selective in its  
kindness. This type of kindness is misleading.  We, as Jews, are  
commanded even to help our foes.  If we come across someone we dislike  
intensely who needs help, we are commanded to help.  The stork, on the  
other hand, helps only his inner circle of friends.  It is this  
character trait of differentiating between close friends and others  
when it comes to providing food that makes the stork non-kosher.

Chesed means reaching out altruistically, with love and generosity to  
all. The process of maturing involves developing our sense of caring  
for others. This is crucial for spiritual health. The Talmud likens  
someone who doesn't give to others as the "walking dead." A non-giving  
soul is malnourished and withered. It is only through unconditional  
love that our successful future will be built. In the words of King  
David (Psalm 89:3): Olam chesed yiboneh - "the world is built on  
kindness." The more this kindness dissipates and degenerates, the more  
danger of the foundation collapsing.

ri
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