According to the teachings of the Talmud every creature on the earth has been provided with the wisdom to enable them to teach us something about how to behave. It is our responsibility to recognize the traits within each animal to emulate, improve and thus elevate our personality traits.
The Talmud (Eruvin, 100b) cites a verse from the book of Job which states "He [G-d] teaches us from the animals of the land, and from the birds of the heavens He makes us wise" (Job, 35:11).
Animal Examples Mentioned in the Talmud
Cited within the Talmud are examples credited to Rabbi Yochanan in which he states, "If the Torah had not been given, we would have learned modesty from the cat, the avoidance of theft from the ant, marital fidelity from the dove, and good manners in marital relations from the rooster, who appeases his mate before having relations with her."
The Talmud only explains the meaning of the characteristics of the rooster, who treats its mate with respect and doesn’t forget the importance of making her feel special prior to approaching her physically. This rooster does not merely expect her to engage in marital relations whenever he chooses focusing only on the interaction of their external bodies, but instead recognizes the need to acknowledge the importance of her internal being as it relates to his.
Rashi’s Explanations
Rashi, considered by many to be the greatest commentator on both the Written Law and Oral Law, explains the characteristics that we can learn from the other animals mentioned.
- He explains that we can learn modesty from the cat since the cat never eliminates waste in front of people and always buries it.
- He further explains that regardless of the fact that ants live close together and use their own labor to gather food to store for the winter, they never need to guard since an ant will not steal from another ant.
- Finally, regarding what we can learn from the dove, Rashi explains that the dove only has relations with its mate. Yet within humans, supposedly evolved to a far higher lever than such birds, the nature of maintaining marital fidelity often appears incredibly complex and filled with rationalizations that serve to account for and excuse the incidences of infidelity.
Animal Examples from the Mishna
The Mishna goes on to state in the name of in the name of the sage, Rabbi Yehudah ben Tema: "Be bold as a leopard, light as an eagle, swift as a deer, and strong as a lion to carry out the will of your Father in Heaven" ( Pirkei Avos 5:23).
One might argue how can an individual be modest and bold at the same time? Besides simply emulating the positive characteristics of animals and birds, individuals must also learn in what situations each is appropriate to utilize. So while modesty is an admirable trait compared to, for example, narcissism, this is different from boldness.
There are times modesty in behavior may not serve a necessary purpose an individual is confronted with. For example, Rabbi Yehudah ben Tema explains that one must be bold when carrying out a good deed especially when it is not accepted in that persons social circle. For example, helping the those living on the streets by bringing them food and blankets or simply engaging them in conversation such that they feel someone cares enough to interact with them. One might also say this act demonstrates modesty as well, in that the such an individual shows they don’t see themselves as better than others who aren’t as fortunate.
The Eagle’s Teachings as Explained by the Midrash
The phrase “be light as an eagle” is also puzzling since eagles are extremely heavy birds. The Midrash explains this phrase by pointing out that Eagles act differently from other birds. Other birds carry their young clutched in their feet to protect them from birds of prey who may swoop down upon them from above. The Eagle’s size might cause one to believe it is already extremely hard for the bird to keep it’s weight aloft. And yet it carries it’s young on it’s wings without difficulty in order to protect them from being harmed from arrows shot from below, shielding them with his own body.
Regarding the Mother Eagle’s behavior, she will arrive at the nest with a loud swoosh of her wings, yet land gently and quietly so as not to wake her sleeping babies.
These behaviors demonstrate the eagles’ extraordinary dedication to family, modeling for us the importance of maintaining strong family ties, which are initiated and taught originally through the behaviors of the parents in the hopes we will internalize them.
Summary
If we are expected to learn from animals, birds and even the lowly ant, how can we fail to see every person we encounter, young or old, homeless or wealthy, intelligent or ignorant, has been given the wisdom to provide us with an opportunity to learn something new about ourselves. We just have to accept and allow ourselves to see within.
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