Shemini
Leviticus 9:1-11:47
II Samuel 6:1-7:17
This week’s Torah portion contains numerous rules about dietary laws and enumerates all the non-kosher birds, birds not suitable to consume — raven, vulture, magpie, falcons. Another of the non-kosher birds listed is the chasida bird (Leviticus 11:19). The Talmud says it’s called chasida because it does chesed, which in Hebrew means performing acts of kindness.
The Midrash tells us that the first man, Adam, looked into the essence of every animal and named it accordingly. The donkey, for example, is characterized by carrying heavy, physical burdens. In Hebrew, the donkey is named chamor — from the root chomer, which means physicality. Which means to say, the donkey (chamor) typifies physicality (chomer).
But if the bird is called chasida because it does chesed, then why does the Torah list it as a non-kosher bird? It’s understandable that the raven and vulture should be classified as non-kosher: They’re birds of prey, and it is spiritually unhealthy to internalize these traits. But since the chasida bird seems to embody the desirable trait of chesed, why is it not kosher?
The Talmud explains that this bird does chesed “by giving food to its friends.” The chasida’s generosity is limited to its own circle of friends. Such partisan kindness is not what the Torah wishes us to practice. Hence, the chasida bird is non-kosher.
Consider the following illustration:
About 100 years ago, a group of neighbors in Jerusalem wanted to form a Chesed Society among themselves. Proposed activities included inviting each other over for Shabbat meals, collecting clothes for families who couldn’t afford it and providing interest-free loans to start a business.
So the group went to a great sage to get his blessing for the Chesed Society. The rabbi asked, “What if someone outside your neighborhood needs help?” To which the members replied, “We would have to politely refuse, because we’ve limited our activities to just among our own group of neighbors.”
The rabbi replied: “It’s nice that you want to help your friends and family. In fact, the Talmud states that our obligation is to help those closest to us first — our family, our community — and only then the rest of the world.”
The rabbi continued: “But real chesed is about caring for others — and since all the kindness you’re proposing comes back to you, you’re essentially only caring for yourselves!”
Chesed cannot be predicated on an expectation of return. Did you ever have a relationship where the other person was always keeping score? That’s not friendship at all. A real friend sometimes gives and sometimes takes, but never keeps score.
But, you say, sometimes I just do not “feel” like helping anyone! As any baby will attest, we’re born selfish. Yet the process of maturing involves developing our sense of caring for others. We are taught in Jewish tradition that if someone does not give to others, it is as if he is the “walking dead.” An ungiving soul is malnourished and withered.
One day a tzaddik (a righteous man) was at home when he heard a knock at the door. The tzaddik opened the door and found a homeless man standing there. “Can I have a dollar for some food?” he asked. So he did what any good tzaddik would do: hurried to find his wallet, rushed to give the beggar the dollar and quickly sent him on his way.
The homeless man was already halfway down the street when he heard someone calling after him, “Wait, wait!” He turned to see the waving tzaddik, who handed the beggar another dollar.
Upon returning home, the tzaddik found his astonished wife.
“I’ll explain,” he said. “When I first opened the door and saw a smelly, raggedy man, I felt uncomfortable. I ran to get the dollar because I wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible. But after he’d left, I realized I didn’t give him the dollar for him, I gave him the dollar for me — because I felt uncomfortable. So I wanted to give a second dollar — this time for him!”
May our concern for others lead us to acts of kindness.
Rabbi Larry Raphael is the senior rabbi of Congregation Sherith Israel in San Francisco.