SEND US MOSHIACH AND THE MOTHER BIRD!

SEND AWAY THE MOTHER BIRD!

One of the most enigmatic commandments in the Torah concerns the requirement to send away the mother bird when chancing on a nest.

“If a bird’s nest happens to be before you on the road, on any tree or on the ground, young birds or eggs, and the mother is roosting on the young birds or the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young. You shall surely send away the mother and take the young for yourself, so that it will be good for you and prolong your days.”

When the Torah commands us to send away the mother bird it repeats the word for sending. Instead of stating “send away the mother bird,” it says (if we translate this literally) “Send you shall send away the mother…”

The Midrash asks why the Torah repeats this term.

BRINGS MOSHIACH AND ELIJAH

One of the answers given in the Midrash is that the Torah here alludes to the reward we will receive for fulfilling this Mitzvah; a reward that is also described as “sending”:

“If you have fulfilled this commandment you will hasten the coming of Moshiach of whom the term ‘sending’ is written.

       “From where [do we know this]?

       “For it is stated, ‘Who sent forth the feet of the ox and the donkey’” (Isaiah 32:20).

Commentators explain that the words “ox” and “donkey” are allusions to the two Messianic leaders who will usher in the Final Redemption in two phases, as mentioned in the Talmud (Sukka 52a).

In the first phase, a descendant of Joseph, who is likened to an ox, will fight the wars against the enemies of Israel. According to one source, Moshiach ben Yosef will be killed in one of his battles. However other classic sources state that his death is not inevitable; prayer can cancel that outcome.

Moshiach ben Yosef is then followed by Moshiach, a descendant of David, who is said to arrive “riding on a donkey.”

According to the Zohar, the two Moshiachs actually refer to the same person, whose revelation comes in two phases. The first phase is where he fights evil and paves the way for the rebuilding of the Beis HaMikdash and the ingathering of the exiles.

The Midrash then provides another interpretation of the repetitive expression of “sending:”

“If you have fulfilled this commandment you will hasten the coming of Elijah the prophet, may he be remembered for good, of whom the term ‘sending’ is written, as it is stated, ‘Behold I send you Elijah the prophet…’ (Malachi 3:23). He will come and comfort you. From where [do we know this]? For it is stated, ‘And he will reconcile the hearts of the fathers to the sons [and the hearts of the sons to the fathers].’”

We have to understand how the Mitzvah of sending away the mother bird has anything to do with Moshiach and Elijah the prophet. Other than the word for sending, there seems to be no other connection between sending away the mother bird and G-d sending us the two phases of Moshiach and Elijah.

Here is another question to consider. It is generally accepted that Elijah will precede Moshiach to announce his coming. Why then does the Midrash refer to the coming of Moshiach before the coming of Elijah?

THIS IS FOR THE BIRDS!

To understand the connection between sending the mother bird and Moshiach/Elijah let us reflect on a possible allegorical understanding of this Mitzvah.

One obvious feature of this Mitzvah is that it only applies to sending away a mother bird. It does not apply to other species. What is so special about birds?

A bird is a symbol of spiritual growth by soaring to a higher plane. Birds also symbolize peace because they bring distant places together. Thus our Sages inform us that if one dreams of a bird he should anticipate peace. Even if there are wide swaths of land or water, metaphorically speaking, that separate continents, the bird can bring them together. Unity is one of the hallmarks of spirituality.

The bird is therefore an apt simile for the quest for spiritual heights and for Moshiach. Indeed, the word for bird in Hebrew, Tzippora, shares the numerical equivalent of the world Shalom-peace and “this is Moshiach” [when spelled without the optional letter vov].

How does one achieve spiritual growth, particularly growth that will usher in the Messianic Age of true peace and soaring to spiritual heights?

GETTING OUR WINGS

Our “wings,” the Zohar teaches, are the emotions of love for and awe of G-d.

How do we develop these emotions?

Maimonides explains, and Chassidic literature expounds greatly on this theme, we develop these emotions through deep reflection and contemplation of G-d’s greatness and His love for us.

The intellectual process is referred to as the “mother which crouches on her offspring.” The mother (and to a lesser degree, the father) is the one who gives birth to the offspring. The mother in Chassidic and Kabbalistic parlance is a metaphor for the attribute of Bina, which takes a concept and develops it so that it gives birth to the emotions of love and awe. It is compared to the process of the fetus gestating in the mother’s womb in order to produce offspring.

One can fly high and get involved in all sorts of spiritual activities and experiences that abound these days, but if they are not connected to bina, the “mother,” a solid and mature understanding of the spiritual concepts, it will not lead to a mature and stable emotion.

However, the intellectual process is by nature the very opposite of an emotional experience. And although we need the intellectual side to give birth to the emotions, the person must be capable of making the transition from the cerebral aspect to the emotional.

SEND AWAY YOUR INTELLECT

Thus, it may be suggested, this is the allegorical dimension of the commandment to send away the mother bird. When we want to create our figurative “children,” our emotions, we must send away the “mother.” While immersed in intellectual pursuits we cannot actualize our emotions. We must send away the “mother bird,” and make the transition from the cerebral in order to be able to focus on the emotional.

But before we send away the mother bird, we must first ensure that there is a mother, otherwise we cannot perform the Mitzvah.

THREE STEPS

However, being in Galus-exile impedes our ability to soar to greater heights by developing the requisite emotions because of three factors. As we will see, these three factors are ameliorated by the three stages of Moshiach ben Yosef, Moshiach ben Dovid and then Elijah the prophet.

The first impediment is the existence of powerful external negative and destructive forces. Like a goring ox or the proverbial bull in the china shop, these negative forces inhibit our intellectual power of Bina. Our minds become clouded. No matter how hard we try to develop a solid understanding of spiritual matters, we are distracted and our concentration is wrecked.

Moshiach ben Yosef, representing the initial Messianic phase that struggles against evil as a precursor to the building of the Beis HaMikdash, removes that impediment to our Bina. It is the first step in fulfilling the Mitzvah of sending away the mother bird because it enables us to have that cerebral “mother” in the first place.

There is, however, a second problem in Galus-exile: the need to overcome our own internal weaknesses and moral lapses that stem from preoccupation with material matters.

For this we need the second phase, that of Moshiach ben Dovid who “rides on a chamor-donkey.” In this context the donkey stands as a symbol for materialism. Moshiach’s riding on a donkey, the Maharal states, is a metaphor for his ability to control all obsession with materialism. Moshiach is personally head and shoulders above materialistic desires but his critical role is to empower us with his energy by activating the spark of Moshiach within each and every one of us.

But now that our power of Bina (our metaphoric mother) is intact, what does Elijah contribute?

There is a third impediment to the Mother producing the offspring. It is the blockage that separates mind and heart. This blockage exists even if one’s intellect is intact. If bina is the mother and the emotions are the children, then we have to remove the generation gap between them. To remove the blockage between intellect and emotion, G-d will send us Elijah the prophet because it is his talent to bring the parents back to the children and the children to their parents. This refers to bridging the gulf between the worlds of parents (intellect) and children (emotions). Sometimes the mind refuses to leave room for the heart. This is a common problem with brilliant intellectuals who live in ivory towers and cannot relate to others, a cardinal element of positive emotion.

Conversely, there are others who have uncontrollable emotions that can be compared to a blazing flame that will just burn itself out. Without the tempering influence of bina, the emotions alone will not propel the person to more action. It will lead instead to burnout.

Elijah will then follow the two Moshiachs’ contribution of bina by connecting the parents to the children, in other words by seeing to it that there is a wholesome relationship between the “mother” and the “children.” Even as the “mother” (bina) will nurture and tame the “children” (the emotions) she will not smother them. Elijah will create the bridge between these two worlds.

In this context, Elijah comes after the arrival of Moshiach, which is distinct from his other role as the one who announces the coming of Moshiach.

As our preparation for Moshiach shifts into full gear, we must focus on these three areas:

First, we must develop a deep understanding of G-d, particularly by studying the teachings of Chassidus that focus on this very subject and objective. This will enable us to develop the wings of love and awe and simultaneously remove both the external and internal impediments to our bina (instilling the energy of the two Moshiachs). We must then develop the skill of fusing these two often colliding worlds of intellect and emotion under the influence of Elijah.

By our observing the law of sending away the mother bird, with all of its deep connotations, it will lead us to the revelation of both phases of Moshiach and Elijah the prophet.