Send Us Moshiach and the Mother Bird!

Three are the barriers to spiritual growth: External pressure, internal moral lapses and the gulf between mind and heart. The Messianic Age will tackle and remove these three challenges.

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 (Sukkah 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 come “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 Bais 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 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 tzippor 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 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 Binah, 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 binah, 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 Golus-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 Binah. 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 Bais Hamikdash, removes that impediment to our Binah. 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 Golus-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 Binah (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 bInah 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 binah, 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 binah 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” (binah) 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 binah (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.

BUILDING FENCES FOR MOSHIACH

The Challenge of New

When building a new house, the Torah commands us to place a ma’akeh-fence on the edges of the roof to ensure that no one falls off.

The requirement to erect a fence is actually a general one, not just for a new house. The fact that the Torah specifies that it is to be made for a new house is instructive.

When people begin a new venture they are full of energy and optimism. While this is an admirable state of mind, any venture can be fraught with unanticipated challenges. The exuberance that accompanies a new venture, whether a job, marriage or literally a new house, can give way to unfortunate and unforeseeable consequences. In any new venture there are pitfalls that one must avoid.

The New House, Year, Stage of Life

We always read this parsha in Elul, the final month of the year; it is the month designed to prepare us for a New Year.

Sefer Yetzirah, the early work of Kabbalah, divides all of existence into olam-world-space, shanah-year-time, and nefesh-soul-energy-personality.

The acronym for these three aspects is ashan-smoke.

The Rebbe explains that all physical phenomena are smoke screens that do not allow the Divine light to shine through. Mount Sinai was enveloped with ashan because the very purpose of Torah was to clear up the smoke and reveal the true Divine essence of everything.

When entering into a new phase of space, time or energy, we must take protective measures and build a figurative ma’akeh.

It follows then that the concept of a new house, which the Torah speaks of in relation to the realm of space, can also be applied when we enter a new phase of time, such as a New Year, and further expanded to include entering into a new era, especially the Messianic Era, which will bring about a total renewal of everything.

The Age of New Reality

In the Messianic Age the world will experience a surge of new Divine energy. Moshiach will reveal new vistas of Torah knowledge. Our eyes will see reality in an entirely new and refreshing manner. We will be exposed to the reality of G-d continuously creating the world, where every instant is its own moment of new creation. In truth, that phenomenon already exists, as we acknowledge in our daily prayers with “Who, in His goodness, continuously renews the act of Creation daily.” In the Messianic Age, however, this reality will emerge from behind the smokescreen and the entire world will bask in this new experience.

Rosh Hashanah, the anniversary of the creation of Adam, dilutes that smokescreen as we become more aware of G- d’s renewal of Creation on the anniversary of the sixth day of Creation.

What Rosh Hashanah is relative to the other days of the year, the Messianic Era is compared to all of the history of the universe. It will introduce us to the concept of “new” in a radically novel way.

If the idea of the new houses can relate to the New Year and then the new era, it can be applied to the third element of nefesh-soul-energy-personality. As we age and grow, we enter new stages of life. Some examples are Bar- Bas Mitzvah, marriage or a birthday. Here too, one must realize that, as exciting it may be to enter into a new stage of life, one must be adequately prepared and take necessary precautions.

Building Our Metaphoric Ma’akeh before Rosh Hashanah and the Final Redemption

As we read this section of the Torah in close proximity to the New Year, we have to reflect on what building a Ma’akeh means in terms of preparing for the New Year.

And as we are in the last moments of exile, standing ready to enter into the ultimate New Age of Moshiach we must ask ourselves how to build a metaphoric Ma’akeh.

One may suggest the answer in the following allegorical interpretation of the word Ma’akeh.

After Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we celebrate the Festival of Sukkos, which is considered a Holiday of protection. The Sukkah reminds us of the way G-d protected us in the desert, by surrounding us with clouds of glory and providing us with booths for shelter.

In a spiritual vein, the Festival of Sukkos protects us from the dangers of a New Year. The greatest danger is that the burst of inspiration we gained from Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur will dissipate as soon as we go back to our old routines. Our days dwelling in the Sukkah enable us to internalize the inspiration deeply, so that it sustains us until Passover, the next major Holiday.

However, there is another layer of protection afforded by this Holiday. This layer arises from the four species we hold and wave in all directions on Sukkos.

It may be suggested that the four letters of the Hebrew word Ma’akeh-fence allude to these four species.

The Four Letters

The word ma’akeh, consists of four Hebrew letters: mem, ayin, kuf, and hei.

The mem is a unique letter. When written phonetically it consists of two consonant mems. This alludes to the unique characteristic of the Esrog, where the bark of the tree has the same taste as the Esrog itself. Another characteristic is the Esrog’s ability to thrive through all of the four seasons. Both of these traits point to it as a symbol of consistency and sincerity, just like the letter mem.

Indeed, the Midrash compares the Esrog to our hearts. An Esrog personality is one who is sincere and does everything with all his or her heart.

The ayin of ma’akeh is the initial letter of the word Arava, the willow leaf that is attached to the Lulav. The willow, the Midrash states, resembles the mouth.

The kuf stands for the words k’shei oref-stiff necked. The Lulav, a palm branch resembling the spine, represents the traits of stubbornness, tenacity and stick-to-itiveness.

The hei that completes ma’akeh stands for the word Hadas, the myrtle leaf attached to the Lulav, which the Midrash says resembles the human eye.

To prepare for and preserve the inspiration of the New Year and the Redemption we must incorporate the four traits represented by the Four Species.

These traits have been instrumental in our survival as a people and will serve us well in the future.

The Heart of Judaism

The degree of kindness and compassion with which we have lived our Jewish lives is unique in the annals of history. Indeed, the Talmud states that if people do not possess these traits it is questionable that they are really Jewish. Kindness has been programmed into our collective psyches from the time of Abraham and further reinforced at Sinai.

On Rosh Hashanah, as we proclaim G-d our King, we come before Him in a state of unity. We know this from the words at the end of Devarim: “He was king in Jeshurun [a synonym for Israel], when the people’s leaders gathered themselves together.” According to Rashi, this means that G-d is our King when we are united.

Likewise, our way of preparing for the New Age of Redemption is first and foremost by maintaining excellent spiritual cardiac health, as manifested through acts of sincerity, kindness, love and unity.

Judaism’s Mouthpiece

The second preparation for the New Year and the New Age of Redemption is the Arava-willow with its mouth-shaped leaf.

The secret of our survival as a nation has been our ability to communicate the teachings of the Torah from generation to generation and to express our heartfelt desires to the A-mighty in prayer. This we do wholeheartedly on Rosh Hashanah when we proclaim G-d as our King and plead with Him to accept our prayers.

Similarly, the way we bring on Moshiach is through our heartfelt prayers and by looking for new insights and deeper ways of understanding the Torah as we learn. This prepares us for the New Age.

Stiff-Necked

The third element of the ma’akeh is the Lulav with its stiffnecked message.

We have been described as stiff-necked people in a negative way but also in a positive way. If not for our ability to persevere, despite thick or thin, we would have long disappeared.

The Rebbe, in an historic talk (28th of Nissan 5791) taught us that we need at least 10 stiff-necked people who will not give up clamoring for Moshiach and Redemption.

Open Eyes

The final element on our list is the Hadas-myrtle, which resembles our eyes. The eyes represent the way we are to view things. As a general rule, we have always had an optimistic view of life. The good eye sees the positive in everything.

The Rebbe spoke of how we have to open our eyes. When our eyes are closed we don’t see how the world has changed for the better. Open eyes enable us to see the miracles that have happened and continue to happen. The person with open eyes sees how everything that is happening, including the negative, is part of the process of Redemption. An open-eyed person knows that the negative occurrences that still plague our world are evil’s last stand before it is totally abolished.

The Overarching Sukkah

There is one more overarching element to our preparation for the New Year and New Era. It is represented by the Sukkah. The rationale behind the Sukkah, the Torah says, is to facilitate knowledge of G-d’s protective powers.

This approach emphasizes the knowledge of G-d that comes through the study of Torah, particularly the study of the mystical teachings of Torah contained in Chassidus.

This is hinted in the requirement to place the fence around our rooftops. The rooftop relates to the covering of the Sukkah, which serves as our awareness of G-d’s protective powers.

To summarize, there are four areas of preparation for the New Year and the New Age of Redemption. They are:

The Jewish heart-Love and unity.

The Jewish art of communication; through prayer and Torah study.

Our stiff-necked tenacity, never giving up hope and continually demanding Redemption.

Opening our eyes to see the positive signs of Redemption in our lives.

May we be blessed with the imminent Redemption with Moshiach at our head in time to celebrate this Rosh Hashanah together in Jerusalem!

From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Ki Seitzei by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.