Friday, January 19, 2001
By Liat Collins
The Bible - rich in descriptions of animals - uses the animal kingdom to teach lessons about life, society and human nature
British-born Nosson Slifkin likes breaking stereotypes: In a recent article in Jewish Action magazine, the "Zoo Rabbi" cheerfully admits that narrow preconceptions of haredim are easily dispelled when he gives lectures wearing his hat, jacket and a boa constrictor. "Rabbis don't usually wear boa constrictors," he notes.
Slifkin uses both his humor and his knowledge - he studies at the Mir Yeshiva and teaches at Ohr Somayach - to take us on an unusual tour of the Biblical Zoo in Jerusalem and erase some more stigmas on the way. Instead of simply citing the relevant passage in the Bible that mentions a particular animal, Slifkin's book examines why the Torah uses that specific creature as a symbol.
Hence, instead of just supplying us with several quotes from Pirkei Avot on lions, he adds an observation by zoologist Vitus B. Droscher that although the lion has a highly aggressive disposition, it controls its temper within its own clan. This, according to Slifkin, shows that: "The lion is termed mighty, not because of its physical strength, but because it can act with restraint despite it. The power to subdue and override our evil drives is the leonine trait that man is encouraged to emulate."
Similarly, we learn that the mother bear bereft of her cubs is consistently used in the Bible as a symbol of anger, one explanation being that bear cubs are so tiny at birth (weighing only about 250 grams) that the mother forges a particularly strong bond with her young during the long weaning process and becomes extra protective.
Discussing mandrills, large primates, Slifkin notes that the Hebrew word for "monkey" - "kof" - is the same as for the 19th letter of the Hebrew alphabet, which in Jewish mystical tradition stands for "kedushah," the sanctity of God. Man, created in "the image of God" (Genesis 1:27), is charged with the task of emulating his Creator, says Slifkin, but he can only succeed if his efforts are sincere, otherwise "he is no better than the monkey trained to comically emulate humans."
The book, with English and Hebrew texts on facing pages and plenty of glossy color photos, is really a wonderful guide, set out in order of a tour of the zoo, and offering some behind the scenes glimpses and thoughts.
For example, discussing the zoo kitchen, Slifkin points out that the Talmud forbids a man eating before he has given food to his animals and that the Sages maintain that Noah did not sleep because he was so busy feeding all the creatures on the Ark. Other biblical and religious precepts are raised when he mentions that much of the food is donated by the Jerusalem Religious Council and comprises produce taken in tithes.
Further information on Slifkin's education programs concerning Torah and the animal kingdom can be found at his website: www.zootorah.com. Once you've read his thoughts, you'll understand that a visit to the zoo can be a religious experience - and not just fun.