Mother Goose
Recently I have noticed that the lower panels of the glass windows at the Young Israel synagogue on Green Road were covered over with a white plastic covering. It was unsightly and seemed like a strange window treatment. I wasn't sure how that one got past the aesthetics committee.
Somebody explained this strange phenomenon to me by pointing out that right in front of those windows, a goose had made itself comfortable by taking up residence in the synagogue's large flower pot, right in front of those glass windows.
In fact, the goose has laid five eggs there,
and refuses to leave and abandon those eggs no matter how hard people have tried. Even Wild Protective Services came by, tried and gave up. Not only that, but the daddy goose hovers nearby and when he sees anyone getting too close to his mate and their eggs, he comes nosediving in attack mode. To further complicate matters, and this is the kicker, whenever Daddy approaches this makeshift nest, he notices his reflection in the lower panel of Synagogue windows, and thinks that he's seeing a different goose and goes crazy, flying into the window, trying to attack his "competition," injuring himself in the process. (Apparently, he's not the smartest goose in the nest.)
Hence the white plastic covering on the windows: to prevent Daddy goose from seeing his own reflection in the glass and freaking out!
Meanwhile, the loyalty of both Mama and Daddy goose is remarkable to observe. Day and night, in all weather conditions, they are out there, fearlessly doing whatever needs to be done to protect their young.
"All the world's a stage," remarked William Shakespeare, "and all the men and women merely players." What is the objective of the play of life? To develop ourselves and our character into the best and most refined actors and producers possible. How do we do so? The Torah and Mussar provide the keys to character refinement.
Are there any other tools at our disposal?
The Talmud makes a remarkable statement. "Had the Torah not been given, we would still be able to learn how to develop positive character traits by observing animals." The Talmud is teaching us that the Torah contains the keys to Mussar, the art of character development. The Torah contains the secret to developing our character. Without the Torah's guidance, it is truly difficult for human beings to improve their character. However, from observing the conduct of animals, we can learn about the importance of different aspects of character development. The Talmud continues with a list of which character traits can be learned from which animal. Here's one example: from the dove, one learns loyalty and fidelity, as the dove has relations only with its mate.
Perhaps the Mother Goose drama on Green Road is all about teaching us a lesson. A lesson about devotion, about perseverance and about commitment. These are all super timely lessons. Shavout is coming, and these three traits were personified by our ancestors at Mt. Sinai 3,329 years ago. With just two Hebrew words, "Na'aseh v'nishma," we changed the course of world history forever. With those words, we signed on the dotted line and closed the deal. We committed ourselves to live our lives as role models for humanity, to refine our character and live by the ideals, values and Mitzvahs of the Torah. That takes a lot of devotion, perseverance and commitment.
Once again, Mother Goose is there to teach us and remind us, and this is no fairy tale.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Koval
