Welcome to our Perek Shira
series. We are now in the Song of the Bird, which comes from Tehilim
84, 4.
צִפּוֹר אוֹמֵר. גַּם צִפּוֹר מָצְאָה בַיִת וּדְרוֹר קֵן לָהּ
אֲשֶׁר שָׁתָה אֶפְרֹחֶיהָ אֶת מִזְבְּחוֹתֶיךָ יי צְבָאוֹת מַלְכִּי
וֵאלֹהָי: /Even the bird found a home, and the dror (a type of
bird) a nest for her, where it lays its young. Your mizbehot, Hashem
Sevaot, Malki V'Elohai
The first, beautiful explanation of this pasuk comes from
the sefer Kol Rina. It says the Jewish people are compared to a bird, as it
says in the Brit Ben HaBetarim, that they did not split the bird (which
Rashi says refers to the Jewish people who are compared to a bird). Hashem is saying
that we shouldn't forget Yerushalayim,
and we should always hope for the Geula,
even in the times when we're in Galut. He says further that there are
two kinds of Jewish people: Some are compared to the Tsipor Matzah Bayit/The
bird that found a home. That means they found a home in Chutz L'Aretz and
that is not good. This song is telling us that certain birds that find a home are easily domesticated. You bring them
into the house, and they'll stay. So too,
some Jews have found a house in galut, and that's not good, Hashem. We
can't have that happen. Other birds, such as the dror, which is the free
bird, is compared to another type of Jew, who doesn't want to be
subjugated to its host nation. They're only here as a kan/nest. They
don't stay in household dwellings. This bird puts its young by the mizbe'ach.
What does this mean? In a spiritual sense, they want to bring their young to the Mizbe'ach, because
they feel a connection of kedusha, like the birds that are always
hovering around the Kotel. They have some special connection to holiness. This
is compared to the sadikim that want to put their children in yeshivot.
They're not looking at Chutz L'Aretz as the place to be. These are two different types of people in klal Yisrael- the Tsipor
and the Dror. Have mercy on them, both the Tsipor whom we're afraid might get lost in the galut,
and the dror, who's going against the tide. Regardless, have mercy on
them and take us out of galut. That is one approach to this pasuk.
The second approach, brought down in the sefer Hakol Yeshabchucha on Perek Shira says that the Tsipor
refers to a small bird that is seemingly unimportant and not worthy of
supervision. Big, wild animals may seem more important, but Hashem also gave
importance to these birds. We use them to purify the leper and we use them
(doves and pigeons) for Korbanot.
This shows the tremendous amount of respect and importance they get.
Therefore, they sing a song that God made us important. Even
though we seem insignificant, we're able
to be involved.
In the process of purification, one bird is slaughtered and the other
bird is set free, and they are both singing the song of appreciation that We
were allowed to be involved.
גַּם צִפּוֹר מָצְאָה בַיִת-bayit refers to the purification of the house,
וּדְרוֹר קֵן לָהּrefers to one that is sent
out for that process, and
אֲשֶׁר שָׁתָה אֶפְרֹחֶיהָ אֶת מִזְבְּחוֹתֶיךָ - some birds are brought on the
mizbe'ach
יי צְבָאוֹת מַלְכִּי וֵאלֹהָיHashem the God of the legions.
So the bird is referencing the different instances where it's used
for the purification processes and saying, My song is that I'm able to do
something to bring about kavod shamayim. Rabbi Miller used to say that if
the flowers at a wedding could talk, they would say, "Wow, what an honor!
Here we are, at a Jewish wedding, making
Jewish people happy! Our friends are just withering away."
This is like the story that the is told of Eliyahu HaNavi at Har Carmel when they had
two identical cows-one of them would be
brought for the baal and the
other would be brought for Hashem. The one intended for the baal complained,
It's not fair. We're brothers, we were raised together. To which Eliyahu HaNavi answered, "Even though you're
being brought for the baal, the fact that the fire
will not come down means you're also bringing
about kavod Shamayim."
So too, for all creatures-that is their ultimate kavod Shamayim.
The songs of the creatures are not necessarily physical songs, but a recognition of the fact that they're bringing out their
potential by being used for Hashem.
That's why when vegetarians are based on the philosophy of How dare we eat animals, they don't
understand that we're doing the animal a favor- it's an uplift. They're proud
to be on our table.
And that's the song of these birds, that are proud to be involved
with what's going on.
