Ki-Teizte – Commandments: Heart and Mind

By Rabbi Ezra Friedman

In Judaism, the Torah’s commandments are the most central aspect of the religion. Judaism has 613 detailed commandments that help us serve Hashem in every facet of life. A very basic philosophical question may be asked regarding the adherence to Hashem‘s commandments. What is the purpose of these commandments? Does it really matter to Hashem what we eat, how we conduct business and what day we decide to rest on? The answer is that the commandments are not meant for Hashem, rather for humanity. They are Hashem‘s gift to help us improve ourselves and the world we live in. In this article we will deal with two different philosophical perspectives on how the Mizvot (commandments) help us improve our lives and the world.

In this week’s Parsha we are given a very unique commandment regarding animals (Devarim 22, 6-7):

כִּ֣י יִקָּרֵ֣א קַן־צִפּ֣וֹר לְפָנֶ֡יךָ בַּדֶּ֜רֶךְ בְּכָל־עֵ֣ץ א֣וֹ עַל־הָאָ֗רֶץ אֶפְרֹחִים֙ א֣וֹ בֵיצִ֔ים וְהָאֵ֤ם רֹבֶ֙צֶת֙ עַל־ הָֽאֶפְרֹחִ֔ים א֖וֹ עַל־הַבֵּיצִ֑ים לֹא־תִקַּ֥ח הָאֵ֖ם עַל־הַבָּנִֽים: שַׁלֵּ֤חַ תְּשַׁלַּח֙ אֶת־הָאֵ֔ם וְאֶת־הַבָּנִ֖ים תִּֽקַּֽח־לָ֑ךְ לְמַ֙עַן֙ יִ֣יטַב לָ֔ךְ וְהַאֲרַכְתָּ֖ יָמִֽים:

If, as you are walking along, you happen to see a bird’s nest in a tree or on the ground with chicks or eggs, and the mother bird is sitting on the chicks or the eggs, you are not to take the mother with the chicks. You must let the mother go, but you may take the chicks for yourself; so that things will go well with you, and you will prolong your life.

If someone sees bird eggs and wishes to take them as sustenance, he must make sure the mother is not present when taking the eggs. If in fact the mother is present, the commandment requires sending the mother bird away so that the eggs will not be taken in front of her. This commandment is call Shiluach Haken.

Two giants of Jewish law and philosophy disputed over meaning of this commandment, using it as an example to explain the depth and meaning behind all mitzvot (commandments).

The Rambam (Maimondes) is known for connecting the human intellect with religion. He states in his writings that a man’s spirituality resides in the power of his mind. The Rambam begins his book of Jewish law (Mishnei Torah) with the importance of knowledge:

יסוד היסודות ועמוד החכמות לידע שיש שם מצוי ראשון.

The foundation of all foundations and the pillar of wisdom is to know that there is a Primary Being who brought into being all existence

With this in mind, the Rambam explains that the idea behind Shiluach Haken is a logical one. We are commanded to have basic compassion for all living things and not cause harm, which can be avoided. When a bird sees her eggs taken right in front of her, this causes her unnecessary pain. We are commanded to release the mother and then take the eggs, thereby lowering the intensity of her distress. The Rambam uses this theory to explain that all commandments are actions used to strengthen our minds. For example, we are commanded to give charity in order for us to realize our responsibility for others. We are commanded to refrain from our daily labor on Shabbat as a way to stop and understand the creation of the world and it’s maker.

The Ramban (Nahmanides) on the other hand takes a very different approach. According to the Ramban, many times the commandment itself has no intrinsic meaning (on a human level, mystically all Mitzvot have meaning). Rather, a commandment is meant to infuse an emotional feeling. Commandments are exercises in building good feelings and deeds and preventing negative ones. When the Torah commands us to send the mother bird before taking her eggs it is a means of filling us with compassion and love, not on an intellectual level, but more of a subconscious emotional connection. The Ramban gives many examples of feelings that the Torah wants a Jew to feel through carrying out commandments. We are commanded to celebrate Passover and Sukkot in order for man to be instilled with gratitude for all the good done to him just as Hashem bestowed upon us when we were in the desert. When we wish to eat meat, we are commanded to slaughter an animal in a manner that causes the least amount of pain in order that we should not be desensitized to agony.

In Judaism, both the mind and the heart have purpose. We are meant to serve Hashem using both energies. Both philosophical perspectives are true and may be incorporated into our Jewish practice in different ways. To fully serve our Creator, we must empower ourselves both in thought and in feeling. As we hear the shofar blow this Elul, let us awaken our hearts and minds to connect to our Father in Heaven.