The Torah is full of it, if we know where to look. Sometimes, the lessons we need aren't found in grand pronouncements, but in the behavior of animals.
Bamidbar Rabbah 23, a section of the classical midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) collection Bamidbar Rabbah on the Book of Numbers, opens with a fascinating connection between dispossessing the inhabitants of the land, as commanded in (Numbers 33:52) ("you shall dispossess all the inhabitants of the land from before you"), and (Job 35:11): "Who teaches us through the animals of the earth and makes us wiser from the birds of the heavens." What’s the link?
The Rabbis of the Midrash ask us to consider the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal, found in I Kings 18. Remember that epic showdown on Mount Carmel? Elijah, single-handedly challenging the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Ashera. The challenge: each side would prepare a bull for sacrifice, but without lighting the fire. The true God would be revealed by answering with fire from heaven.
The text points out a curious detail. Elijah tells them, "Choose one bull for yourselves, and prepare it first, as you are many" (I (Kings 18:2)5). But later, it says, "They took the bull that he gave them" (I (Kings 18:2)6). What happened? Where did Elijah get the bull?
The Midrash imagines Elijah choosing two identical bulls, raised together. He proposes a lottery: one for Adonai, one for Baal. But here’s the thing: the prophets of Baal couldn’t even move their bull! The bull, according to the Midrash, refused to budge. It knew its destiny was to anger God. Only when Elijah reassured it, promising that God's name would be sanctified through it as well, did the bull relent. "Go with them," Elijah says, "so they will not find a pretext, as, just as the name of the Holy One blessed be He is sanctified upon the one that is with me, so it is sanctified upon you."
What a powerful image! Even an animal understands the importance of sanctifying God's name, even if it means facing an unpleasant fate. The Midrash emphasizes that we can learn from this animal’s devotion.
But the lesson doesn't end there. The Midrash continues, “And makes us wiser from the birds of the heavens” (Job 35:11). We are asked to learn from the ravens that fed Elijah during the famine, as recounted in I (Kings 17:4) ("I have commanded the ravens to provide for you there"). These weren't just any ravens. According to the Midrash, they took bread and meat from the table of King Yehoshafat, a righteous king. They refused to take food from the table of the wicked King Ahab, because his house was filled with idols. Even the birds knew better than to associate with idolatry!
The connection? The Midrash concludes that just as we learn from the bull and the ravens to avoid idolatry, we must "not turn to false gods" (Leviticus 19:4). This is derived from the verse about dispossessing the inhabitants of the land and destroying their idols (Numbers 33:52).
So, what’s the takeaway? The lesson isn’t just about avoiding idolatry. It's about finding wisdom in the most unexpected places. It’s about recognizing that even animals can teach us profound lessons about faith, devotion, and the importance of sanctifying God's name. It’s a reminder to open our eyes and our hearts to the lessons all around us, even in the creatures of the earth and the birds of the heavens. What "animals of the earth" are teaching you right now?
“For you are coming” – “you shall dispossess all the inhabitants of the land from before you” (Numbers 33:52). This is what the verse said: “Who teaches us through the animals of the earth and makes us wiser from the birds of the heavens” (Job 35:11). “Who teaches us through the animals of the earth” – the Holy One blessed be He said to them: ‘Learn from Elijah’s bull, as when Elijah said to the Baal worshippers: “Choose one bull for yourselves, and prepare it first, as you are many, [and call in the name of your god, but do not place fire.]” (I Kings 18:25), four hundred and fifty prophets of the Baal and four hundred and fifty prophets of the Ashera gathered, but they were unable to move its legs from the ground.’ See what is written there: “Let them give us two bulls, and let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it into pieces, and place it on the wood, but let them not place fire, and I will prepare one bull” (I Kings 18:23), and I will cut it into pieces, “and I will not place fire” (I Kings 18:23). What did Elijah do? He said to them: Select two identical bulls from one mother that grew in one pasture, and cast lots upon them, one to the Lord and one to the Baal. All the prophets of the Baal and the prophets of the Ashera gathered. But they could not move its feet until Elijah began and said to it: ‘Go with them.’ The bull answered and said to him before the eyes of the entire people: ‘I and my counterpart emerged from one womb, from one cow, and we grew in one pasture, but its lot was to be the portion of the Omnipresent, and the name of the Holy One blessed be He is sanctified through it, and my lot is to be the portion of the Baal, to anger my Creator.’ Elijah said to it: ‘Bull, bull, have no fear. Go with them, so they will not find a pretext, as, just as the name of the Holy One blessed be He is sanctified upon the one that is with me, so it is sanctified upon you.’ It said to him: ‘This is what you counsel me? I take an oath that I will not move from here until you deliver me into their hand,’ as it is stated: “They took the bull that he gave them” (I Kings 18:26). Who gave it to them? It was Elijah. You learn from Elijah, who said to them: “Let them give us two bulls” (I Kings 18:23), and he also said to them: “Choose one bull for yourselves, and prepare it first” (I Kings 18:25), but ultimately it is written: “They took the bull that he gave them” (I Kings 18:26) – that is why it is written: “Who teaches us through the animals of the earth” (Job 35:11). “And makes us wiser from the birds of the heavens” (Job 35:11) – the Holy One blessed be He said: Learn from the ravens that provided for Elijah, as it is stated: “I have commanded the ravens to provide for you there” (I Kings 17:4). From where did they bring him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat at night? It was from the table of Yehoshafat. Those birds did not want to enter the house of that wicked one, Ahab, to take anything out from his table for that righteous one, because there were idols in his house. That is, “and makes us wiser from the birds of the heavens.” The Holy One blessed be He said: Learn from Elijah’s bull and from the ravens, and “do not turn to false gods” (Leviticus 19:4) to look at them. From where is it derived? It is from what is written regarding this matter: “You shall dispossess all the inhabitants of the land from before you…[and destroy all their molten images]” (Numbers 33:52).
