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 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 18:25). But later, it says, "They took the bull that he gave them" (I Kings 18:26). 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?