SOME LESSONS FROM ANIMALS

Dear Family,

I hope that everyone is well

Mazal Tov to Shmuly and Devorah Leah on their upcoming Anniversary next week on Rosh Chodesh Elul. Wishing you much continued happiness together, with much continued achievement in both the material and spiritual, and much nachas from all of your children BEH!

I heard an interesting vort from Rabbi Gordon's shiur this week:

Kosher animals have to have 2 signs ie they chew the cud, and they have split hooves

Torah specifies 4 animals which chew the cud, or have divided hooves (and therefore not kosher) - 14:7 ie the SHESUAH, the CAMEL, the HARE, and the ROCK BADGER.

And one animal, the PIG, which has split hooves but does not chew the cud (and is therefore also not kosher) - 14:8

Now there are 1000's of animals all over the world, and it would therefore have been impossible for Moshe to make such a statement that only the above 5 species are not kosher!

This is a clear sign that the Torah was given by Hashem, and therefore testimony to its Holiness!

And on the same theme, from Mashiach Day by Day:

From Shir Hashirim 8:14 - Flee my beloved and liken yourself to a GAZELLE, or to a young DEER.

The Jewish People wish that Hashem will never fully depart from them (even when we cause the Divine Presence to depart)

The deer runs away little by little, constantly turning it's head to look back.

Therefore we request that Hashem, if he has to flee from us, He should flee like a deer (constantly looking back to the place that it left)

As we head for the month of ELUL, the letters of which is an acronym for Ani LeDodi VeDodi Li - I am for my Beloved, and my Beloved is for me (Shir Hashirim ), may it be, that we return to Hashem and Hashem returns to us fully, with good news for the whole of Klal Yisrael.

Gut Shabbos to all, and wishing everyone a kesiva vechasimah tovah for a Good and Sweet New Year.