Reflections on the Parshah
Un-Kosher Kindness

The weekly Torah portion describes the characteristics of kosher and forbidden animals, fish, and fowl. Nachmanides in his commentary observes that the forbidden fowl are predatory.

Among these prohibited birds enumerated we find the chasida, translated as "stork." The literal meaning of chasida is "kindly," an appropriate name, says Rashi, because this bird is helpful to its friends, and shares its food with them.

Nachmanides observes that the forbidden fowl are predatory.In this case, asks the Gerrer Rebbe, since the bird is kindly and sympathetic, then according to Nachmanides it belongs among the kosher instead of the forbidden fowl.

The Gerrer drew an interesting moral from this. The chasida is helpful to its friends, but is indifferent to the plight of birds of another feather. Kindliness toward one's own is not enough. If we differentiate between a friend in need and a stranger in like circumstances, between our kind and another, we are not kindly. Goodness must be indiscriminate - whoever needs help is deserving.