The Treasure of Inner Wisdom
讜讬拽专讗 专讘讛 (讜讬诇谞讗) 驻专砖讛 讻讛
讛 (讗讬讜讘 诇讞) 诪讬 砖转 讘讟讜讞讜转 讞讻诪讛 诪讛讜 讘讟讜讞讜转 讘讟讜讬讗 (砖诐 讗讬讜讘 诇”讞) 讗讜 诪讬 谞转谉 诇砖讻讜讬 讘讬谞讛 讛讚讗 转专谞讙讜诇转讗 讗”专 诇讜讬 讘注专讘讬讗 爪讜讜讞讬谉 诇转专谞讙讜诇转’ 砖讻讜讬讗 讛讚讗 转专谞讙讜诇转讗 讻讚 讗驻专讜讞讬讛 讚拽讬拽讬谉 讛讬讗 诪讻谞砖讗 诇讛讜谉 讜讬讛讘转 诇讛讜谉 转讞讜转 讗讙驻讬讗 讜诪砖讞谞讛 诇讛讜谉 讜诪注讚专谞讛 拽讚诪讬讛讜谉 讜讻讚 讗讬谞讜谉 专讘讬讬讛 讞讚 诪谞讛讜谉 讘注讬 诇诪拽专讘 诇讜转讬讛 讜讛讬讗 谞拽专讛 诇讬讛 讘讙讜 专讬砖讬讛 讜讗”诇 讝讬诇 注讚讜专 讘拽讜拽诇转讱 讻讱 讻砖讛讬讜 讬砖专讗诇 讘诪讚讘专 诪’ 砖谞讛 讛讬讛 讛诪谉 讬讜专讚 讜讛讘讗专 注讜诇讛 诇讛谉 讜讛砖诇讬讜 诪爪讜讬 诇讛谉 讜注谞谞讬 讻讘讜讚 诪拽讬驻讜转 讗讜转谉 讜注诪讜讚 注谞谉 诪住讬注 诇驻谞讬讛诐 讻讬讜谉 砖谞讻谞住讜 讬砖专讗诇 诇讗专抓 讗诪专 诇讛诐 诪砖讛 讻诇 讗讞讚 讜讗讞讚 诪讻诐 讬讟注讜谉 诪讻讜砖讬讛 讜讬驻讜拽 讜讬谞爪讜讘 诇讬讛 谞爪讬讘讬谉 讛讛”讚 讻讬 转讘讗讜 讗诇 讛讗专抓 讜谞讟注转诐
Leviticus Rabbah, Kedoshim 25:5
“Who has put wisdom in batuchot? Or who has given understanding to the sechvi?” (Job 28:36) What is the meaning of batuchot? In the inward parts. Sechvi is a hen . . . The hen, when its young are tiny, gathers them together and places them beneath its wings, warming them and grubbing for them. But when they are grown up, if one of them wants to get near her she pecks it on the head and says to it: Go grub your own dunghill! So too during the forty years that Israel were in the wilderness, the manna fell, the well came up for them, the quails were at hand for them, the clouds of glory encircled them, and the pillar of cloud led the way before them. When Israel were about to enter the Land, Moses said to them: Let every one of you take up his spade and go out and plant trees. Hence it is written, “When you shall come into the land, you shall plant all manner of trees for food” (Lev. 19:23)
The very sage pediatrician who examined my newborn son, my firstborn, asked me what his temperament is like. My husband and I exchanged looks, and out poured our utter dismay at how to handle our colicky little treasure. I will never forget the doctor’s words of advice: You know what to do. Listen to your gut instincts. You are already wise.
The mother hen teaches us much about parenting and treating each stage of life in its own way. The midrash teaches us too, not only for its grounding us in appreciating the way God has cared for us at our various stages of peoplehood and individual growth, but for reminding us to treasure our inner wisdom鈥攖he wisdom of our “inward parts” and the understanding of the sechvi鈥攁s a divine gift, a bit of God’s stardust planted within us.
