The Four Animals of the Human Composition
Chapter 5 Mishna 20
יְהוּדָה בֶן תֵּימָא אוֹמֵר, הֱוֵי עַז כַּנָּמֵר, וְקַל כַּנֶּשֶׁר, וְרָץ כַּצְּבִי, וְגִבּוֹר כָּאֲרִי, לַעֲשׂוֹת רְצוֹן אָבִיךָ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמָיִם
Yehuda ben Teima said: Be bold as a leopard, and swift as an eagle, and run like a deer, and strong like a lion, to do the will of your Father in Heaven
Yehuda ben Teima said: Be bold as a leopard, and swift as an eagle, and run like a deer, and strong like a lion, to do the will of your Father in Heaven
The Baal Haturim opens his Halachic Magnum Opus with a quote from the Mishna in chapter 5 of Pirkei Avos: “Yehuda ben Teima said ‘be bold like a leopard, swift like an eagle, run like a deer and strong like a lion, to do the will of your Father in Heaven.’” Following the Tur’s example, Kitzur Shulchan Aruch also includes this teaching in his opening chapter.
Rabbi Yehuda ben Teima draws on the qualities of these four animals and teaches us that we should emulate these character traits and employ them in our service of Hashem.
We need to be bold, so that we do not feel ashamed or embarrassed when people taunt us over our observance of Mitzvos. The Tur describes this as a Klal Gadol - a fundamental principle in Divine service. We must be swift to close our eyes when exposed to negative influences and we must run like the deer to fulfill Mitzvos. Finally, we need to strengthen our hearts like the lion with determination and resolve.
Other commentators explain that we must be bold like a leopard to ask questions when we learn Torah, without fear of embarrassment. We must be swift like the eagle to review our studies without tiring and be strong like a lion to control our impulses.
There is a Kabbalistic idea that the four letters of the Name י-ה-ו-ה represent the 4 primary aspects of Divine service. They are the two emotions of Yirah - awe of G-d (י) and Ahava - love of G-d (ה), and the two modes of service of Torah (ו) and Mitzvos (ה).
One of the great mystical commentators, the Megaleh Amukos, teaches that these are represented in the four letters of the name Teima - תימא, which is an acronym for תורה, יראה, מצוה, אהבה - Torah, awe, Mitzvah and love. When rearranged, the four letters spell אמתי, meaning truth.
The four animals listed in the Mishna also represents these four aspects.
The bold leopard refers to Torah study. Our sages teach that the Torah was given to the Jewish people because of our quality of boldness. The eagle is used a metaphor for love. Hashem is described as lovingly carrying us and arousing us as the eagle gently awakens is chicks. Running like a deer refers to alacrity in observing Mitzvos. Finally, the lion represents the quality of awe or fear of G-d. The word אריה (lion) when rearranged spells יראה (awe). It also shares the same Gematria as גבורה.
One glaring detail in this Mishna is problematic. Three out of the four animals mentioned are not Kosher. Further, from amongst the non-Kosher animals, these specific animals are predators, displaying bad-natures and negative Middos. So why do we use them as symbols for Avodas Hashem?
The Lubavitcher Rebbe explains that the 4 animals represent the different parts that comprise our being.
The soul is likened to a bird. The sages identify four signs that a Kosher bird possesses; it has an “extra toe”, it has a “crop”, its gizzard can be easily peeled by hand, and it cannot be a bird of prey. A bird is not kosher if even one of these signs is missing. Some non-Kosher birds are missing one of the four signs, some are missing two and some are missing three. The only bird that has none of the kosher signs is the eagle. As such, the eagle represents a very lowly Neshama.
The Kabbalists teach that each soul is invested within a Levush, a “garment” that serves as the interface through which the Neshama is able to be expressed. A more refined “garment” allows the light of the Neshama to be easily revealed. A coarser “garment” will make it more difficult for the Neshama to be expressed. The nature of this garment, whether refined or coarse, is affected by the Kavana of the parents at the time of conception. The leopard is associated with immorality and represents a very coarse “garment” that will make it difficult for the Neshama’s potential to be actualised.
The soul is enclothed within the body, whose desires and drives are diametrically opposed to those of the soul. Whereas birds represent the soul, the flesh of the body is represented by animals. The deer possesses a very dense flesh, representing a person who has a “dense” and coarse physical and material existence.
The lion represents the animalistic soul, which is the source of our material desires and our negative Middos. As an aggressive and ravenous animal, the lion represents a person with a dross animalistic nature and very lowly Middos.
Yehuda ben Teima is teaching us a very important lesson. We can sometimes feel that we have no hope of being holy and refined. We may even be corrupted on all of the levels of our spiritual and physical make-up. Well aware of our lowliness and lack of spiritual sensitivity and our struggles with negative emotions, we can lose hope of growing.
Hashem does not give us challenges that we cannot overcome. If we have been given difficult spiritual challenges, it is precisely because Hashem knows that we have the strength and ability to overcome them. The foundation of the “Shulchan Aruch” of Jewish life is that we should never give up. Even if we face great spiritual challenges and feel distant, with a sincere heart and Hashem’s help, we can reach the greatest heights in fulfilling the will of our Father in Heaven.
Rabbi Yehuda ben Teima draws on the qualities of these four animals and teaches us that we should emulate these character traits and employ them in our service of Hashem.
We need to be bold, so that we do not feel ashamed or embarrassed when people taunt us over our observance of Mitzvos. The Tur describes this as a Klal Gadol - a fundamental principle in Divine service. We must be swift to close our eyes when exposed to negative influences and we must run like the deer to fulfill Mitzvos. Finally, we need to strengthen our hearts like the lion with determination and resolve.
Other commentators explain that we must be bold like a leopard to ask questions when we learn Torah, without fear of embarrassment. We must be swift like the eagle to review our studies without tiring and be strong like a lion to control our impulses.
There is a Kabbalistic idea that the four letters of the Name י-ה-ו-ה represent the 4 primary aspects of Divine service. They are the two emotions of Yirah - awe of G-d (י) and Ahava - love of G-d (ה), and the two modes of service of Torah (ו) and Mitzvos (ה).
One of the great mystical commentators, the Megaleh Amukos, teaches that these are represented in the four letters of the name Teima - תימא, which is an acronym for תורה, יראה, מצוה, אהבה - Torah, awe, Mitzvah and love. When rearranged, the four letters spell אמתי, meaning truth.
The four animals listed in the Mishna also represents these four aspects.
The bold leopard refers to Torah study. Our sages teach that the Torah was given to the Jewish people because of our quality of boldness. The eagle is used a metaphor for love. Hashem is described as lovingly carrying us and arousing us as the eagle gently awakens is chicks. Running like a deer refers to alacrity in observing Mitzvos. Finally, the lion represents the quality of awe or fear of G-d. The word אריה (lion) when rearranged spells יראה (awe). It also shares the same Gematria as גבורה.
One glaring detail in this Mishna is problematic. Three out of the four animals mentioned are not Kosher. Further, from amongst the non-Kosher animals, these specific animals are predators, displaying bad-natures and negative Middos. So why do we use them as symbols for Avodas Hashem?
The Lubavitcher Rebbe explains that the 4 animals represent the different parts that comprise our being.
The soul is likened to a bird. The sages identify four signs that a Kosher bird possesses; it has an “extra toe”, it has a “crop”, its gizzard can be easily peeled by hand, and it cannot be a bird of prey. A bird is not kosher if even one of these signs is missing. Some non-Kosher birds are missing one of the four signs, some are missing two and some are missing three. The only bird that has none of the kosher signs is the eagle. As such, the eagle represents a very lowly Neshama.
The Kabbalists teach that each soul is invested within a Levush, a “garment” that serves as the interface through which the Neshama is able to be expressed. A more refined “garment” allows the light of the Neshama to be easily revealed. A coarser “garment” will make it more difficult for the Neshama to be expressed. The nature of this garment, whether refined or coarse, is affected by the Kavana of the parents at the time of conception. The leopard is associated with immorality and represents a very coarse “garment” that will make it difficult for the Neshama’s potential to be actualised.
The soul is enclothed within the body, whose desires and drives are diametrically opposed to those of the soul. Whereas birds represent the soul, the flesh of the body is represented by animals. The deer possesses a very dense flesh, representing a person who has a “dense” and coarse physical and material existence.
The lion represents the animalistic soul, which is the source of our material desires and our negative Middos. As an aggressive and ravenous animal, the lion represents a person with a dross animalistic nature and very lowly Middos.
Yehuda ben Teima is teaching us a very important lesson. We can sometimes feel that we have no hope of being holy and refined. We may even be corrupted on all of the levels of our spiritual and physical make-up. Well aware of our lowliness and lack of spiritual sensitivity and our struggles with negative emotions, we can lose hope of growing.
Hashem does not give us challenges that we cannot overcome. If we have been given difficult spiritual challenges, it is precisely because Hashem knows that we have the strength and ability to overcome them. The foundation of the “Shulchan Aruch” of Jewish life is that we should never give up. Even if we face great spiritual challenges and feel distant, with a sincere heart and Hashem’s help, we can reach the greatest heights in fulfilling the will of our Father in Heaven.