American Crow : Seeing Near and Far

This is an American Crow. I was quite close to this single bird in the photo. I had also just seen a murder of crows distant in the sky. Each perspective offered its own attraction. Close we can see the texture, the nuances in the depths, and the richness of the blacks and the light. Winging across the sky offered a majesty and a sweep that just inspire awe. Wildlife photography is in many ways driven by technology: the laws of optics and image processing inherently have trade-offs. Intimacy, like this image, is possible, but only at the expense of a wider field of view. Both near and far have their attractions, and each has its place.

Jewish textual study can be done in different ways. It is possible to spend days, weeks, even longer contemplating a passage or just a few words. Whole books have been written about single prayers. It is equally possible to read on a daily schedule and emphasize coverage rather than depth. My daily routine includes doing Daf Yomi. The “World’s Largest Book Club” reads a page each day from Talmud. This program emphasizes breadth and blazes through the texts - though still taking over seven years to complete. My drashot combine images captured in fractions of a second coupled with thoughts that often germinate for weeks and weeks.

The Torah’s Priestly Benediction culminates with the wish that HaShem grants us the gift of Shalom. This single word is an incredibly rich and complex expression in its own right. Underlying these varied meanings is a foundation of wholeness, of completeness. Our study, then, is an opportunity to embrace the full spectrum of approaches. Superficial exploration combines with in-depth contemplation. Awareness is complemented by mastery. Together, we see a composite, a whole image that would be impossible should we exclude one or the other. Seeing - truly - both Crows and Torah can teach us how to be whole.