Bushtit : Our Collective Glory
This is a Bushtit. Singular. This photo presents a single bird, small and drab. But my experience was much, much more than just this single individual. I was hiking along a high desert ridge. It was eerily quiet. Suddenly I was surrounded by sound, a new sound. Everywhere. Then the sights. Birds - dozens of them - were swirling all around me. It was a feeding frenzy as this flock worked its way through the trees looking for insects. Bushtits are small, constantly on the move, and there were so many, darting in and out of cover, that I felt like a puppet jerking on its strings as I tried to point the camera in the right direction. It was a delightfully overwhelming experience.
Talmud teaches a lesson from Proverbs that a King’s glory is proportional to his followers. This makes intuitive sense to us politically. The Sages then elevate the discussion and place it in the context of the King of Kings. The Sages teach that we offer more honor to HaShem when a large gathering performs a mitzvah together. Again, this makes intuitive sense and has practical implications. Why do we - today - blow the shofar during the Mussaf (late-morning) service on Rosh Hashanah rather than during the Shachrit (early-morning) service? Because - even in Talmudic times - people tended to sleep in a bit, and attendance at the latter service is higher.
It is easy to discount our own small contributions seen in isolation. Out of millions of votes, my single one doesn’t matter. A worthy cause raising funds can get by just fine without my $5 or $10 contribution. My single kind word to someone will just get lost in all their daily noise. Each statement is both truth - and dangerous. They are true from the perspective of the giver and dangerous from the perspective of the receiver. Seen in the aggregate, taken together, our world functions only because millions vote, contribute, and exhibit kindness en masse. Joined together in collective action, whether the flock of Bushtits or our social flock, is how we make a meaningful and meritorious impact.