Downy Woodpecker : The Gift of Eve

This is a Downy Woodpecker. Seeing him in the morning light, hammering madly for his breakfast, I was very conscious - extraordinarily so - of a desire to give this sight. The photo itself consists of an almost immeasurably short fraction of a second. But the blend of art and science that are photography, coupled with a particular impetus to find just the right expression for both me and the bird, required a little extra.

Eve was the world’s first gift. Gan Eden contained all the finest things of the world: rubies, sapphires, alabaster - and of course the common earth of which Adam had been crafted. The default expectation would be that Eve too would be created from earth. Or maybe she would be elevated, the idealized woman of poetry with “ruby lips, sapphire eyes, and alabaster skin.” Instead, the world’s first gift, the gift non-pareil, was created not from anything of what Adam had - but rather of what he was.

Our prayers and righteous actions illustrate the difference between gifts from what we have and gifts of what we are. To give from what we have diminishes our accounts. To give of what we are enriches both the recipient and the giver. A lesson passed to a child, a kiss shared with a lover, a prayer offered up to HaShem, each of these comes from an inexhaustible pool. These gifts of what we are create merit and richness simultaneously. HaShem’s gift of Eve teaches and inspires us how to give, and it’s my honor to share this Woodpecker.