Great Horned Owl : Honoring Our Teachers

This is a Great Horned Owl. She’s sitting on a nest waiting for her chicks to be born. Her coloration blends perfectly with the tree bark. This notch is hardly detectable from the tree’s other side. And even her eyes - bright, piercing yellow - are half-lidded and conceal her location. From the trail you have to look very, very closely to see her. Truth told, without having been guided by a more experienced visitor to the park, I would never have spotted this beauty. She’s nestled in a safe spot away from uninformed, prying eyes - and waiting. I last saw a mama owl nesting here two seasons ago. I don’t know if this is the same bird, or perhaps this is a child of the bird I saw two years ago returning to the same spot as her mother.

Jewish tradition teaches that learning Torah is composed of two parts. You learn the written texts and the Oral Torah, commentary and interpretation, from one’s teacher. There’s an illustrative story of the skeptical student who wanted to learn only the written work. The first day, his teacher, Hillel, taught him the alphabet. The following day, he was again taught the alphabet - but in reverse order. Hillel explained to his shocked student that trust in one’s teacher is what gives proper order and meaning to the lesson. The student had relied on his teacher to learn his alphabet the first day. So shouldn’t he equally rely on his teacher to provide guidance and explanation for the fullness of all his lessons?

What do I learn when I see this owl sitting on her nest? I see two examples of teaching in context. A written report that owls have been seen in this park could leave me with months and months of vain searching for where the owl actually is. Instead, the experienced birder unerringly guided me to be able to see this beauty right away. And indulge me: I like to believe the owl herself is a child who’s been taught by her mother to return to this safe and welcoming niche, to learn from her example how to secure a future for the next generation. Our teachers are the ones who make all this possible, whether owls or the Sages of sacred tradition. To them we should offer all honor.