Spotted Sandpiper : The Shoreline Taken

This is a Spotted Sandpiper. It’s a bird of the shoreline. Their lives are largely enabled by the narrow band of space where the land and water come together. This intersection creates the perfect conditions for the birds to find sustenance, shelter, and community. The lapping water creates - then hides then reveals - precisely what the birds need to survive. The shoreline defines where they belong and equally where they don’t. My encounter derived from an atypical bushwhack, choosing a difficult path along the shoreline instead of the easy hike that brought me there. Returning, I opted for a theoretical route rather than considering practical facts on the ground. It became quite an adventure.

I comfortably assert that Judaism is unrivaled in exploring knowledge. We People of the Book(s!) delve into every facet of life: from cosmology to ritual observance to bathroom habits. We pore over it all. But at the same time, our Sages taught that certain areas of knowledge are better left unexplored. Some studies are diverting rabbit trails that lead nowhere positive, while certain esoteric topics are affirmatively dangerous. Various restrictions are imposed, guardrails intended to keep students safe. Demarcations between this and that, between valid exploration and perilous dead-ends are an essential feature of our study.

I expected hugging the shore would reach my lakeside lodge. It did - after I trekked for miles, clambering over rocks, wading through water and dense foliage, and ultimately reaching my destination… just the other side of the 8’ fence…. This is not where I belonged. There are paths, and there are boundaries for a reason. I theorized the coast would guide me where I needed to be. It was not a good journey. I won’t repeat it. There are excellent places to explore - and tracks better left untrod. Fulfillment is very much a function of belonging; both the Sages and the Sandpiper teach us the value of acknowledging those dimensions.