White-eyed Vireo Juvenile : Teach These Words

This is a White-eyed Vireo. It’s lacking the eponymous white ring in its eye, which indicates it’s a juvenile. The ring will develop in the fullness of time, of course. Typically these little beasts hide craftily in the foliage, taunting photographers with a distinctive, repetitive call that indicates their position. But this juvenile offered me a long, clear look. Maybe he was curious about me? Maybe he hadn’t yet been taught the caution of his elders? Or maybe he was just exercising the mocking impertinence that’s the privilege of youth. Who can say? Again, his “proper” behavior will also develop in the fullness of time.

Unsurprisingly, the People of the Book make children’s education central in communal life. Jewish boys and girls(!) were universally literate centuries before their neighbors. Biblical commandments embodied in the Passover ritual and the daily recitation of the Shema, our fundamental credo, focus on educating the next generation. The Jewish rites of passage, B’nai Mitzvah, don’t involve a martial victory or an animal hunt. We instead demonstrate our ability to read Torah on behalf of the community. And “Rabbi,” which we lovingly define as “teacher,” literally means “My Great One.”

Today I celebrate the milestone birthday of one of my Great Ones. For half a lifetime, I have profited from his material and spiritual lessons. The world is a better place for the hundreds of students he has inspired. Equally, today is a fitting day to reflect back on the student I was then. Curious? Incautious? Impertinent? So fully all of those, as perhaps I should have been. Each of us, at varying stages of our lives, has obligations as both learner and teacher. Again, they develop in the fullness of time. So reflect on this young Vireo and contemplate your journey ahead or marvel at where you’ve come - and teach these words to your children.