Let's table the discussion" is a new Adath Israel Shul initiative where a story or thought is presented in order to stimulate exciting and constructive discussion around our Shabbos table or among friends and children. (Dedicated to the Refuah Sheleima of Shalva Adina Bas Sarah Chana & Eliyahu Aharon Ben Yocheved Yetta Ettel).

 In a wonderful work on animal cultures written by Percy in 1895, the author notes his scientific observations about the stork:

"In Smyrna there are a great number of storks, who build their nests and hatch their young very regularly. The inhabitants, in order to divert themselves at the expense of these birds, and gratify a cruel disposition, sometimes convey hens' eggs into the stork's nest”

So, in order to  get rid of a stork problem, the people of Smyrna switch stork eggs with those of a chicken. For a full month, the stork prepares and assumes that the little birds about to hatch are going to be storks. Imagine their shock and dismay when lo and behold, the babies born are chicks!

“When the young are hatched, the (male stork)  on seeing them of a different form from his own species, makes a hideous noise, which brings a crowd of other storks about the nest, who to revenge the disgrace which they imagine the (Female stork)  has brought upon her race, immediately peck her to death. The (male stork)  in the meantime makes the heaviest lamentation, as if bewailing his misfortune, which obliged him to have recourse to such extreme punishment."

A wild story of jealousy. Stork is subject of sick joke, brings a mob to respond to its own jealousy and then bemoans the fate he created. Sad. Shocking. But how off base is it?

The Torah tells us that after his dreams, the brothers were “jealous” of Yosef (37:11). The author of the Reishis Chochma notes that the one who is jealous is destroying himself because “being sick with envy” plagues the person who is jealous, all the time.  Clearly jealousy is dangerous trait and emotion. It is one of the 3 that the Rabbis remind us “take the man out of this world.”

At the same time, Chazal also tell us that Kinas Soferim – the jealousy of scribes – Tarbeh Chochma – will increase the total knowledge fund of the world. How can the very midda of Kinah – of jealousy which is so destructive in nature and in Jewish (and world) history be the source and secret to such intellectual productivity?

Perhaps it comes down to the way one chooses to direct his jealousy. Do we choose to knock the other person and his accomplishments as a result of our envy? Are we stating that we can level the playing field if we make the other person’s existence knocked down a bit so that we can compete or even rate in our own eyes? If that is the case, the whole of our jealousy and our approach to it is destructive – we are taking apart another – or a world -- in order to make ourselves achieve a sense of self-worth. Unfortunately, for the sad person who acts on jealousy in this manner – it removes him (or her) from the world – because by knocking the accomplishments or appreciation – you are denying yourself a much fuller appreciation of that world.  

Soferim by definition are those who are focused on creating. They take things that are undiscovered and bring out their beauty. The same is true for Talmidei Chachamim who by definition seek to increase the cache of knowledge in the world. That does not happen through the process of destructive jealousy but rather  through the pushing that one offers himself to ascend his own heights and make his own contributions and mark on the world – not to EXCLUSION of those around him but rather to increase the fund of positive existence in the world.

How do you react to jealous feelings when they arise?

How might you harness these feelings to advance the quality of life we lead?

 Let’s  “table” the discussion – by discussing it with our children, spouses, families and guests and open an exciting  discussion into our homes and communities.