בס"ד
In the Talmud it is written in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: Even if the Torah had not been given, we would nonetheless have learned modesty from the cat, because it covers its excrement; not to steal from the ant, because it does not take grain from another ant; and forbidden relations from the dove, because it is faithful to its partner, and manners from the rooster, because it entices the hen and then mates with it, What does the rooster do to entice the hen? Rav Yehuda said that Rav said: Prior to mating, it spreads its wings as if to say this: I will buy you a coat that will reach down to your feet. After mating, the rooster bends its head as if to say this: May the crest of this rooster fall off if he has the wherewithal and does not buy you one. I simply have no money to do so (see Gemara Eruvin 100b).
If this is so then why does man need the Torah? One answer is that it is unlikely that these lessons really would have been learned from nature. A cat is unusual for being modest as most animals do not cover their excrement. Also, unlike an ant, cats are not so honest. If a small cat kills a mouse a big cat will take it from him and besides what right did the cat have to kill another one of G-d' creations to begin with. Love birds are notable because they love their mates very much and treat them well but many animals are not monogamous and would be reckoned as promiscuous if they were human beings. Who is to say which way is better?
On top of that it may be difficult to find an animal that keeps Shabbos and Yom Tov, honors its parents, and does not testify falsely about its neighbor. It could be that an animal that lives in a place where man rarely goes may be a perfect example of a Torah precept. We may also be able to learn a moral lesson from microscopic creatures. The problem is that there is no book that can tell us everything about nature that we need to know.
Animals do learn from each other. In America a bear discovered that it could cool off on a hot day by taking a dip in a backyard swimming pool. The owners of the pool found that entertaining. Other bears then did the same thing and after that came deer and raccoons. However when someone found an alligator in their pool, they put a stop to this game.
A problem of learning too much from the animal kingdom is man begins to think he is simply another animal and not a superior creature. In addition it is possible to believe that everything goes according to nature and there is nothing that is above nature. On the other hand it is possible through the observation of nature to see that there is a master above all. G-d can be found in the soul of man through deep meditation, too. Also both of them will reveal a bit about what his will is. However there are things that a person will never realize no matter how much observation and meditation is done. In the Tanakh it is in black and white. There are the Ten Commandments, the 613 mitzvahs, the example of the patriarchs, and the words of the prophets. These are eye witness accounts preserved by the heritage of the Jewish people. Also for some the finger of G-d in the text will be revealed to the eye that is in the heart.
When we see religious precepts illustrated not only by animals but by plants and rocks, we can see that the Torah was the blueprint for the creation. It is charming to see a squirrel storing acorns for the winter and it may even remind us to go shopping for Shabbat and to save some money for a rainy day. However the best way to learn about how to keep Shabbos is by reading the books of our sages and following their examples. The best way to learn about love is to ponder the stories of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, and Ya'akov and Rachel. Even so when we see the two little love birds, how thoughtful they are to each other, listen to their chirping, and look at their bright colors, we gain a perspective that is not to be found anywhere else.
לע"נ האמא מלכה בת חיים ז"ל נלב"ע טז ניסן תשנ"ח
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