|
|
Home
and Family
Of BUGs and WEBs
by Rosally Saltsman
I know that there's an inyan about getting rid of
spider webs before Shabbos. Well, I can't do it. Not because
of my usual lack of housekeeping priorities, but because
spiders live there. I see an invisible sign that says, "Baby
spiders on board." And I just can't do it. It's not that I've
never killed a bug. When the cockroaches get too numerous to
count, I go after them, though I try not to hurt the babies,
because in the syntax of the English language, 'baby' comes
before 'cockroach'.
Yes, I eat meat (up to the finest standards, certainly), but
the cow isn't grazing in my living room.
One day, a spider which had taken up residence in my
residence had baby spiders. It was very moving. They were
almost microscopic. It was truly a religious experience. I
would invite guests over to the web to view first hand the
wonders of Hashem. Okay, maybe tzaar baalei chaim
doesn't extend to the insect inhabitants of your own
domicile, but I've seen kids step on ants and keep score. I
try not to destroy what I can't create (except that as a
writer, destroying trees is an occupational hazard). I think
that respecting the right to life of G-d's most minute
creations brings us closer to Him. I've never had a
midrash written about me, and there are spiders and bees
who have.
We are part of G-d's Creation, but we were here last. One
interpretation of this is that we are superior to all other
life forms and they are here to serve us. There is another
interpretation, however, that since we came last, we must
respect all that has come before us: plants, trees, animals
and even bugs. Nature is here for our use, not our abuse. If
we respect the rights of even the smallest members of
Creation, we will be able to be more considerate of members
of our own species.
[There was a chassidic Rebbe who once took a walk with his
son. The son absentmindedly plucked a leaf and began rolling
it between his fingers, at which his father became very
upset. Leaves are there for a purpose, each one, teaches
Chassidus.]
All this doesn't mean I'll never exterminate if I have to, or
aim a spray can at a bug. It does mean that I believe every
living thing has a right to quality of life, even if it's
minute.
|
