The fox is classically known to be sly and cunning, especially in the way it steals
produce from farmers. It also has a sharp appearance, with pointy ears, and twisted
teeth. The sages illustrated many important moral lessons with fox parables,
especially to bring to life the cunningness of the Yetzer Hara. Sometimes, the fox’s
craftiness proves to be its own undoing. Foxes tend to find dugout dens to live in,
evicting smaller animals that may have previously dwelled there. Hunters outsmart
them with trapping holes and catching foxes when they enter them. They therefore
sing of the prophet Yirmiyahu’s lamentation over one who hires laborers to build
his home and does not pay them. A home built unjustly shall not stand for long.
Hashem’s seal is truth and He abhors falsehood. We must build our lives, brick by
brick, with straight honesty. It may be hard to do so at times, but the fox’s song
reminds us that only such a structure is worth building.