THE SONG OF THE SPARROW
The sparrow sings of our soon-to-come-true dream to praise Hashem in His House and to relate to Him fully through the holy Korbanos.
[Song 38] Sparrow (Ch. 4)
צִפּ וֹר אוֹמֵר. גַּם צִפּוֹר מָצְאָה בַיִת וּדְרוֹר קֵן לָהּ אֲשֶׁר שָׁתָה אֶפְרֹחֶיהָ אֶת מִזְבְּחוֹתֶיךָ יי צְבָאוֹת מַלְכִּי וֵאלֹהָי: (תהילים פד ד)
The Songbird is saying, “The songbird has also found her home, and the sparrow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young – Your altars, Hashem Tseva'ot, my King and my elo'ah.”
Commentary
The sparrow is the most common of all wild birds. In its song, the psalmist
expressing his yearning for Hashem’s House and bemoans how even tiny,
vulnerable sparrows, manage to build nests in the wild, and even fearlessly enter
the ruins of the Bais Hamikdash and nest on the locations of the altars. They lay
their chicks where we previously offered bird-offerings, and chirp in the same way
the Levites would sing. Yet, although Hashem is our “King and God”, we ourselves
are exiled and unable to come to Hashem’s home at all. Every morning and
evening, when the sparrows chirp incessantly, from wherever they choose to nest,
they are singing of how we, too, are meant to sing to Hashem from our Nest.
The sparrows remind us to gather in our own Shuls, miniature Batei Mikdash, and
sing to the Creator. Throughout our prayers, we express to Hashem our yearning
to be returned to our true nest and home, the Bais Hamikdash, and sing the sweet,
carefree, and unending song of the sparrow.
LIVING WITH THE SONG
What a nest is to a bird, the Bais Hamikdash is to the Jewish people. Whether it is standing gloriously or lying in
desolate ruins, we have no other home to shelter in. Hashem, too, has no other home, and we have faith that one
day He will return there.
Even when matters of life become somewhat difficult and His guidance is little understood, we must keep this in
mind and not lose hope. Even when the bright day becomes partially clouded and even dark and overcast, the
clouds will clear and the sun will shine again. We cannot let clouds of fate fool us into thinking that it is night.
Even now in our exile we still have houses of Hashem, the Batei Midrash which are Mikdshei M’at [Bais
Hamikdash of smaller sanctity]. Here we can express the song of the bird and yet hold faith that we will one day
merit to the House of full service and complete holiness.
Until then, as we live faithfully, attached and devoted to Hashem, we live with constant song.
Inspirational commentary By Shmuel Ben-Tzion Kraines author of
The Song of Existence.