Dont Sit Under The Holy Dove

Many websites and blogs have already posted this story, which would normally mean I would see no reason in posting it. This story is just too funky to pass up. I have left it open on my screen in its tab since Thursday, and I have finally decided to post it anyway and close the tab.

The story is that of the 'Holy Dove' Drives Yeshiva Wild from Ynetnews:

Jerusalem yeshiva students view new classmate as 'a sign from God'
Akiva Novick
Published: 02.17.11, 07:42 / Israel Jewish Scene


"It's a real wonder," one of the students at the haredi Kamenitz Yeshiva says about his new classmate – a white dove. "This holy bird just listens to full lessons."


Several weeks ago, during a Torah lesson in the Jerusalem yeshiva, a white dove entered the house of study, sat on the window sill and flew out at the end of the lesson.


The following days, the bird would arrive at the yeshiva and stand in the corner for the entire lesson – prompting the excited yeshiva students to view it as a sign from God.


They created a "studying circle" around the bird and began reading Talmud verses and begging forgiveness from the soul which they believed "wandered" into the dove. Surprisingly, these actions did not help send the mysterious bird away.


Rumors about the righteous bird became the talk of the day in Jerusalem, and students watching the dove with binoculars discovered that it would visit the rooftop of the nearby Vizhnitz yeshiva as well.


The yeshiva students tried to test the bird once again and sealed all the entrances to the yeshiva, but it "miraculously" managed to get in and attend its regular class on time.


"A few days ago," haredi newspaper Bakehila reported, "one of the yeshiva students, who could not bear the great waste of time that could be spent on studying Torah, went over and kindly took (the bird) to his home, where he fed it."


The yeshiva student even took the dove to a slaughterer, but it turned out that the magnificent bird does not meet the rules of kashrut and the yeshiva is now contemplating what to do with it.

Who hasn't experienced first-hand the story of cricket, the cockroach, the mouse, the pigeon who would come out regularly at the time of the daf yomi shiur, or during chazarat ha'shatz, or the rabbis speech, and stayed there until someone either caught it, stepped on it, or the daf yomi cycle finished?

It's a common enough story. Maybe it just means we need better exterminators, better cleanliness to not attract animals into the shuls and yeshivas. Or maybe the bird/squirrel/mouse/cat was trying to escape the cold and found a regular open window into the warm shul. Or maybe the bird/cockroach/cricket was really a gilgul that was returning for a tikkun of sorts. But then why did they try to eat it?

Either way, make sure your seat in the beis medrash is not under the bird, no matter how holy it is (though my mother always says getting pooped on by a bird is a good omen - though I dont know for what). But if you do, maybe you can make coffee from the droppings...