One of my most unique Shabbat memories from childhood is the infamous “Shabbat of the Bat.” I’m not talking about the Shabbat I was called to the Torah to celebrate becoming an adult in the Jewish community, although that was a very special Shabbat, too. No, I’m talking about the Shabbat when there was a bat flying around the sanctuary during Friday night services. Yes, that kind of bat—the ones that hang upside down and have wings, often associated with vampires and other spooky stuff.

I don’t remember at what point during the service it was discovered that we had a special visitor in the shul but I have distinct memories of the senior rabbi, the maintenance staff, and a group of congregants, including my father, trying to catch the bat after the service ended—not an easy feat in a sanctuary similar in size and ceiling height to the sanctuary at Beth Tzedec. I’m pretty sure that the cherry picker was eventually brought out, animal control was ultimately called, and that the next morning’s service was moved to the chapel, just in case. Regardless, it was an amusing way to welcome Shabbat, and the “bat” mitzvah jokes went on for weeks.

In this week’s parasha, Shemini, we read about the dietary laws on kashrut, establishing which animals are permissible to eat and which ones are not. In Leviticus 11:13-19, we read the list of birds that are considered unkosher and therefore cannot be eaten:

The following you shall abominate among the birds—they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, the vulture, and the black vulture;

the kite, falcons of every variety;

all varieties of raven;

the ostrich, the nighthawk, the seagull; hawks of every variety;

the little owl, the cormorant, and the great owl;

the white owl, the pelican, and the bustard;

the stork; herons of every variety; the hoopoe, and the bat.

No, your eyes are not playing tricks on you; that last “bird” listed is a bat. While in modern times, we known that the bat is a mammal, not a bird, it is listed here among the fowl because the Torah does not use the taxonomic rank—kingdom-phylum- class-order-family-genus-species—used in modern science, something you probably learned in Grade 10 biology and promptly forgot (unless you continued your studies or career in a field where you would actually need to know that information). The Hebrew word for fowl, אוף (of), literally means “flying creature,” which would include the bat in the minds of our ancestors.

Fun fact about the Hebrew word for bat: according to the Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Hebrew Language compiled by Ernest Klein (no relation) and published by the University of Haifa in 1987, עֲטַלֵּֽף (atalef) is possibly derived from the root ע-ט-ףtranslated as “to wrap,” meaning that bat in Hebrew, given their wings, literally means a “cloaked animal.” This root also appears in the hitpael (reflexive) verb form in the bracha (blessing) we say every morning when putting on a tallit. Think about that the next time you put on your tallis!

Although bats are misunderstood, often feared, and most certainly not kosher to eat according to Jewish law, one could say that bats are sacred, or at least incredibly important to the wellness of our planet. According to the World Wildlife Fund Canada (www.wwf.ca), bats are considered an indicator species, meaning that they can tell us a lot about the health of an ecosystem. They are sensitive to environmental changes, so their presence indicates that a biome is relatively healthy. Insect-eating bats help control the insect population, and fruit-eating bats act as pollinators and seed dispersers, so they are vital to agriculture and food growth around the world.

Globally, bat populations are declining due to several factors, including habitat loss and climate change. And sadly, COVID-19 posed a new issue for bats, as they were blamed for the global pandemic (bats are known to carry strains of coronaviruses), resulting in bats being intentionally killed in the name of trying to keep humans safe, even though the risk for contracting the disease was from person to person, not from wildlife.

This past Tuesday was Earth Day, an annual global event now in its 55th year, used to demonstrate support for environmental protection and a love for our planet. And as Jews, holidays, observances, and traditions throughout the year remind us of our responsibility to safeguard this beautiful yet fragile planet God has entrusted to our care. May this Shabbat instill in all of us a renewed sense of stewardship and a respect for all creatures, big and small, furry and scaly, finned and winged.

Shabbat Shalom,

Cantor Audrey