Q:
If nursing from the place of the heart is something special for human beings why is it that simians, gorillas and so on, nurse their young at their breast?
A:
And the answer is, why is it that they walk erect? Same question. So it’s not only this.
And the answer is, we have to realize in creation there are great lessons to learn; many great lessons. And one of the lessons is that mankind must learn the importance of intellect and character. Merely to have an externality is not sufficient; that doesn’t make a man what he is expected to be. And so Hakadosh Baruch Hu has created not only apes. Also other animals have some qualities of mankind. And that’s why a parrot is able to repeat words; there are birds that can repeat words. And what’s the purpose? The answer is to teach us an object lesson that merely by saying words we’re not human. It’s with how much intelligence we say the words.
And therefore if you have a parrot in your home you should make this lesson one of your objectives. Not merely to keep him and give him free board and food, but to learn from him. When he opens his big mouth and he mimics you, you should learn what you should not do. That’s the purpose of a bird that can talk.
And the purpose of an animal that looks like a man is to teach you that merely by walking on your two legs, you’re not yet a man. There are things that you have to do to become an adam.
And that’s the importance of having a gorilla. When a gorilla walks across the floor of his cage, and you’re standing outside and you’re thinking, “It looks almost human,” the lesson is to teach you that there are a lot of humans that are not much better. And the difference is in character.
And so if somebody takes a swipe at his fellow man, he wants to hit him, so he is a gorilla. That’s what you call him. If somebody doesn’t use his mind, he’s just intent on eating and on procreating and on just living in this world, he’s also a gorilla. So Hakadosh Baruch Hu made not only apes. He made many creatures that have human characteristics externally in order we should learn from them and they should be an example for us.
And that’s why the famous example of the pig exists. In some ways a pig resembles humans very much physically. A pig in some ways has the same allergy, the same reactions as human beings. But it’s to teach us a lesson. A very important lesson. And everybody knows what the lesson is.
December 1977
