After all I have been reading (here and here) about Rabbi Slifkin (aka The Zoo Rabbi), I was intrigued when I heard that he had been invited to our shul in Ra'anana as a scholar-in-residence for parshat Noach (appropriately enough).
On Shabbat morning Rabbi Slifkin spoke about identifying different animals in Tanakh (apparently the Hippopotamus is mentioned in the book of Job). He also shared some thoughts based on a work of midrash called Perek Shira, which discusses what can be learned from particular animals by applying psukim from Tanakh to them. From an eduactor's perspective I think that what Rabbi Slifkin is doing is very inspiring. It is refreshing to see such a knowledge of, and passion for, both the natural world AND Torah synthesized within one person.
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