Shavuot 2019

Back to Day 49 of the Omer

Thank you for counting with us! As we prepare to celebrate Shavuot by eating too much ice cream and studying well into the night, we hope that our animal Omer entertained you, taught you something about animals that you didn't know before, and also helped you discover something new about yourself. Whether you want to try to become more patient, fight against inequality, work on collaborating better with friends and coworkers, or start a petition to make the turkey our national bird, we hope that the diversity of the natural world has inspired you to grow.

This year's animal Omer was a collaboration between myself and my friend Halli, a PhD in animal science. Thank you for counting the Omer with us. See you next year!

Omer 2019 Day 49: Wildlife Conservation

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Omer 2019 Day 49: Malchut in Malchut, Leadership in Leadership

Wildlife Conservation

Wildlife conservation is not something a person can just go out and do, like recycling or becoming a vegetarian. Of course doing things that are "earth conscious" helps, but the global leaders in conservation are the figureheads, lobbying organizations, policy-makers, scientists, and educators who bring awareness of wildlife issues to the public. More than just "neat," every species of animal (and plant) on this planet plays a vital role in its ecosystem, and in doing so makes our planet habitable. There's no telling what the future holds, but to be sure we would not be where we are today without the dedicated and brave people who put their necks on the line for animals who have no voice in our society. There are too many to list, but if you're interested in getting involved, start by researching organizations and finding one (or several) whose views align with your own, because to quote one of the most well known and influential conservationist text of our time:

"Unless someone cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." -The Lorax, from Dr. Seuss' The Lorax

This year's animal Omer is a collaboration between myself and my friend Halli, a PhD in animal science. Thank you for counting the Omer with us!

Omer 2019 Day 48: Orcas

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Omer 2019 Day 48: Yesod in Malchut, Connection in Leadership

Orcas

Image by skeeze from Pixabay

In thinking about connection in leadership, one thing that comes to mind is play. There are many examples of play in the animal world, and for good reason: it teaches cooperation, competition, and communication in juveniles, and it helps build important life skills that they'll need in adulthood. Orcas are an interesting example of play because both the juveniles and adults have been known to "play with their food." To some, this may look cruel (I'm sure their prey think so), but this is how adults teach their young the best hunting strategies that their pod uses. Orcas have culture, in that groups occupying different regions of the ocean exhibit different feeding/hunting behaviors and even have different diets! Play, and instructive play, are how these animals pass along much needed information from generation to generation.

This year's animal Omer is a collaboration between myself and my friend Halli, a PhD in animal science. Thank you for counting the Omer with us!

Omer 2019 Day 47: Dolphins

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Omer 2019 Day 47: Hod in Malchut, Humility in Leadership
Dolphins

Image by Steven Leeuw from Pixabay

There's a lot we could say about dolphins. They're highly intelligent and playful, and serve as a significant keystone species in any ecosystem they inhabit. They were chosen as today's Omer animal because they demonstrate both glory and humility (however you want to translate) in leadership.

Dolphins execute elaborate and thoughtful cooperative hunting mechanisms that take into account the needs of other predatory species. One species of dolphin herds schools of sardines upward toward the surface of the ocean where sea birds can feast from above while the dolphins feast from below. Another species of dolphin works with other members of its pod to round up (literally) schools of fish by having one individual swim in a circle around the school while beating its tail against the silt on the bottom of the shallow water. Other dolphins then wait for the fish to jump over and out of this "net" and reap the rewards of collaborative hunting. Either way, both are glorious and humble in their approaches, traits that are essential in any good leader.

This year's animal Omer is a collaboration between myself and my friend Halli, a PhD in animal science. Thank you for counting the Omer with us!

Omer 2019 Day 46: Hyrax

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Omer 2019 Day 46: Netzach in Malchut, Endurance/Victory in Leadership
Hyrax

Image by Barbara Fraatz from Pixabay

There are certain kinds of mountain goats and musk oxen in which the males battle for females in treacherous terrain. With a somewhat humorous twist, rock hyrax (relatives of elephants and manatees with habitats in Israel and Africa) males will try to bump each other off cliffs with their tushies in competition for females. A hyrax colony consists of one dominant male and many females and their children. When male hyrax are old enough to leave their colonies, they hang out on the outskirts of other colonies until there is an opportunity to take it over. During mating season, the dominant male's testicles grow much larger than normal to indicate his dominance.

The rock hyrax is listed in Proverbs as one of four wise animals:

"Four are among the tiniest on earth, yet they are the wisest of the wise: Ants are a folk without power, yet they prepare food for themselves in summer; The badger [rock hyrax] is a folk without strength, yet it makes its home in the rock; the locusts have no king, yet they all march forth in formation; You can catch the lizard in your hand, yet it is found in royal palaces." Proverbs 30:24-28

So hyrax are funny, wise, able to defend themselves and their colonies from competitors, and, also, they are impressive singers. These sound like great leadership qualities to me!

This year's animal Omer is a collaboration between myself and my friend Halli, a PhD in animal science. Thank you for counting the Omer with us!

Omer 2019 Day 45: Blue-Headed Wrasse

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Omer 2019 Day 45: Tiferet in Malchut, Beauty/Balance in Leadership
Blue-Headed Wrasse

The blue-headed wrasse is a beautiful saltwater fish that embodies balance in leadership. All individuals hatch as females and the largest, most dominant one changes from female to male to be the leader of the school. Whenever the male dies, another female will become a male to take his place.

To learn more, check out the Radiolab podcast, Gonads: X & Y

This year's animal Omer is a collaboration between myself and my friend Halli, a PhD in animal science. Thank you for counting the Omer with us!

Omer 2019 Day 44: Lemmings

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Omer 2019 Day 44: Gevurah in Malchut, Bravery in Leadership
Lemmings
When you think of lemmings, the first thing that probably comes to mind is a moving carpet of rodents following each other blindly off a cliff and into the sea. However, this is a common misunderstanding of how these animals actually operate. While no one knows why, it is well documented that lemmings experience dramatic population swings ranging from highs that threaten their ecosystem due to overcrowding to lows that threaten the species with extinction. During thoe booms, lemmings do their best to spread out, and since they can swim, they might find themselves following a braver lemming into the sea in search of more resources. Lemmings can swim, and aren't half bad at it either, but if a lemming were to find itself in, say, the ocean...well, that might be a bit more than it could handle, this is the origin of this misconception.

Walt Disney's White Wilderness, which popularized the myth that lemmings jump off cliffs in a frenzied, unthinking mass suicide.

This year's animal Omer is a collaboration between myself and my friend Halli, a PhD in animal science. Thank you for counting the Omer with us!

Omer 2019 Day 43: Horses

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Omer 2019 Day 43: Chesed in Malchut, Loving-Kindness in Leadership
Horses
Whether domesticated or wild, horses are a good example of loving-kindness in leadership. Domestic horses are led by their riders or owners for work or leisure purposes, but as with most things, commands given with patience and loving-kindness often yield the most positive results. Wild horses exhibit this too in their own way. Horses live in large herds (when populations allow), and males lead their harems (groups of females) to the best grazing areas with the sweetest grass. They fight off other males with a fierce passion, and defend their territories with equal force. These are things we want in a leader - passion, kindness, care for those in your community.

Photo by Helena Lopes from Pexels

This year's animal Omer is a collaboration between myself and my friend Halli, a PhD in animal science. Thank you for counting the Omer with us!