The Hyrax and I

A story of Torah, science, and true love

The hyrax, mentioned in this week’s Daf Yomi, is a strange creature. It’s a small furry animal that resembles a groundhog, and yet is most closely related to the elephant! But for me, the hyrax is even stranger than that. It has had a more profound impact on my life by far than any other creature — religiously, professionally, and personally. I even got married as a result of the hyrax!

The story begins all the way back in 1998, when I was 23 years old and had just embarked a few years earlier on a mission to learn everything about animals and Torah. I received an email from Rabbi Mordechai Becher, who was then at Ohr Somayach Institutions in Jerusalem, and who would subsequently become a good friend and help me start my career in Jewish education. Rabbi Becher wanted me to answer a difficult question that Ohr Somayach’s “Ask-the-Rabbi” service had received concerning the Torah’s list of four animals that possess one kosher sign:

Dear Rabbi… I have still always believed that there is space for Orthodox Judaism… However, even this belief has now been challenged by… the so-called “proof” regarding the four animals which have either a split hoof or chew the cud but not both (and are claimed to be the only such animals in the world)… We agree that the Tanach says the arnevet and shafan “chew the cud.” Generally Jewish sources have translated arnevet and shafan to mean the hare and hyrax respectively. In modern biological terms, neither of these animals “bring up the cud” i.e. they are not ruminants… I don’t know if you will find an answer to the problems… but if you do, we would much appreciate a response.

Shortly afterwards, I was independently approached by Arachim/Manof, which wanted my help with responding to numerous attacks on this topic by anti-religious elements. Not long after this, I received a request from a rabbi at Ner Israel on behalf of the “Ask-the-Rabbi” service at the Project Genesis website, who wanted me to help answer questions on this topic.

At that time, I was at the height of my youthful idealism, naivety and my infatuation with the yeshiva world and its rabbis. I had not yet researched this particular topic in depth, but I eagerly anticipated being able to find answers that would solve how this topic does indeed prove the divinity of the Torah, and I would be able to fly the flag for the Torah world in general and the kiruv world in particular. Little did I realize what I was getting into.