Animals, Birds, Honesty. -- A Parsha cookie.
People do business every day. Business is something which consumes our time, energy, and focus.
Inevitably we try to come up with tricks and tactics with which to cut corners, lower costs and increase our profit margins. Sometimes ... at the expense of others.
Make sure you are honest in your business dealings. Brutally honest. In the hubbub of our business dealing we may 'accidentally' commit an act of stealing. Even if it may be a small, seemingly trivial act.
Hashem doesn't accept Tzedoko from that which has a hint of theft.
Animals and birds were both brought to the Altar as a sacrifice. The stomachs of the animals were accepted as part of the offering and were burnt with the rest of the animal. The stomachs of the bird, however, were not accepted as an offering and were discarded to the side. Why the difference?
Birds fly. They are difficult to impose restraints on. Animals don't fly. They are easier to restrain.
As birds journey from place to place they may sometimes feed off of private property, thus containing a trace of theft in their stomachs. Animals are less mobile and thereby less prone to feeding off of private property. The birds stomachs were cast aside, the animals were accepted.
Hashem accepts something 100% clean. 100% legit. Not even a trace of trickery allowed.
Are you being one hundred percent honest in your business dealings?
