Nature's Song Perek Shirah, literally "A Chapter of Song," is an ancient text that is at least a thousand years old; some ancient commentaries even attribute its authorship to King David! It takes the form of a list of eighty-four elements of the natural world, including elements of the sky and of the earth, plants, birds, animals, and insects, attaching a verse from the Bible to each. The concept behind Perek Shirah is that everything in the natural world teaches us a lesson in philosophy or ethics, and the verse gives a clue as to what that lesson is. The result is the "song" of the natural world, the tapestry of lessons for life that the natural world is telling us. Perek Shirah, a work of tremendous historic value, is itself extremely mysterious and cryptic. However, various commentaries have been written on it over the last five hundred years, which give an insight into what the verse is telling us to learn from the creature. Thus, for example, Perek Shirah states that "The lion is saying, 'God shall go out as a mighty man, he shall arouse zeal, he shall cry, even roar; he shall prevail over his enemies (Isaiah 42:13)." The lion teaches us of the importance of might and power. This does not mean physical strength; true power is power over oneself. All big cats are aggressive predators and therefore cannot get along even with each other; it is only the lion that is able to somehow control its aggression and live in groups. The lion teaches us of the greatest power, that of self-control. Nature's Song is the first English explanation of Perek Shirah. It makes use of rare ancient commentaries on Perek Shirah, as well as contemporary insights from the fields of meteorology, zoology and so on. The result is a Biblical encyclopedia of the natural world, synthesizing the ancient with the modern, that enables one to perceive new depths of insight into the natural world that surrounds us.
An Elucidation of Perek Shirah, the Ancient Text that Lists the Philosophical and Ethical Lessons of the Natural World
ISBN 1-568712-74-X, 452 pages, $31.95 $24.95 (slightly damaged)
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By Natan Slifkin
Book Excerpt
The Circle of Life
Praise for the Book
A beautiful book dealing with all the aspects of the natural world in the Torah perspective of "How great are Your works, Hashem," accompanied with poignant black-and-white illustrations, Nature's Song is authoritative, factual, poetic, comprehensive, a brilliant work of art-and-science. A book to have and to give, to read repeatedly and to cherish… This book is a valuable addition to anyone's library. May Rabbi Slifkin merit to reap great blessing as his perspective is imbibed and incorporated into the daily conduct of his uplifted readers.
—Yated Ne'eman
Rabbi Natan Slifkin... takes his masterful pen and paints for the studious reader the hidden secrets alluded to in the text of Perek Shira, wherein there are culled verses from the entire Torah which give expression to each and every created object in the world. From this classic, your knowledge as well as your love and admiration for our Creator will attain greater heights as you learn to understand effortlessly and with joy Nature's Song, which is indeed a world of new depths and insights into Creation.
—Rabbi Leib Heyman, Rav of Beis Knesses HaGra of Bayit Vegan
As he has already demonstrated in his earlier books, this extremely talented young author once again shows his gift for combining Torah knowledge with general erudition in communicating the wisdom of our Talmudic Sages to his readers. In his elucidation of Perek Shirah he reaches new heights in his brilliant success of utilizing his expertise in zoology for teaching Torah concepts and values. In the many lectures he has given to students at our Yeshiva and the Torah-oriented zoo tours he has led in Jerusalem and throughout the world he has given highly effective verbal expression of his knowledge and communication skills. "Nature's Song" will provide an even broader public with an opportunity to enjoy the music of the Torah Universe while learning so much about the genius of its Creator.
—Rabbi Mendel Weinbach, Dean, Ohr Somayach Institutions
The natural world could not have selected a more appropriate spokesperson to open our ears to its glorious chorus. Rabbi Slifkin's rare combination of Torah scholarship, literary talent and a lifelong fascination with animals and nature provide us with much more than an anthology of previous works on Perek Shirah. In his able hands, the voice of each instrument in the cosmic orchestra gains new clarity; their chords blend together into the strains of a Divine symphony.
—Rabbi Mordecai Kornfeld, Rosh Kollel, Kollel Iyun HaDaf
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