One of the unkosher birds listed in this week’s parsha, Parshas Shemini (11:19), is the “Chasida,” the stork. Rashi says that it is called Chasida from the word “chosid,” pious. The stork does chesed with its friends and it shares its food source rather than hoard it for itself. When it comes to the mouse, however, the Yerushalmi (Bava Metzia 3:5) describes it as a “rasha,” because it not only eats the homeowner’s food, but it also calls its friends to eat. Why the unbalanced treatment between the two of these generous creatures?Rav Chaim Kanievsky shlit”a answers that the Chasida’s food comes from hefker; it is not taking from anyone else. The mouse, however, steals his food from people’s homes. He says that from here we learn an important lesson. If you do chesed at your own expense, then you are a chosid. If you do it at someone else’s expense, you are a wicked mouse.
(Derech Sicha/Revach.net/Matzav.com Newscenter)
Way to go…