“Thou shalt not  stand idly by the blood of thy neighbour” (Leviticus – Vayikra 19:16) with Oasis hummingbird

Being bystander is not an option in Judaism. We can not simply stand idle by the suffering of our neighbour or any suffering that we witness.

לֹא תַעֲמֹד עַל-דַּם רֵעֶךָ

This phrase of LEVITICUS – VAYIKRA 19:16 is followed by the LEVITICUS – VAYIKRA 19:18: “Love your neighbour as yourself“. This is the central tenet of the Torah as the Talmudic sages Hillel and Rabbi Akiva have clearly pointed out.

Hand-printed and hand-coloured linocut.  Edition of 18

The bird is the Oasis hummingbird (Rhodopis vesper) which is endemic to Peru and northern Chile. It is found in coastal regions in a 100–200 km wide strip that extends the length of Peru’s coastline up to northern Chile. a second disjunct population in coastal Chile exists 2000 km to the south.

It´s a mid-sized hummingbird with an average length of 13-13.5 cm  and 11-11.5 cm for adult males and females, respectively. Shown is a male with it’s distinctive colouration on the chest.

“Thou shalt not  stand idly by the blood of thy neighbour” (Leviticus – Vayikra 19:16) with Oasis hummingbird (Rhodopis vesper)

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