You may have seen the video of me on the roof putting fake owls on the top corners of our Chabad Center. Sitting in my office, I can hear the woodpeckers pecking holes into the styrofoam molding around the top of our building, and I was hoping the owls would scare them away.

I even got some great name suggestions for these new “pets.” From Oscar the Owl, Watch Owl on the Wall, Hootie, or Pesky, even my kids had some ideas.

However, our mascot never got a formal name, because sadly, these owls have not done their job. Not only did they fail to stop the birds, but since then, we have a brand-new hole in the other corner of the building.

If I can’t stop the birds, at least I can philosophize about them. Why are these birds bothering me so much?

The truth is, I like birds. They are beautiful and watching them fly so gracefully is mesmerizing.

The problem is that birds belong in the sky or singing on a branch somewhere high up in the trees. Where they do not belong is inside the decorative molding of our building, drilling little holes like they own the place.

It reminded me of something I have thought about before. I once noticed something scurrying across the fence of my backyard, moving through the bushes. For a moment I thought it might be a mouse. I tensed up, looking carefully, until I saw it again later and realized it was just a squirrel.

At first, I felt very relieved.

Then I began wondering, why was I relieved? What is the difference between a mouse and a squirrel if both are outside the house? Is there anything wrong with a mouse living in the bushes at the edge of my yard?

Here’s my thesis. People find squirrels cute because they know these squirrels will stay outside where they belong. We can happily watch a squirrel run along fences, climb trees, and jump from branch to........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)