A Bird in the Hand 

Rabbi Avrum Yitzchok Kahan was 13 the first time he shooed a dove away from her nest, fulfilling the mitzvah of shiluach hakein. And once he learned of the strong connection between this enigmatic mitzvah and having children, he knew he had a special mission. Over three decades later, Rabbi Kahan hasn’t gone a day without looking for nests, as he helps others perform this rare commandment and fill their lives with blessing

WE were huddled in a parked car on Jerome Avenue in the Bronx, New York, on a freezing December night.

“The main thing is, do it b’simchah!” the man in the front seat pleaded, his face flushed with animation as his words tumbled out in an energetic rush.

It was impossible not to get sucked in. “You might be the only one in the world doing shiluach hakein right now. You should remember forever what I’m about to tell you: The Chida said that a regular person would have to live 80 years in order to learn what the Arizal learned in one half hour of sleep — and the Arizal attributed his accomplishments to the tremendous simchah shel mitzvah he had. Here’s your chance to do a mitzvah d’Oraisa with simchah!”

He’s done this over five thousand times, yet his exuberance was so real you could touch it.