On the patio behind my house in Lakewood, a terra cotta urn about three feet high and two feet in diameter and filled with dirt, was waiting for me to plant something in it. Shortly after Pesach, however, a Canadian goose took up residency in my urn. I called her my tenant.

People in my development hate the geese; they make a huge mess. Everyone was urging me to get rid of my goose. But I wondered if she would ever lay eggs, affording the opportunity of performing the mitzva of shilu’ach haken. I was willing to give her time.