The Torah forbids us to make a statue or an image. "For you did not see any image on the day that God spoke to you at Horev from the fire." (Devarim 4, 15) This commandment, which negates God's corporeality, is followed by a long list of images that are prohibited: "An image of a male or female," "An image of any animal on earth," "An image of any bird that flies in the heavens," "An image of anything that crawls on earth," "An image of any fish that is in the seas under the earth." (16-18) This detailed list is puzzling. The Midrash Halakha learned from this detailed list the Torah's desire not to allow for a loophole (Mekhilta Rabbi Yishmael, Masekhta DuV'Hodesh, 6) because this list ultimately limits the range of possibilities that exists in general. Additionally, perhaps the details in the list relate to concrete examples of images that existed during that time period, and the human tendency towards what is familiar to them. Yehezkel describes: "And I came and saw every image of crawlers and animals and insects and all the idols of the House of Israel carved into the surrounding walls." (8, 10)
Nonetheless, it is still unclear why the Torah must describe that the bird flies, the fish exist in the seas, or that the animals exist on earth. One possibility is that the Torah is not describing separate and different details of one rule, rather it is describing one complete picture of nature. Every being in its place – in the heavens or in the earth – in motion: male and female, animal, birds and fish. This is a complete description of the world and its living beings. The Torah is warning us not to worship nature as a whole; not to allow nature to replace God as a creator who watches over the world.
A similar notion exists in the Midrash. The Midrash connects the Jewish nation's fixation on humans, the nations of the world, animals, birds, and crawlers and God's rebuke of the Jewish nation. While God established these beings as witnesses to His creation of nature, the nation sinned and transformed those very witnesses into the objects of their belief.
"He brought the mountains as witnesses, as it says 'Listen O' mountains to God's quarell' (Mikha 6, 2), and they betrayed with the mountains as it says 'They slaughter offerings on the mountaintops…' (Hosea 4, 13)
He brought the nations of the world as witnesses, as it says 'Therefore listen nations of the world' (Jeremiah 6, 18), and they betrayed with the nations as it says 'And the mixed into the nations.' (Psalms 106, 35)
He brought the animals as witnesses, as it says 'Even an ox knows its master' (Isaiah 1, 3), and they betrayed with an animal as it says 'They replaced His Glory with an image of an ox.' (Psalms 106, 20)
…they betrayed with animals, beasts and birds as it says 'And I came and saw every image of crawlers and animals and insects and all the idols of the House of Israel carved into the surrounding walls." (Ezekiel 8, 10) (Midrash Tanaim Devarim 32,1)
One may learn from the Midrash that the nation's betrayal is connected to a human tendency to confuse the symbol of an object with the object itself. Animals, fish and beasts all have unique characteristics that have the ability to bear witness to God's existence, but simultaneously have the potential to be an independent source of inspiration. One can learn modesty from a cat and industriousness from an ant, but instead of viewing them as representatives of these lofty characteristics that exist in God's creation, view them as the source of these characteristics. There is a danger of fixing the characteristics of these beings into a physical form. Fixation on an icon while forgetting the meaning beyond it. Connecting characteristics and values not to God, but instead to beings and situations in nature, limits the significance of these values and unjustifiably enhances those beings and situations that are related to those characteristics and values.
The great danger in turning to the characteristics happens when certain characteristics are put into a specific context. This is the problem when we compartmentalize different values and characteristics. The understanding that a Divine Unity exists that combines all of the characteristics, obligates us to control all of our characteristics like an orchestra with a multitude of instruments with different strengths and qualities. Instead of defining characteristics as good or bad, lofty or low, it is better to determine how to use them in a manner in which they will complement each other as is befitting to the fact that they all come from God.