PARSHAS DEVORIM – TISHA B’AV 5775

“RABBI’S
MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)”
Shabbos Kodesh Parshas Devorim
Shabbos Tisha B’av
5775/ July 22, 2015
At our Shabbos table a few weeks ago a friend of ours related
that some time prior she had been attending a wedding. She was standing next to
her table and shmoozing with a friend, when she felt tapping on her shoulder. She
completely ignored it and continued conversing. After a minute she heard a
voice behind her say “I imagine that you have young children and have
trained yourself to ignore relentless tapping, but you are blocking the aisle.
Could you please move aside?” She immediately moved aside, apologized, and
explained that the woman was exactly right. She was so used to the tapping that
she hardly noticed it, even though her children were not with her.
The Gemara in Gittin recounts the tragic story which resulted
in the destruction of the Bais Hamikdash. There the Gemara relates that after
he destroyed the Bais Hamikdash, the arrogant and wicked Roman General Titus
returned to Rome
bragging that he had overpowered the Jewish G-d.
A short time later a small gnat flew into his nostrils and
entered his brain where it immediately began mercilessly pecking away inside his
head. Titus tried all sorts of remedies but all to no avail. One day as he
walked past a blacksmith who was banging away with his anvil, the pecking
stopped. The gnat seemed to enjoy the noise. From that point onward Titus had
someone walk next to him banging away at all times. With time the gnat became
used to the banging and resumed its pecking, until Titus had the person bang a
little harder. But then the gnat became accustomed to that too, and the noise
had to be increased even more. Eventually Titus died a slow and painful death.
In relating this story the Gemara is reminding us of basic
human nature. When someone is subjected to the same experience day and after
day no matter how awe-inspiring, terrifying, or intriguing it is, eventually it
becomes trite and loses its intrigue. Eventually it becomes nothing more than background
noise.
When a parent or teacher is always shouting at their
students/children eventually the children no longer hear the shouting and
program themselves to just tune out. [This is not to say that they aren’t
bothered by the emotional reprimand, but the intended jolt accomplished by the
shouting no longer has the same effect. If anything it begins to breed
resentment.]

When Titus originally passed the blacksmith the
gnat was intrigued by the noise. But with time it became accustomed to the
noise and was no longer affected by it.[1]
To make an impression something must be exciting and fresh. In
today’s world, educators possess the difficult task of maintaining excitement
in their lessons. We as individuals too have the arduous responsibility to
maintain excitement in our religious observance. When Torah and mitzvos becomes
‘background noise’ and the ‘noises’ of the world around us become louder and
more exciting we no longer hear the sounds of our soul within us.
Tisha B’av and the preceding period of mourning come to jolt
us out of our spiritual stupor. When we allow the Bais Hamikdash within our
souls to be reduced to ashes we can no longer relate to it. But when we mourn
its loss than we begin to reconnect ourselves with it and it begins to be
rebuilt from within us.
Shabbat Shalom & Good Shabbos
An easy and meaningful fast,
            R’ Dani and Chani Staum       
720 Union Road • New Hempstead, NY 10977 • (845) 362-2425



[1] I heard this idea and explanation of that gemara from
Rabbi Noach Sauber who heard it from Rabbi Homnick. For many years Rabbi
Homnick would expound upon the gemara in Gittin on the lawn of Camp Morris
throughout Tisha B’av afternoon for seven hours straight! 

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