Welcome to the SIMHA Emotional Wellness Minute. We continue on the topic of Hitboninut, of contemplating and observing creation, or anything for that matter. Rav Wolbe quotes the Gemara in Eruvin 100b, where Rav Yochanan says, “If not for the Torah, we would have learned modesty from a cat, not to steal from an ant, loyalty and fidelity from a dove, and proper conduct from a rooster.”
Rashi explains that the cat is careful to clean up after itself, ants have a scent that they place on the food so that other ants don't touch it, and a dove is a loyal mate. And we see from Hovot Halevavot in Shaar Bechina, that this is something to do- to pay attention to ants and different creatures, because we can learn from them.
This is all Hitboninut.
We can see wonders!
Rav Wolbe quotes that his Rebbe, Rav Yerucham Levovitz went to the zoo once and he said after that, almost every time he prayed, he thought of lessons that he learned from the zoo. If we start paying attention, we can get tremendous strength in Emunah, aside from honing our skills of Hitboninut. Look at the instincts that animals have. Where'd they get these from?
Who taught the spider to make his web? Who taught the beaver to make the dam? Besides the physical prowess that the animals have, they have spiritual strengths. It’s a talent, a spiritual force that they have.
Just watch the cat lick itself; it has an internal drive to be clean. Where did that come from? Where does the hen get the patience to sit and wait on the eggs until they hatch? Who taught the birds how to make nests? Who taught the hummingbird to hum? As we’ve said before, thinking like this builds the person's inner world. It makes for a richer life. Otherwise, he's walking in the world like a blind man…how impoverished he is. Rav Wolbe says, “I say on such a person,
פֶּֽה־לָ֭הֶם וְלֹ֣א יְדַבֵּ֑רוּ עֵינַ֥יִם לָ֝הֶ֗ם וְלֹ֣א יִרְאֽוּ׃
They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see;
אׇזְנַ֣יִם לָ֭הֶם וְלֹ֣א יִשְׁמָ֑עוּ אַ֥ף לָ֝הֶ֗ם וְלֹ֣א יְרִיחֽוּן׃
they have ears, but cannot listen,
noses, but cannot smell;
יְדֵיהֶ֤ם ׀ וְלֹ֬א יְמִישׁ֗וּן …ּ לֹא־יֶ֝הְגּ֗וּ בִּגְרוֹנָֽם׃
They have hands,but they don't feel….
There's no noise coming out of their throats. This was said by David Hamelech on the idols, but Rav Wolbe says, “I say that on people that go through life without hitboninut.” like the pasuk says, כְּ֭מוֹהֶם יִהְי֣וּ עֹשֵׂיהֶ֑ם /Those that make the idols are like the idols.
Therefore, this is another thing to think about. Think about the smallest of creatures. Pay attention to a fly, pay attention to a worm. Pay attention to a bee or a butterfly. This should be a daily exercise. Set aside time to train yourself. And as we said before, it has psychological benefits. It grounds you. Anytime you're focusing and using your senses, it takes you out of your mind. It takes you out of the clutter.
That's why people enjoy taking nature walks. Rabbi Miller would walk on Ocean Parkway every day, and he knew all of the trees of Ocean Parkway. He contemplated. He contemplated the apple and the banana and all those wonderful things. But we can do it too. It turns you into a richer person. It makes you a healthier person, emotionally. Even something like a mosquito, as the summer season begins, is something to think about. How do mosquitoes smell?
They have a very special sense, obviously. And why don't you feel them when they sting you? It’s because Hashem gave them an anesthetic that allows them to drill without you feeling it. They also have an anticoagulant which stops your blood from clotting around them as they're doing their drilling job. Think about these wonderful creatures. Phenomenal! That's what Hitboninut is all about. Slowing down and paying attention to the world around us.
Have a wonderful day.