The Secret of Guarding the Ears and the Effect of Melodies on Abundance
Shiur No. 190 | Thursday, Parshas Acharei Mos-Kedoshim, 6 Iyar 5759
An article explaining the spiritual reason for the structure of the ear and the fingers, emphasizing the tremendous importance of guarding the sense of hearing. Through the words of the Gemara concerning Rav Huna and Rav Chisda, it is revealed how unholy melodies block shefa (Divine abundance), and how distancing oneself from leitzanus (mockery) opens the door to infinite blessing.
Fingers Like Pegs: Protecting the Soul
Why did Hashem create our fingers with a tapered shape, like pegs? The answer lies in the need to protect the soul. The Creator designed the human body so that if a person hears something improper, he can immediately place his finger inside his ear. The finger seals the ear canal with a perfect fit, exactly like a nut and bolt or a pot and its lid.
Sometimes a person finds himself traveling on a bus or in a taxi, and the driver is playing idle chatter or inappropriate melodies. He does not have cotton balls or earplugs, and he has no way to turn off the device. This is exactly why the fingers were created.
The Gemara in Tractate Kesubos (5b) states: "Rabbi Elazar said: Why do a person's fingers look like pegs? So that if a person hears something improper, he will place his fingers in his ears."
Furthermore, Hashem created the earlobe for us, so that if it is difficult for a person to seal his ear with his finger, he can bend the earlobe, press it inward, and block out the sound. A person must know that all the troubles and illnesses he experiences come as a result of hearing improper things or unholy melodies.
Destruction or Abundance: The Impact of a Melody
There is tremendous importance in listening exclusively to melodies that were sung with true deveikus (cleaving) to Hashem. When a person listens to the songs of singers who perform merely to entertain, who have completely forgotten that there is a Creator of the world, it brings spiritual and physical destruction into the home.
The Gemara in Tractate Sotah (48a) states: "Rava said: Song in the house brings destruction to the threshold."
This means that improper singing in the home brings destruction to the doorstep. The Gemara explains that even a house roofed with the strongest cedar wood becomes destabilized and shaken as a result. In Tractate Bava Kamma (21a), a demon named "Shaya" is described, appearing in the form of an ox, who gores and destroys the house, breaking walls, dismantling bricks, and causing the plaster to fall—all as a result of those invalid melodies. A person can lose all his shefa (abundance) and parnassah (livelihood) simply because he brought unkosher melodies into his home or his car.
The Decree of Rav Huna and the Secret of Tremendous Abundance
The Gemara tells of Rav Huna, who saw the destruction brought about by invalid melodies and decided to take action. He abolished all songs and melodies in Babylon. He permitted singing only out of true deveikus (cleaving to Hashem), such as during the High Holy Days, on Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Simchas Torah, and the Simchas Beis HaShoevah (Festival of Water Drawing).
The moment Rav Huna abolished the invalid melodies, an incomprehensible abundance descended upon the world. In the merit of refraining from hearing improper things, geese were born and multiplied in massive quantities, to the point that one hundred geese were sold for a single zuz. The price of wheat also plummeted, and one hundred se'ah of wheat were sold for one zuz. The shefa (abundance) was so great that there was no one to buy the merchandise, and prices dropped miraculously.
The Danger of Leitzanus (Mockery)
However, this abundance did not last. Rav Chisda heard about Rav Huna's decree and mocked it. The moment a person mocks words of Torah or holy practices, he nullifies all the spiritual power and all the abundance.
"One act of leitzanus (mockery) pushes away a hundred rebukes."
A person can hear a word of Torah, but it is enough for him to laugh at it even just in his heart, thinking: "Why is this so strange? What do we need this for? Who said this is forbidden?"—and through this, he nullifies all the light. Indeed, following that mockery, the spiritual power of Rav Huna's decree was nullified. Prices skyrocketed back up, and it was no longer possible to buy even a single goose for a zuz.
Hashem has infinite ways to bestow goodness upon us. Hashem loves us with a soul-deep love and wants to grant us tremendous abundance, even apartments and palaces for free. All we have to do is fulfill what is written in the holy books, maintain the holiness of our ears, and avoid even the slightest trace of leitzanus (mockery).
Part 2 of 4 — Shiur No. 190