I came home one evening this week, and had just sat down when I heard a blood-curdling shriek. It was our cleaner, who doesn’t speak a word of English but was in a total panic, gesturing and screaming.
Coming from South Africa, my immediate thought was a home invasion. In the span of 1-2 seconds I quickly calculated who was in the house, possible escape routes, and what I could potentially use as a weapon.
But then she pulled out her phone to translate her Spanish into English:
“Mister, I have never been so terrified in my life!” she said.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Rats.”
“Where?”
“Outside.”
Turns out she was cleaning up outside, and under the stairs she found rats. Not just one or two, but a whole family.
Anyone who lives in NYC knows just how much of a rat problem we have right now. We even have a newly appointed “Rat Czar” to try and take care of it. The rats are truly everywhere.
I immediately called an exterminator and they got rid of the problem. Thank G-d there were no rats in the house, only outside.
What is the lesson here?
Before his passing, Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakai, one of the Talmudic sages, blessed his students that they should fear G-d like they fear man. The students were confused, and Rabbi Yochanan explained that most people’s first thought when doing something wrong is, “Can anyone see me?” Imagine if we were that aware of G-d’s presence at all times!
My cleaning lady was so scared she could hardly speak, and I would have been just as terrified if I’d been the one to bump into those rodents. Imagine if we could channel that fear into our Divine service, and use it to propel us to do the right thing at all times, even when no one else is around to see.