I Smell a Rat
During the time of tefillah one day, I could not evoke any enthusiasm in my prayer. Try as I might, I could not manage to direct my thoughts to my Heavenly Father and feel as though I was standing before the Mighty King Who can grant me all of my heart’s desires. I was filled with a deep sense of anguish.
After prayers ended, I decided to do some serious introspection. Why could I not muster the appropriate feelings of elevation as I had so terribly wished? Maybe I had not laid my tefillin properly, or maybe I had not prayed Shemoneh Esrei as I should have. But I found no solution to my quandary. I remained depressed and disappointed.
The following week, I sat in the same spot in the Beit Hakeneset, when someone nearby suddenly called my attention to a bad smell. I looked around to find its source. We even moved some furniture. To our utter shock, we discovered a dead mouse.
Now I clearly understood what had prevented my prayers from reaching heavenward. Everyone knows the halachah which was in effect in the times of the Beit Hamikdash: One who had touched an impure creature was forbidden from entering the holy Sanctuary until he immersed in a mikveh.
This dead rodent blocked the way for sanctity to descend upon the worshippers. Therefore, in spite of all my efforts, I felt a lack of enthusiasm and elevation in my prayers.
Upon reflection, I realized that I alone am responsible for my spiritual level. I certainly was to blame for not focusing sufficiently on my prayer. Maybe the dead mouse was the source of the impurity, but I was required to overcome this problem and resolutely concentrate on my prayers.
- With the Torah authority, Maran HaGaon Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef, Paris
