NOV. 5, ‘25 // Questions & Answers from Rabbi Avigdor Miller zt”l’s Thursday Night Lecture The Common Cold Q. Why is it that the common cold is the only thing that does not come from Hashem? Our Eyes Q. Why should a person thank Hashem for his eyes, “Baruch Atah Hashem pokei’ach ivrim — Blessed are You Hashem Who opens the eyes of the blind,” if animals can also see? A. You have to qualify that statement. The things that a person causes himself by his own negligence are his own doing. Let’s say if a man walks up to this wall, and he makes a charge with his head against the wall, and he has a headache that night. So this man is lying in bed, his head is throbbing, and he’s thinking, “Mah zos asah Elokim lanu? — For what sin did this come to me?” That’s a good question. The answer is, for the sin of butting your head against the wall, and that’s a big sin. So if a man is lying in bed with a cold, he should think. But first of all, before he thinks about any other thing, he should think…did I go out without a jacket? That’s number one. Or did I go to sleep too late last night, so I lowered my resistance? I could have gone to bed on time but I was looking in the newspaper till too late at night and in the morning I woke up and I didn’t have any energy. Therefore, when the germs started floating in the air on an “airplane” of a piece of dust and I breathed it in, my mucus membrane was breached because my resistance was lowered. That’s why it found a nest in my throat. So why blame Hashem for what you did? A. Plenty of people cannot see. Walk in the streets and see a man tapping his way with a cane, and ask him that question, what will he answer? We have to thank Hashem for the animal’s eyes, too. But whatever there is in the world, it is given for the purpose of making us aware of Hashem. Don’t merely thank Hashem for the fact that you have eyes to use, but realize that the eye itself is a testimony. That rasha himself, Darwin, yemach shemo, said, “When I come to the subject of the eye, I feel somewhat faint to think that such a contrivance could happen by itself.” He felt somewhat faint! He should faint; he’s fainting right now in Gehinnom. The eyes are wonderful things, nisei nissim (miracles of miracles); you have to talk about the eye at length to appreciate it. Wonder of wonders! It’s a camera taking pictures every second — color pictures — and it functions perfectly, not only for close, nearby pictures, but it can focus on faraway pictures in the same moment. I have to adjust a camera, but the eye immediately adjusts itself for faraway pictures; then when I turn back to you, it readjusts for close pictures. Wonderful! You’re sitting in a car speeding down the road, you look at the speedometer right there, and then you look at the mountains miles ahead; you couldn’t do that with a camera. To explain the wonders of the eye would occupy volumes and volumes. The eye itself testifies to the endless wisdom of its Great Designer. And therefore, when we thank Hashem, “Pokei’ach Ivrim,” not only for the happiness of the eye, not only for the joy of sight, we appreciate a life of color and motion. It’s a great pity, a great sadness to lose sight. We must appreciate the opportunity that sight gives us to gain understanding, to see people we love, and to be able to guard ourselves against danger, like when we have to cross the street. Eyes are not only useful for us in every sense, but our eyes bring us the greatest benefit of all: the awareness of the Great Designer Who brought such a complicated contrivance into existence. Reprinted with permission from “Ask Rabbi Miller”, compiled by Avrohom Tikotzky. Copyright 2019, Simchas Hachaim Publishing 718-258-7400 x103 To receive Mr. Tikotsky’s weekly email: tikotzky@gmail.com or www.rmillerqa.com Ask Rabbi Miller 100
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