Haaatchu! One of the hardest things about writing is trying to do what I just did, that is, to write out the sound of a human sneeze. But G-d bless me for going out of my comfort zone and attempting to do so. And for heaven’s sake – or perhaps better stated, for your own sake – may G-d bless you too.

One of the greatest pleasures of this world is when we sneeze. The tremendous amount of satisfaction is simply astounding. In fact, it’s not just scientists who attest to this, Chazal do so as well. The Gemarah in Meseches Brachos (24b) says that one who sneezes during prayer (i.e., Shemonah Esrei), it is a good omen for him, for just as they give him satisfaction in this world, so do they give him satisfaction in heaven. According to Rabbeinu Yonah, a sneeze during prayer is a sign for him that his prayers have been answered. It is clear from this Gemarah (see Rashi) that sneezing is a source of satisfaction since it offers relief to a person.


If you are reading this, then I’m sure you have experienced what I like to call, “The Sneeze that Never Was.” This refers to the sneeze that was about to happen, the sneeze that was about to manifest itself, the sneeze that was about to spread whatever germs you have to the world at large, but the sneeze never ended up happening. On the list of Most Annoying Sensations as well as the list of Most Notable Letdowns, the failed sneeze is ranked higher than number one, if that’s even possible.

If you think about it, when we sneeze, we are tapping into a reservoir of energy that is usually not possible to achieve. According to an article on Webmd.com, Patti Wood says that “sneezes travel at about 100 miles per hour.” She adds that a single sneeze can send 100,000 germs into the air. Talk about human strength and potential to express yourself, the sneeze tells us that we have what it takes!

Everyone on this world has the potential to do good and be the good on this world. The energy, the strength, and the potential exist. The question, though, is whether or not we are willing to “sneeze” and bring forth that tremendous inner koach from our penimiyus, or are we simply going to hold back and let the “sneeze” fade away?

Yisro is one of the Torah’s prime examples of a man who defied the laws of physical confinement, and chose to convert to Judaism and adopt a life of Torah and mitzvos. After all, he was – spiritually speaking – on the lowest level, serving every idol that’s out there. But, as the Torah tells us, Yisro heard about the miraculous events that the Jewish people experienced when leaving Egypt, and he simply could not ignore the obvious; there must be a Borei Olam. G-d is not a figment of the imagination, He is reality and truth.

Deep down, Yisro had this incredible spiritual energy and potential waiting to be “sneezed” and brought forth to this world. And guess what? He did exactly that. He changed his life around and connected with this inner spiritual koach of good that existed inside of him.

This is a valuable lesson for us. We all want to experience satisfaction in life. On a physical level, one of the ways to do that is to sneeze. On a spiritual level, the same is true. Let us find the strength to “sneeze,” to bring forth our inner spiritual koach of good and spread forth our light throughout the world.

Have a holy Shabbos!