The Jewish Home | JUNE 2, 2022
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Mosquito Tones: Hearing G-d’s Messages
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OctOber 29, 2015 | the Jewish Home
R
ecently, I was shocked to discover that some teens have been downloading a special ringtone for their cellphones in order to dupe their teachers. It’s called the “mosquito tone,” a tone heard only by young adults and entirely inaudible for anyone over the age of 30. The mosquito frequency produces sound at 17kHz, which repels mosquitoes. Students are able to text back and forth during class without the teacher ever knowing. Sounds unbelievable right? I found a YouTube video of the sound and decided to check which members of our family could hear it. I pressed play, and wouldn’t you know it? Not only did all of my children hear it, but even I did! (Beware: it’s a rather obnoxious sound.) For a brief moment, I experienced the joy of feeling young again like being carded in the grocery store when you’re buying wine for Shabbos. I felt proud of my youthful ability to hear a tone that only teens were able to hear. But then I thought, Maybe I downloaded the wrong clip. We played it again for my husband, who is four years older than me. He was unable to hear anything. We were shocked! I thought he was joking so I asked in disbelief, “Really, you can’t hear it? Are you sure? Let’s try again.”
He replied, “There is no sound coming from the computer. Come on! Stop joking around with me!” I was stumped and decided to keep searching, still convinced I had found the wrong sound somehow. Finally, I was able to find the right ringtone, and to my great disappointment, the sound went completely undetected by me! My ears were not as youthful as I hoped they would be! I was shocked by my inability to hear the noise, while my children heard it perfectly. Apparently, it was an even more disturbing frequency than the first ringtone that I was able to hear. You’re probably wondering where I am going with all of this. Well, I’m taking you back to Har Sinai. When G-d gave us the Torah, His voice was heard by all Jews, young and old. It was a moment so rare that it would never be repeated. “These words that G-d spoke to all your assembly in the mountain out of the midst of the fire, the cloud and the thick darkness, with a great voice which was not heard again… (v’lo yasaf ).” Ibn Ezra ex plains t hat v’lo yasaf means it was a one-time deal. Hashem’s voice ceased, never to be heard again in this manner. This begs the question: If this was a singular occurrence, how are we to connect in
PAINTING BY YORAM RAANAN
By Sarah Pachter
general to Hashem, and specifically each year on Shavuot? Onkelus explains the expression v’lo yasaf differently; it does not mean never to be repeated, but rather that G-d’s voice never ended, never ceased. How can we reconcile these two commentaries? The answer lies in the individual. G-d is always communicating with us, but we have the power to choose whether or not we listen. Whenever something odd, distressing, or exciting happens, we must ask ourselves, Am I listening on the right frequency? How can we realistically hear the frequency that Hashem uses to communicate? After all, no one today is a prophet. The answer is found in a Midrash regarding Har Sinai. Rabbi Meir said: When the Jews stood before Sinai to receive the Torah,
G-d said to them: “I swear, I will not give you the Torah unless you provide worthy guarantors who will assure that you will observe its laws.” The Jews responded, “Master of the world, our forefathers will be our guarantors!” “Your guarantors themselves require guarantors!” was G-d’s reply. “Master of the world,” the Jews exclaimed, “our prophets will guarantee our observance of the Torah.” “I have grievances against them, too. ‘The shepherds have rebelled against Me,’” G-d replied. “Bring proper guarantors and only then will I give you the Torah.” As a last resort, the Jews declared, “Our children will serve as our guarantors!” “They truly are worthy guarantors,” G-d replied. “Because of them I will give the Torah.” Hashem felt that the greatest guar-
