What Geckos Teach Us About Faith

A small gecko, the kind we've all seen on a wall at home, runs up a completely smooth glass window and then continues upside down on the ceiling. No glue, no vacuum, no claws digging in. How's that possible? Under a microscope, the secret was revealed. On each of the gecko's feet, there are about half a million tiny hairs, 10 times thinner than a human hair. that each hair splits into hundreds or even thousands of tiny tips [music] the size of a micron particle. Each such tip aderes to the glass using Vanderwal's force, the weakest attraction that exists between molecules. One hair alone, almost nothing. Researchers measured that each hair holds a tiny amount of force, but calculated that if all the hairs on one foot were to grip at once, this little foot could hold about 10 kg. And the gecko doesn't even need all of them. small fractions enough for it to run on a smooth wall [music] and want to let go. It tilts the hairs to an angle of about 30° and the grip peels off in an instant. Friends, we're used to thinking that spiritual strength comes from one big grip, [music] a moment of elevation, a fervent prayer, a dramatic decision. And when that moment passes, we feel like we've fallen, that we have nothing to hold on to and need to start all over from scratch. In the book of Proverbs, it is written, "The lizard can be caught with the hands, yet it is in king's palaces. The creature that can be caught in the palm of a hand climbs all the way to the king's palace. And at the end of track tape makat, Rabbi Hananya banakashia says, "The holy one, blessed behi, wished to grant merit to Israel. Therefore, he gave them many Toras and commandments." Many commandments are not a burden. There are [music] many points of grip. A blessing before drinking, a kind word, a coin for charity, a kiss to the muza. Each one alone seems tiny, but thanks to this abundance, there's always another point to hold on to. And the Rambam explains there that even one commandment that a person performs properly with a whole heart is enough to merit the world to come. That is exactly the secret of the hold. The Vanderwal force only works when you get very close. You don't press, you don't force, you just touch from up close. It's the same with a small mitzvah. It doesn't hold us by force. It holds us through closeness. Faith is not one big hold in a moment of spiritual uplift. Faith has thousands of small close touches that hold us even on the smoothest wall. So the next time we feel we have nothing to hold on to, let's stop and look for one small touch, one blessing, one word, one chapter, and then another. Because even a small gecko can reach the king's palace one hold at a time.