Q:
How can an adult stop from being afraid of thunder and lightning?
A:
And the answer is you should not. Don’t stop being afraid. The purpose of thunder is to let you know that the lightning is dangerous. Otherwise, people wouldn’t use their logic. But thunder gives them a shaking up and therefore they become frightened.
And that’s the purpose. It’s like when you walk in the street and you see a red flag that says, “There is an excavation here; make a detour,” or “There’s an open manhole; make a detour,” that’s what the thunder says: Men at work. Watch out.
The work is lightning. Lightning is fertilizing the earth. That’s what lightning does. When lightning goes through the air, it makes the oxygen and nitrogen unite and it falls with the rain in the form of nitrates. But if men are at work, you have to keep out of the way.
And if you don’t keep out of the way, so you can be a victim, chalilah. Every year, hundreds of people die in the United States because of lightning. When there’s a lightning storm, stay away from windows, close the windows and stay away from the window. And that’s the purpose of the thunder, to make you do that, to frighten you. And nobody should stop being afraid.
Now once you’re away from a window, then it’s common sense that you have nothing to fear. And you have to utilize the experience of the generations. People who are protected by modern houses are not struck by lightning inside the house. But if you’re near a window, it’s dangerous. And that’s why Hakodosh Boruch Hu made the thunder – to frighten you away. If you’re in an open field, don’t run. Look for shelter right away and keep out of the path of danger.
So actually, we should continue to fear lightning, but if it’s exaggerated, like some people close all the doors and they stick their heads under the pillow – it depends where the pillow is. If it’s near the window, it won’t help you much.
Tape #220 (June 1978)
