Rav Paysach Krohn told a story that he heard from Rav Moshe Plutchok from Yeshivah Derech Chaim in Brooklyn. There was an accomplished writer who was working on a biography of the famous symphony conductor, Arturo Toscanini. One day the writer called Toscanini and asked if he could come over the following night to interview him.
The great maestro told him that he could not meet that night, as he was planning to listen to a concert on the radio of an orchestra that he had conducted himself the previous year.
Asked the Great Maestro if He Could Listen to the Concert with Him
The writer asked if he could join him and discuss the concert after it was over. Toscanini agreed, on condition that he would not disturb him during the concert. The next night they listened together to the orchestra's performance, and when it was finished, the writer said, “Wasn’t that magnificent?”
“No, it wasn’t,” Toscanini answered sternly. “There were supposed to be 120 musicians, among them 15 violinists, but there were only 14 violinists playing tonight.”
The writer could not believe what he just heard, but he did not dare question the great maestro. However, he wanted to investigate to verify if Toscanini was right. The next morning, he called the director of the orchestra and asked him how many musicians were supposed to be in the orchestra, and how many had actually shown up.
The director told him that there were supposed to be 120 musicians, but one of the 15 violinists called in sick. The writer was in awe and could not understand how Toscanini could have noticed that one violin was missing. That night he returned to Toscanini and asked him how he was able to discern the missing violin in an orchestra of 120 musicians.
Noticed that Some of the Musical Notes were Missing
Toscanini answered with authority and said, “There is a great difference between you and me. As part of the general audience, everything sounds great to you. But I, being a conductor, must know every sound that comes forth from the orchestra. When I heard the concert, I noticed that some notes were missing, and I knew immediately that one violinist was not there!”
Rav Plutchok used this story to teach an amazing insight. We may not discern the difference when we or someone else is learning Torah or observing a certain Mitzvah, for we are all part of the general audience. But to the Conductor of the World Symphony, Hashem, Who knows every note that should come forth, to Him, every word of Torah that is learned, every Tefilah that is uttered, and every Mitzvah that is fulfilled, makes a big difference!
Rav Paysach Krohn concluded and said, “We are all musicians in Hashem’s Orchestra. In an orchestra, the drummer is not expected to play the cello, the cellist should not play the flute, and the flutist cannot play the violin. Each one must play his own instrument to the best of his ability. This is how it is in real life. We are all different, and we must all perform with the talents, mindset, and personalities we were blessed with. We should perform on the highest level of our capability for Hashem, the Conductor of the World Symphony!”
Reprinted from the Parshas Ha’azinu 5783 email of Rabbi Yehuda Winzelberg’s Torah U’Tefilah.
