though they are not always felt. Music is a powerful emotion stimulator, and listeners naturally gravitate to types of music that arouse the emotions they specifically need to express. Some songs make us introspective, some make us want to cry, some cause us fear or anger, and others make us want to reach out to Hashem and seek His closeness. The more we listen to music that activates a specific set of emotions, the stronger those emotions become, effecting change to our personalities and behavior. Aristotle the philosopher revealed to the world that the during the time of the second Bais Hamikdash the Greeks were able to influence and destroy the basically moral foundations of broader society through their music which encouraged self-indulgent behavior, and the casting off of all compassion and decency. It was during the era of Greek music that bloodsports which pitted man against beast or the weak against the strong gained popularity. While human bones were crushed, Greek society snacked in the stands, considering the fitness of the human body to be the pinnacle of man’s being. The ability to tear apart the limbs of another by hand was more valued than the ability to nurture — the latter being virtually worthless in that society. With every beat of the Greek drums, humanity was stripped from the people, suppressing — destroying — compassionate emotions, giving vitality to cruelty, glorifying acts of murder. The brains and feelings of these humans were hijacked by the rhythmic, animalistic beats they heard, which were carefully formulated by Greek musicians. In this generation too, music scientists know how to control our emotions — for both better and for worse. Many times, music is formulated to intentionally wake up the coarsest, wildest, most sadistic parts of humanity. The effects of music on the nefesh habehamis is astounding and clearly illustrated by how music effects the animal kingdom. Studies have shown that dogs exposed to classical music bark less, while classical music-listening mice with heart transplants survived longer than their nonmusic-exposed counterparts. An even more interesting observation was allegedly made by a zoo that broadcast music for its animals: Every time an opera composed by the virulently anti-semitic
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