We might swat them away without a second thought, but according to the Rabbis, even these creatures have a purpose. As we find in Bereshit Rabbah, even these so-called "superfluous" beings are part of creation, and God uses them to carry out His will.

It’s a powerful reminder that everything, no matter how small, is interconnected and plays a role in the grand scheme of things. The Rabbis tell us that the Holy One, blessed be He, executes His missions through all things – "even by means of a serpent, even by means of a gnat, even by means of a frog.”

To illustrate this idea, the text shares a series of fascinating stories.

First, Rabbi Aḥa tells of a man who saw a frog transporting a scorpion across a river. Why? Because, as the story goes, the scorpion was on a mission to kill someone. Once the deed was done, the frog dutifully carried it back. Talk about an unlikely partnership!

Then there's the story Rabbi Pinḥas tells, in the name of Rabbi Ḥanan of Tzippori, about a man who unknowingly saved himself from a serpent's venom by wearing a particular herb as a wreath. The serpent was sent to kill him, but the herb, apparently an antidote, initially thwarted its mission. However, fate, or perhaps divine will, eventually caught up with the man.

Rabbi Yanai, sitting at the entrance to his city, observed a serpent persistently trying to enter. No matter how many times he chased it away, it kept returning. He declared, "This one is on his way to perform a mission." Shortly after, news arrived that someone in the city had been fatally bitten by a snake.

Rabbi Elazar had a similar experience. A Roman rudely interrupted him at the latrine, only to be killed by a serpent soon after. Rabbi Elazar saw this as divine retribution, quoting Isaiah 43:4: “I placed a man [adam] in your stead” – interpreting "man" as referring to Edom, a symbolic stand-in for the Romans.

These tales highlight a recurring theme: seemingly random events are often part of a larger, divine plan. Even the smallest creatures and most mundane objects can be instruments of God’s will.

Another story recounts how Rabbi Yitzḥak ben Elazar saw a thighbone rolling along the shore of Caesarea, always returning no matter how many times he tried to push it away. He recognized it was “prepared to perform a mission.” Days later, a courier tripped on the bone and died, revealing that he was carrying evil decrees against the Jews of Caesarea.

But perhaps the most dramatic story involves Titus, the Roman emperor who destroyed the Second Temple. The narrative depicts his sacrilegious acts within the Holy of Holies, his boastful claims of defeating God, and his subsequent demise.

The story details how Titus entered the Holy of Holies, desecrated the Temple, and blasphemed against God. He claimed victory over God, boasting that he had defeated Him in His own palace. As he sailed away, a storm arose, but Titus dismissed it, believing that God's power was limited to water.

However, divine retribution was not to be avoided. As the text recounts, God vowed to punish Titus with the smallest of creatures. Upon arriving in Rome, a gnat entered Titus's nose and began to gnaw at his brain, growing to an enormous size. Doctors eventually removed the growth, finding it weighed two pounds. As it withered, Titus withered along with it, until finally, the gnat flew away, and Titus died.

This final story serves as a powerful example of divine justice. Even the mighty Titus, conqueror of Jerusalem, was ultimately brought down by a tiny gnat. It's a stark reminder that no one, no matter how powerful, is beyond the reach of God's judgment.

So, what are we to take away from these stories? They teach us to look beyond the surface, to recognize that everything in creation has a purpose, and that even the smallest of things can play a significant role in the unfolding of divine will. They urge us to be mindful of the interconnectedness of all things, and to appreciate the hidden hand of God at work in the world around us. Perhaps the next time you see a fly, a flea, or a gnat, you'll remember these tales and consider the possibility that it, too, is on a mission.