Hearing Leads to Rewards

Hearing is crucial to understanding.

We live in a world of distractions. We are bombarded by images and notifications throughout our day that distract us from truly understanding those who stand before us. When others are talking, we are often only partially listening.

How many times do I ask Susie to repeat what she just said because I was busy scrolling through my phone? How many other times do I become distracted mid-conversation when I receive a text message that seems to scream, “Pay attention to me—now!”

We listen less attentively. And our understanding suffers.

The Torah proclaims, “See, I set before you today blessing and curse: the blessing when you listen to the command of Adonai your God with which I charge you today; the curse, if you do not listen to the command of Adonai your God.” (Deuteronomy 11) The root of the Hebrew word for listening and hearing is sh’ma. It is the same word as that found in the familiar Sh’ma prayer. We sing, “Hear, O Israel, Adonai is our God, the Lord is One.”

In this week’s portion, this word is usually translated as hearken or obey rather than listen, but it seems to me that the Hebrew is pointing us towards a greater meaning.

Hearing is crucial to receiving God’s blessings.

The Sefas Emes, a nineteenth century Hasidic rabbi, writes, “The reward of an observant life will be the ability to hear God’s voice among the conflicting messages competing for our attention in a noisy world.”

The more one observes, the easier it is to hear. The more one focuses on those sitting before us, the greater the reward.