"Now if you will hear, and truly listen, to the voice of God..." (Deut 28:1)
One of the stylistic features of Biblical Hebrew is that it often repeats key verbs twice in order to emphasize their importance. Traditional commentators, who operate from a paradigm in which not a single word in the Torah is devoid of the possibility of meaning, find profound insights in many of these seemingly unnecessary repetitions.
In this week's portion, Ki Tavo, we are instructed that if we listen to God's commandments, then we will enjoy numerous blessings. This is a theme which is articulated again and again throughout the Book of Deuteronomy. However, in this instance the verb "sh'ma," which means both to hear and to listen, is repeated twice, rendering a proper translation something close to: "if you will hear, and truly listen..."
The S'fat Emet, a Hasidic commentary composed in the late 19thcentury by Rabbi Yehuda Leib Alter of Ger, suggests that the dual use of the verb to underline the difference between hearing and listening. He writes:
"The living soul constantly hears the voice of Torah, but this is hidden from us. This is why the verse says: hear, listen -- listen to that which you already are hearing."
(S'fat Emet, Ki Tavo #2, trans. Rabbi Arthur Green)
Hearing is an involuntary act. Unless we have lost our hearing to physical illness or injury, or jam our fingers in tight, we are constantly taking in the sounds of the world around us. We may choose not to look, choose not to taste, choose not to touch, but we cannot choose not to hear.
We can, and often do, chose not to listen to that which we hear. Whether because of distraction, antipathy, or indifference we have a phenomenal capacity to shut our minds to the sounds that our ears let in.
We hear news broadcasts about mass shootings and natural disasters and think about what we’ll eat for lunch. We hear the words of our partners or children and respond with cursory "uhm-hms" that indicate that their words are skipping like stones off the surface of our consciousness. We silence our own inner voice – our hopes, longings, dreams, and fears – and go about our daily business disconnected even from ourselves.
Every morning and evening, and just before going to bed, we observant Jews say the Sh’ma and remind ourselves that listening is the fundamental religious act. It requires our recognition that our ears are not our only organ of listening; equally important are open minds and hearts. Redemption waits on the other side of our capacity to unite the three, to not just hear, but truly listen.
Shabbat shalom