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This opening pasuk from our Sedra is perplexing, is it not? It never finishes the sentence! It informs us that there is a blessing if we listen to the Mitzvot, & a k’lala if we do not listen, but it never tells us exactly what that bracha (or k’lala) is!! Will we be rich, safe, healthy, if we follow the Mitzvot? We're never told; the verse just leaves us hanging there, scratching our heads in puzzlement!
When I was younger, my father z"l used to give our family a riddle or quiz at Shabbat dinners (maybe that’s how I got hooked on trivia!). One of his more famous riddles was, "How long is a Chinaman’s name?" We looked at one another with a blank and bewildered stare - we had no clue! Maybe it was short, like Mao, or long like Chiang Kai-Shek; how the heck were we supposed to know how long his name is?!
We agonized for quite a while over his question until Dad finally smiled & said, "Who ever told you it was a question?!
And then we figured it out, of course; dad was not ASKING anything; he was making a definitive statement: "How Long is a Chinaman’s name!"
And now the pasuk makes perfect sense: Blessings come to us when we listen; curses when we don’t. The ability to listen is in itself a great bracha; one need look no further. By listening to Hashem, we discipline ourselves into becoming listeners and THAT is its own reward! For when we listen, we learn (that’s why we have two ears, but only one mouth!). When we listen to others we connect to them, relate to them, form a bond with them.
We Jews are expert talkers. We all have our own cell phones & 100 different ways to talk to one another (Skype, Viber, Noknok, FaceTime, etc). But listening has
become somewhat of a lost art, perhaps because we are too busy, too impatient, too self-centered. We seem much more interested in having others know what WE think,
rather than discovering what THEY think & feel. But, as Susie smartly says, sometimes people aren't looking for an answer; they just want to know that others hear them, that someone out there is listening – and that’s enough.
We are about to enter Elul, the gateway to the High Holy Days, the month of "I am my beloved’s & my beloved is mine." We want to hear the sound of the Shofar & be
spiritually aroused; we want Hashem to hear our prayers & bless us with new life. The key to that happening is to talk less, & listen more. To hear the sounds of the world
around us, the call of the Divine, & the pleas – spoken or unspoken – of our fellow Jews. I'm sure you would agree that G-d is the universe's greatest listener; millions of prayers are directed towards Him every day, one of the most potent being "Shma Koleynu - Hear our voice." Shouldn't we emulate Hashem and be a good listener, too?
Listening, I suggest, is the surest path to blessing. You hear?
Rabbi Stewart Weiss
Was ordained at the Hebrew Theological College in Skokie, Illinois, and led congregations in Chicago and Dallas prior to making Aliyah in 1992. He directs the Jewish Outreach Center in Ra'anana, helping to facilitate the spiritual absorption of new olim.
Jewish Laws and Thoughts Shul “etiquette:” can we honor Hashem while respecting our fellow congregants?
Peninei Halakha 5. Weddings and Engagements during the Omer Period
Chapter 3: Customs of Mourning during the Omer Period
Peninei Halakha 5. Weddings and Engagements during the Omer Period
Chapter 3: Customs of Mourning during the Omer Period
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 5- "Proofs of G-d"
This may be the most important class of the entire book, where we finally get to the Jewish proof of the existence of G-d and truth of the Torah. We should follow His own direction where He tells us how to get to Him: through the Nation of Israel: Jewish history, Jewish prophets (and today, prophecies fulfilled), and national reward & punishment towards Am Yisrael.
Ein Aya One Humanity, One Creator, One Jerusalem
Rav Kook innovatively and beautifully explains this aggadeta where our sages say that after Jerusalem was destroyed her cinnamon fragrance is only found locked in a particular kingdom's treasury.
Shlach Lecha "Why So Many Don't Make Aliya?" - Parshat Shlach
This short article deals with the weird phenomena that every single time Am Yisrael is meant to enter the Land of Israel, throughout the Tanach, 2nd Temple and until today, they "chicken out" and look for excuses. What's the problem with this mitzvah that proves so challenging. The article, based on sources, suggests that the difficulties of Eretz Yisrael is precisely her secret and beauty!
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 4
The class deals with Islam and how the Muslim tries convincing the King of the Khazars, and why he was also rejected.
Beha'alotcha JEWISH STATE= GUIDE TO G-DLINESS & SELFLESSNESS
A Jewish State not only is a good idea, but educates us towards selflessness, altruism and G-dliness in our daily lives.
Ein Aya In Zion Even the Smoke of the Bark is Sweet
Just as Jewish nationalism is different from others, so too our capitol of Jerusalem is totally different than other national capitols. Rav Kook beautifully explains the passage in the Talmud that the trees of Yerushalayim were cinnamon trees.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 3
The second speaker invited to convince the Khazar King is the Christian, who presents their beliefs. Even before the questions of the King, "between the lines", the author R. Yehuda HaLevi already begins disproving them.
Ein Aya "Intimacy: Love, Life & Giving or Egocentric Taking & Expiration"
Today, many confuse between intimacy in marriage, based on love, giving and life which are diametrically opposed to empty "sex", pornography and prostitution which destroyed the Beit HaMikdash. The practical importance of clarifying this topic in today's western society is obvious, especially for young adults.