Parashat Re’eh begins with Moshe Rabbenu making the following statement to Beneh Yisrael:
ראה אנוכי נותן לפניכם היום ברכה וקללה. את הברכה, אשר תשמעו אל מצוות ה' אלוקיכם... ואת הקללה אם לא תשמעו אל מצוות ה' אלוקיכם...
See that I am placing before you today a blessing and a curse – the blessing if you listen to the commands of Hashem your G-d, and the curse if you do not listen to the commands of Hashem your G-d…
The commentators point out that Moshe does not speak about “doing” the mitzvot, but rather about “listening” to the mitzvot.
Why? Shouldn’t the blessing – or the opposite – depend on our fulfilling the mitzvot? Why does Moshe here emphasize listening to the mitzvot?
The answer is because listening is the most important – and most difficult – part.
To understand why, let’s imagine we’re walking in midtown Manhattan in the middle of a workday. In just ten minutes of walking, it is amazing how many people and things we see and hear. Hundreds and hundreds of people, vehicles and buildings, and sounds of all kinds.
But how many of them will we remember? Very, very few.
This is because we all – all of us, without exception – have selective hearing. We cannot focus on everything, because that would be way too overwhelming. And so we focus selectively, on the things that we instinctively know are important to pay attention to.
This isn’t true only in Manhattan. It’s true of life generally.
We are all limited. We can only focus on so many things. We can’t pay attention to EVERYTHING. We need to prioritize. And we do this intuitively. We pay attention to the things that we feel are most important, and we block out the rest.
This is why Moshe says את הברכה אשר תשמעו – that the blessing comes when we “listen.” This is the most important step – to make mitzvot a priority, so that it becomes something that we “listen” to,” that we pay close attention to, and not something that gets blocked out.
This concept is also very relevant to our family relationships, as well.
Since we’re all limited, and we can only pay attention to a number of things at a time, we do not always pay attention to what family members need. Parents frequently complain that their grown children do not help out enough at home, either while they’re still living at home or when they come to visit. The parents need to realize that it’s not that the children don’t care, it’s that they’re not aware. With so many things to worry about in their own lives, they might not realize the needs of the people around them. This is something we all do. We can’t be attuned to everything and everyone at all times. And therefore, many things simply don’t register on the radar in our minds – not because we’re selfish, but because we’re limited.
Parents need to calmly and respectfully express to their children that they need to help. The solution isn’t anger – it’s simply bringing these needs to their attention, opening up their eyes to realize that this is something they need to pay attention to.
When King Shlomo became king, Hashem appeared to him and offered to grant him any request he had. Shlomo asked, ונתת לעבדך לב שומע – “You shall give Your servant a ‘listening heart’” (Melachim I 3:9). Listening begins in the heart, with what we feel is important, and therefore becomes a priority. My Hashem grant all of us a לב שומע, a heart which understands what’s important for us and for others, so we are always “listening” and paying attention to what Hashem expects from us and to what all the people around us need from us.