Listen, Heaven as I declare, let the earth hear my mouth’s sayings (Devarim 32:1)

Everything about the Aseres Yemei Tshuvah seems to be about listening. On Shabbos Shuva, we normally read Parshas Haazinu. The first verse of Haazinu is all about listening (see above verse). Also, on Rosh HaShana, we listen to the blowing of the Shofar. When the person blowing the Shofar makes the blessing, he states “Blessed are You, Hashem, King of the Universe, who sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to hear the sound of the Shofar.” The mitzvah of the Shofar is not the blowing, but the hearing of its sound. If a person blows the Shofar but has on earplugs and does not hear it, he does not fulfilled the mitzvah. Listening seems to be a theme of this time.

This is no mistake. Listening is a very important thing to think about during this time.

Many, many, many arguments happen because people do not listen to each other. I remember when I was in seventh grade, I was very upset at a teacher… but it turned out I should not have been. She was my afternoon Hebrew school teacher and on one evening she rebuked the entire class for a bad choice we made. We did not feel we did anything wrong, but she spent an hour telling us that we were very wrong in the decision we made. The next morning, I was in my homeroom at my public school (which happened to be the same place where this Hebrew school teacher taught during the day) and this teacher called me out of homeroom. I was already not happy with this teacher, but to continue rebuking me in school. During the day, I found out that I was the only person that this teacher pulled out of class that day to talk to. I was fuming. My mom called this teacher to find out what was going on.

Well, it turned out the reason I was pulled out of homeroom was because the teacher wanted to praise me. She stated that during class the night before, I said I was sorry and I was the only person in the class that apologized. When the teacher pulled me out of homeroom, I did not listen to her and therefore I did not know she was praising me.

How many times does it happen that people are having a conversation and when one person is talking, the other person is already thinking of how he is going to respond. He is not listening. He is merely forming his own defense. If people would listen to each other more often, many disagreements and arguments would not occur.

Many of the sins that we ask for forgiveness during these Ten Days are for sins between one person and another person. How many sins could we avoid during this coming year if we tried a little harder to listen to each other a little more.

Kasiva V’Chasima Tova. May you have a Good Year full of Blessings!
Good Shabbos and Good Yom Tov!
-yes
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