The second pasha of Shemah begins with והיה אם שמוע תשמעו אל מצוותי that if you will listen to my mitzovs then you will receive the following reward. Why does the Torah uses a double verb of שמיעה listening? The Sfas Emes answers that one must read the passuk thus: If you will listen to what you are already hearing. This message conveys that a Yid is hearing something and what is asked from him is to pay attention, focus on and internalize its message and act upon it. What are we hearing and what is the message that we must commit to?
We will suggest two answers. One is found in the daily recital of שמע ישראל. Hear Yisrael Hashem Elokeinu Hashem Echad. Hashem is asking us to hear that He is our G-d and that He is one. Would it not have been more proper to use the term "to understand" or to "fathom" in place of to hear? The meforshim explain that Hashem's intention with the word to hear actually means to hear. At Sinai, where we find Hashem's revelation of giving the Torah to us, the passuk says that there was a קול גדול ולא יסף a great sound which did not terminate. This sound specifically refers to the first two commandments which Am Yisrael directly heard from Hashem, in contrast to the remaining eight which they heard from Moshe Rabbeinu. This is the meaning of the passuk תורה צוה לנו משה. Torah is gematria 611. But we know there are 613 mitzovs? The answer that Chazal give is that the first two commandments Hashem proclaimed Himself without any intermediary, which then leaves 611 which Moshe handed over to Am Yisrael.
The voice of Hashem קול גדול which transmitted the first two Dibros lasts forever and is still resounding daily from Matan Torah. It is therefore incumbent upon every Yid to strive to connect this Sinai Frequency and hear and access these two life line communications from Hashem, the אנכי ה' אלקיך who took you out of Mitzrayim, and the לא יהיה לך אלהים אחרים the prohibition to worship any other deity. Therefore Hashem calls out to every Yid Hear my two communications, Hashem Elokeinu that I am you G-d who took you out of servitude to serve Me, and do not worship any other deity - Hashem Echad.
With the above explanation we can understand the double lashon of שמוע תשמעו אל מצוותי Hashem loves us so much that He constantly helps us by sending the Message from Sinai to have faith and worship Hashem alone. Even if one failed to listen to His daily Dvar Torah pod cast for a month, a year, two years, a decade etc. Hashem possesses all the patience in the world and continues to send His gentle reminder to you daily. All we have to do is turn your inner ear to it and you can be inspired to connect to Hashem is a deeper way.
The Zohar Parshas Pinchus says that there is a second voice that resonates daily from the heavens and that is the קול אלה the sound of our neshama's oath that she made to Hashem prior to her descent to earth and into our bodies. As Chazal tell us in Niddah 30 that the neshama swears before Hashem to be a tzaddik and not a rasha. When one has his neshama returned to him or her every morning after ascending to shamayim, she returns driven after being reminded by its oath and stirs man to refocus upon his duty to fulfill her promise to Hashem.
We say in Tehillim נקי כפים ובר לבב אשר לא נשא לשוא נפשי ולא נשבע ולמרמה the ones who will climb the mountain of Hashem are those who possess a clean hand, clarity of heart, one who did not during his lifetime carry his soul in vain, and did not swear falsely. The meforshim ask why is not swearing falsely such a prerequisite and receives such a five star high rating? The answer is that this quality is not referring to a false oath made in a court case. Rather it is referring to the oath the neshamah made in heaven that she will remain a tzaddik and not be defiled by this world of lust and materialism. If that oath remains true, then that neshamah merits to ascend the mountain of Hashem and stand in His holy place.
This character of "hearing" incumbent upon a Yid also fits the double lashon of והיה אם שמוע תשמע For if one "hears" the קול אלה that the neshama is conveying to him to ensure that the neshama will keep its word, then the challenge of fulfilling all the mitzvos will be an easier task with such encouragement.
One will ask but how are we supposed to hear these sounds from Sinai and from the neshama? If an individual would claim that he hears voices that speak to him even spiritual ones, they would probably lock him up or make him see a psychiatrist immediately. The answer to this question is Shabbos. The more one keeps the Shabbos the more he will hear the Devar Hashem coming from Sinai and his neshamah.
This key of Shabbos which enables one to hear these two supportive sounds from these two origins are hinted in the following. שמע ישראל הויה אלהינו הויה אחד. As we explained above, this passuk is referring to the קול גדול ולא יסף, the first two Dibros of אנכי ולא יהיה לך. The double usage of the word שמיעה commands us to hear and internalize. Who is commanded to do so? Yisrael who were the only nation in the world that merited to stand at Har Sinai and hear from Hashem directly הויה אלהינו הויה אחד. Taking the gematriah of ישראל הויה אלהינו הויה אחד we arrive at the number 708 which is the same as השבת with the word. This implies that the key to hear the daily wake up call of the first Two Commandments is derived from the power of Shabbos.
It is the indulgence in worldly pleasures that erect gates and barriers that block the sounds of these heavenly messages from becoming audible to us. The word for gate is שער but these same letters also contain the word שיער which means hair. Hair grows as an excess of the body like nails. Excess of bodily pleasures erect blockages creating hurdles and great challenges for one to contact the spiritual source of life. Therefore physical excess such as hair and nails must be cut and removed from the body for it stunts spiritual growth and is an attraction to kelipos.
However the kedusha of Shabbos opens gates that were closed during the week as the Navi Yechezkail says
שער החצר הפנימית הפונה קדים יהיה סגור ששת ימי המעשה וביום השבת יפתח וביום החדש יפתח (יחזקאל מ"ו)
The eastern gate to the inner courtyard will be closed for the weekdays however on the day of Shabbos they will be opened. The sefarim learn that in the esoteric understanding this conveys because of the Neshamah Yesairah of Shabbos the closed gates within man become opened thereby facilitating one to acquire an intimate relationship and cognition of Hashem and the purpose of one's life.
As far as the second voice that is heard from the neshama who swore in shamayim that she will remain a tzaddik תהי צדיק also is reinforced by the kedushas Shabbos as hinted in the gematriah הקול תהי צדיק equals ביום שבת.
It is the holy Shabbos which helps a Yid to hear these קולות and strive to be a true servant to Hashem. Chazal tell us that an Am Haaretz who is suspected of being negligent in the removal of maaser from his grain, even if he says he did take maaser, he is not to be believed. However if the inquiry was asked from him on Shabbos, he is then believed. The reason being that he would not like on the Shabbos! After receiving a neshamah yesairah, the gates of truth embodied by a tzadik are opened for him to enter.
I find it very interesting that in the Kabballas Shabbos tefillos we say.הבו לה' בני אלים In this perek it mentions the word קול seven times to parallel Shabbos which is the seventh day of the week. It also parallels the Shemoneh Esrai's of Shabbos which possesses only seven berachos in contrast to the days of the week which contain 19. However, from the mere fact that there are many times that the word קול is mentioned in this perek demonstrates its unique relationship to Shabbos. For Shabbos is a day when one can easily hear the sounds and voices that are sent to him in order to give one support to internalize their eternal truths, thereby inspiring and propelling him to fulfill his life's mission to cleave to Hashem and his neshama.
Rav Brazil
Gut Shabbos
