The blessing that you will hear

Some people are looking for happiness and blessings in all kinds of places. The Torah comes and says the blessing that you will hear, and we will explain this in a well-known story about a man who got on a train, two servants in uniform were carrying his heavy suitcases, and he was following in the footsteps of someone who feels that the world belongs to people like him, he slowly walked to the most luxurious cabin in first class. Behind him, someone else walked silently and took up residence in the next cell. The train will arrive at the Grand Fair in three days, where the merchant planned to buy large quantities of merchandise. In the meantime, he had three days of perfect rest in the luxurious cabin.

From the next compartment peeked out the thief, the neighbor of the rich merchant who had heard of his intentions. He knew that the merchant did not go to the fair empty-handed, to buy goods you needed cash, and what better than a rich merchant who goes to the fair with suitcases loaded with gold coins. The thief had a great deal of patience, every time the merchant left his cell on his way to the dining room, or when the train stopped at the station and the merchant went out to get some air, the thief would sneak out of his cell and go inside the merchant's cell looking for the promised gold coins. He was not lazy, and every time the merchant just came out of his cell, the thief would open one of the suitcases and search thoroughly.

He made a list of all the places he was looking for, sorted the merchant's belongings, examined the pockets of clothes, and carefully checked the suitcases to see if there was a side opening or a hidden compartment that had disappeared from his eyes. Nothing. He couldn't find anything. Not a single coin. He didn't give up. For the remaining two days, he scanned the train compartment meticulously, tapped the wooden boards to make sure there wasn't any hollow opening, he lifted the mattress, opened the cabinets, and even climbed up to the ceiling to see if there was any way the coins were somewhere up between the heavy wooden boards. He couldn't find it. There was only one more station left, and the train would reach its destination. Three days of searching and the thief was left empty-handed, with nowhere to pay for the trip back.

"Listen, I salute you!" The thief turned to the rich merchant in surprise. "I'm an expert thief and have been in the field for many years. Believe me, I know how to check and search, that's my profession, brother, but you, in front of you, I'm taking my hat off, I've been looking for three days and I haven't found anything, just nothing, not even a single coin. I know you have; no one goes to the fair with empty pockets, and certainly not a rich merchant like you. So please, just for my curiosity, tell me where you hid the money." "Hey, that's my cell!" the thief called. The merchant kept smiling. "Right! This is your cell, and this is your bed," he said as he walked over to the bed at the end of the cell and picked up the mattress, the thief's eyes popping out of their holes, bags full of gold coins were placed under his mattress, a real treasure. "What an idiot I am! What an idiot! Everything was right under my nose, and I was looking in the cell next door. What an idiot!" "I knew this was the last place you'd look," said the merchant, and hurried to take his gold coins.

We. Where do we look for our happiness?! Do we go too far to the neighbor's cabin before checking under our mattresses? The ashrams in India are full of young people who have set out in search of happiness, who seek meaning in life and existence; restless young people sit cross-legged and thirst to drink the words of toothless old men who teach them about the meaning of life and preach universal love that will give meaning and hope. They sit and listen, learn and listen, and when they return to Israel and find themselves at the doorstep of a beit midrash, they discover that happiness and meaning and love are here under their mattress.

The blessing that you will hear to the commandment of the Lord your God... And the curse if you do not listen (11:27-28). (Good things – see)

Everything depends on listening. If a person does not hear, he may turn light into darkness, good into evil, and sweet into bitter. It was the case of a shepherd who would shepherd his sheep outside the city, and his wife would bring him his food at the sixth hour. Once his wife fell ill and did not come. The seventh and eighth hour came, and hunger troubled him. The shepherd thought of going home, but who could abandon his flock? He lifted his eyes and saw a man reaping hay. He turned to him and said to him, "Watch over the flock with your kindness until I return, and I will give you a prize as your reward." The reaper was deaf, and he thought that the shepherd was asking him for hay for his flock. He said to him, "Go away from me, for I have five sheep in my house, and for them I reap the hay." And he motioned with his hand to leave him. But this shepherd was also deaf, and did not hear what he had been told. He saw only the movement of the reaper's hand, and understood that he had told him to go home for life and peace, and that he should not worry about his flock, for the reaper would keep his eye on him. The shepherd went home, ate and drank, returned to his flock, and found not a single sheep missing, the shepherd understood that the reaper had kept his promise. And he decided to pay him as his reward. He thought, what would he give him for an hour of guarding, to give him a whole sheep, was too much. He decided to present him with one sheep, which was limping on its leg. The sheep disturbed the herd as he walked, but in the reaper's house it was a precious treasure. He carried the sheep in his hands and placed it in front of the reaper, and his mouth was full of gratitude and praise. The reaper thought, "This must have come to accuse me of breaking the leg of his sheep. And he demands that I pay the damage," he immediately cried out in a loud voice, "I did not approach the flock, nor did I touch the sheep, why would you make a false libel against me?" She pushed at him and said, "Don't look at Moma, for she is fat and gives a lot of milk. If you slaughter it, you will have plenty of meat." The reaper realized that the shepherd was insisting on his demand. His nose was angry with him and struck him on the cheek. The two began to quarrel and beat each other.

And behold, a man was walking in the desert on foot, and he saw a stray horse walking towards him. He got on the horse and rode on his way. He was still riding, and behold, he saw two men quarreling and fighting. They both ran to him and grabbed the horse's bridle and began to argue their arguments in his ears. The one shouted, "I swear I did not touch his sheep," and the other cried out, "I brought a gift, and I received a slap." But alas, the horse rider was also deaf, and he thought they were both accusing him of stealing the horse! He immediately abandoned the horse and fled on foot. The two thought, "The man must have run to the governor to accuse us of robbery." The two hurried and fled, and if they were not dead, they are still hiding to this day. Regarding this, the verse says (Isaiah 55:3), "Turn your ears and go to Me, hear, and your soul will live, and I will make for you an everlasting covenant, David's faithful kindness," because the main thing is hearing! Just as the study of Torah depends on hearing the ear, so the evil inclination tries to interfere with it and prevent it, and uses all its powers for this purpose.