MISHPATIM אוזן ששמע - PAY ATTENTION

  

MISHPATIM 

אוזן ששמע - PAY ATTENTION

I was bothered a bit by the fact that we seem to reverse the order of נעשה ונשמע every day when we say Krias Shema - we first say שמע and after we are mekabel עול מצוות.

But a more bothersome question has been noted by everyone and that is why do we pierce the if we say אוזן ששמע… - Which means the EAR HEARD! The language of the this drasha suggests that the EAR DID do its job! It is the miind or heart of the Eved that missed the boat and did not take the message of עבדי הם  or לא תגנובו to heart!

 

We are all familiar with two types of שמיעה- hearing and accepting or understanding. ( "herring and derherring") However, the eved certainly simply heard, and the "der-herring is a process of the mind and heart not his ear!

 

Based on a shmooze from the Mashgiach שליט''א, we can understand a whole new third approach to שמיעה as well. 

In Parshas Bishalach it says והאזנת - Rashi explains תטה אזנים לדקדק - bend your ear to discern דק - finer meaning in the words you hear. This is not about the understanding. It is about how to initially listen. PAY ATTENTION. Give enough importance, appreciation and love to the words so that you LISTEN better, in order to discern deeper "eidele" meaning in them. The Targum on the word והאזנת  is אצית - a focused listening with attention. (In other places like והיה אים שמוע תשמעו , the Targum is קבילו - accepting the information that is heard and taking it to heart.)

This actual type of LISTENING was lacking from the eved. If he would have paid full attention to עבדי הם - he would have discerned ולא עבדים לעבדים.

 

It is interesting to note that שמע ישראל actually does not have a translation in Targum. It just says שמע. Perhaps it is the first שמיעה  - to listen attentively to what you are saying - as it follows with love. (Whereas נעשה ונשמע  us the third step in the process accepting, understanding and taking to heart.) This is Kabolas Malchus Shamayim - being loyal and interested not only in what the simple words say, demand, or command, but to attentively listen with love to discern what our King wants. 

Perhaps it means to simply hear the words that your mouth is saying as the gemara says l'chatchilah all agree Shema should be said audibly.

Perhaps it means to accept and take to heart.

Perhaps it means all 3 or perhaps a different meaning for different types of people… 

SAFEGUARDING SHABBOS MAKES IT YOURS

It is noted by many that when Shabbos was first described as שבת היום לה' - a day that is for HASHEM, some people went out and desecrated it. But then Shabbos is described as ה' נתן לכם השבת - a day that Hashem has given to YOU, all the Jews kept it. This certainly shows the importance of realizing that Shabbos is a gift for us and this realization dismisses any challengea of its obvervance.

However the Mechilta sounds a bit different. ה' נתן לכם השבת - שתשמרוה . This doesn't sound like the לכם we had in mind...

I believe there's an amazing insight here. How or why does the medrash learn שמירה from לכם ?

I would like to suggest, how does shabbos become ours? If Hashem is giving it to us as a gift, what קנין - act of acquisition is there for it to become לכם ?

This is what the medrash is telling us! The acquisition of shabbos is שתשמריהו! Shmirah does not mean to KEEP shabbos, it means to SAFEGUARD shabbos. When one accepts the responsibility of shmirah upon something, it becomes theirs to some extent. We find this by chometz on pesach and in general we know that the responsibility over the item takes effect with a kinyan that establishes the relationship between the receipient and the item.

The medrash is telling us that perhaps keeping the laws of shabbos is ok and renders you a kosher observant Jew, but shabbos only becomes YOURS as a gift from Hashem when you not only keep it but when you accept to SAFEGUARD it. Not only from your own desecration but also from others!

May I ads that this passuk actually specifies o ly one aspect of shabbos to safeguard - הוצאה. Some learn this passuk as hinting to the melacha of transferring objects and some say it refers to Techum Shabbos. Both are uniquely viewed as being the 'lightest' desecrations of shabbos.

This is what is meant by safeguarding Shabbos. Not only to prevent coarse obvious chilul, but keeping Shabbos safe from any breach.

We have this opportunity no in our community. Not only to observe Shabbos for ourselves but to care and try to promote its sanctity, safeguarding it from the sadly common desecration of carrying on shabbos.