06 Jan THE ALL-IMPORTANT EAR

Let me ask you a question,
my dear readers. What
would you consider to
be the core limb of the
body? I was greatly
surprised when I saw
in the Sifra d’Tzniyusa
of the Vilna Gaon, zt”l,
zy”a, who definitively states that the ear is the
essence of the human body. This revelation
is consistent with a Gemara in Bava Kamma,
cited by Rabbeinu Yonah, which teaches that if
you deafen someone, you must pay the person
their entire value! This proves that the ability
to hear is equal to one’s entire worth.
There is a Medrash in Shmos Rabbah that
sheds light on this idea. The Medrash teaches
that if one falls off a roof and breaks every
bone in his body, he will need many casts and
bandages in order to be repaired. But, if one
sins spiritually, and thereby injures his entire
body, Hashem fashions one bandage that can
cure him through and through. That bandage,
reveals the Medrash with a flourish, is the
human ear for, if one knows how to listen
to words of mussar, words of reproach and
chastisement, he or she can completely restore
the soul to good health. Rav Schlessinger,
shlit”a, explains that the blessing in Birchas
HaShachar for the gift of hearing is the very
first blessing of, “Hanosein lasechvi vina
lahavchin bein yom u’vein laila,” thanking

Hashem for giving the rooster understanding
to differentiate between day and night. We
make this blessing upon hearing the sound of
the rooster. Thus, this is a blessing for the gift
of hearing.
But, there is hearing and then there is hearing!
The Torah tells us, “Vayishma Yisro – and
Yisro heard.” Rashi elaborates, “Ma shmua
shama u’ba? Krias Yam Suf u’milchemes
Amalek? – What report did Yisro hear that
he came (to Moshe in order to convert)? The
splitting of the Red Sea and the defeat of
Amalek.” The Zohar, among many others,
asks, “Was Yisro the only one who heard about
these miracles?” We know that the whole
world heard, as we say in Az Yashir, “Shamu
amim yirgazun; chil achaz yoshvei Pilashes –
The nations heard and trembled; the Philistines
were seized with quaking.” So, what was so
special that the Torah singles out that Yisro
heard? That answer is that Yisro heard – and
he did something about it, meaning that he was
moved to convert.
In Chapter 107 of Tehillim, Dovid HaMelech
talks about sailors who were caught in a
vicious storm and their boat almost capsized.
At the last minute, when they thought all
was lost, the sea suddenly calmed down and
they were saved. Dovid ends the narration
with the verse, “Mi chacham v’yishma eilah,
v’yisbonenu chasdei Hashem – Who is wise
and hears this and meditates about Hashem’s

kindness?” The letters in the first two words
of this verse, mi chacham/who is wise, form a
pneumonic for “Yisro CHosein Moshe Kohein
Midyan,” meaning “Yisro, the father in-law of
Moshe, the Priest of Midian,” for he had the
wisdom to really listen.
In the very last piece of the Orchos Chaim
l’HaRosh, number 131, the Rosh ends off
his directions for life with the sage advice
“Vishama v’hezin,” that one should listen and
pay attention in order to absorb that which
they are hearing. The Makor Chaim, in his
commentary on Orchos Chaim, says that the
Rosh deliberately ends his entire sefer with
this sentiment since obtaining a listening
ear is a life altering quality. He elaborates
that this is what we ask for in Birchas Krias
Shema when we say, “V’sein bilibeinu binah
l’havin ul’haskil lishmoah – Put in our hearts
understanding and intellect, and the ability to
listen.” And this what Shlomo HaMelech, the
wisest of men said, “V’nosan l’avdecha lev
shomei’ah – Grant your servant a heart that
knows how to listen.”
Consistent with these thoughts about the ear is
the fact that our very equilibrium, our balance
is controlled by the inner ear. (It is for this
reason that when one has vertigo, the first thing
that is looked for is an inner ear infection.)
This is why a scale is called moznai’im, which
has as its root the word ozen, which means ear,
because the olden-day scale was composed of

two pans that needed to be balanced.
But, in a broader sense, achieving a spiritual
equilibrium is achieved by an ear that listens to
Sages, teachers, and parents. What are some
examples of a listening ear? Five or so years
ago, ninety-thousand-plus people gathered
at MetLife stadium for the Siyum haShas.
Everyone was inspired, but how many were so
inspired that they started learning Daf Yomi or
at least took upon themselves some Talmudic
study? We hear about someone, G-d forbid,
dying young. Do we just feel momentary
shock and a passing sense of sadness? Or,
does that hearing motivate us to immediately
give tzedakah, to kiss our loved ones, and to
daven with more intensity. The Rabbi says
that “speaking in shul is a sin that is too
great to bear,” quoting from Shulchan Orech.
However, immediately afterwards, do we still
speak during Mussaf? Even when we hear an
ambulance blaring in the street, do we just say
to ourselves that this is happening so often
lately, or are we prompted to say a kapital
Tehillim?
Let’s take a page out of Yisro’s book and not
just hear. Let’s hear! And in that merit, may
Hashem bless us with long life, good health,
and everything wonderful.