Josh Bell is one of the most talented violinists in the world, playing on a 3 million dollar violin, performing an extremely difficult piece, he gave a free concert, a lot of people heard it, but not many were listening.
During rush house,Bell performed in jeans and a baseball cap and played at a D.C. metro subway station. His performance was part of an experiment done by a writer for the Washington post that earned a Pulitzer prize for his work.
Of the 1,000+ riders that visited the station that morning only 7 stopped to listen to the music. One of the finest musicians in the world was playing a breathtakingly beautiful piece of music but no one noticed. Why? How often are we hearing but not listening?
This week’s parsha starts with a declaration. “Lech Lecha”, Go, leave your home and travel to Israel. Avraham is told to go on a journey.
The Sfas Emes a Chassidic leader from the mid 1800’s asked, why was Avraham chosen? Why not Noach? Why specifically Avraham? The text does not provide a great deal of background regarding Avraham and why he merited to be chosen as the father of the Jewish people. For Noach the Torah states his credentials, he was righteous and whole.
The Sfas Emes answers this question by citing a Zohar which states that Avraham was not the only one who was told “Lech Lecha”. The whole world could hear this call, but no one was listening.
Avraham was able to perceive and receive the message from God that was sent out to the entire world. He was tuned in to what was going on around him , he was not just hearing everything, he was really listening.
This is the reason that Avraham was able to be the father of the Jewish people. This was his merit. The Sfas Emes answers the question by saying that Lech Lecha is Avraham’s credentials. He was in tune with the universe and as we see throughout his life he is in tune with the needs of the people.
You can watch a video of Josh Bell’s performance on YouTube. In the video some kids are drawn to the music but their busy parents drag them away.
I have found for myself that being a good father or a good parent in general and an effective educator requires not just hearing what someone is saying, but really listening to them.
During rush house,Bell performed in jeans and a baseball cap and played at a D.C. metro subway station. His performance was part of an experiment done by a writer for the Washington post that earned a Pulitzer prize for his work.
Of the 1,000+ riders that visited the station that morning only 7 stopped to listen to the music. One of the finest musicians in the world was playing a breathtakingly beautiful piece of music but no one noticed. Why? How often are we hearing but not listening?
This week’s parsha starts with a declaration. “Lech Lecha”, Go, leave your home and travel to Israel. Avraham is told to go on a journey.
The Sfas Emes a Chassidic leader from the mid 1800’s asked, why was Avraham chosen? Why not Noach? Why specifically Avraham? The text does not provide a great deal of background regarding Avraham and why he merited to be chosen as the father of the Jewish people. For Noach the Torah states his credentials, he was righteous and whole.
The Sfas Emes answers this question by citing a Zohar which states that Avraham was not the only one who was told “Lech Lecha”. The whole world could hear this call, but no one was listening.
Avraham was able to perceive and receive the message from God that was sent out to the entire world. He was tuned in to what was going on around him , he was not just hearing everything, he was really listening.
This is the reason that Avraham was able to be the father of the Jewish people. This was his merit. The Sfas Emes answers the question by saying that Lech Lecha is Avraham’s credentials. He was in tune with the universe and as we see throughout his life he is in tune with the needs of the people.
You can watch a video of Josh Bell’s performance on YouTube. In the video some kids are drawn to the music but their busy parents drag them away.
I have found for myself that being a good father or a good parent in general and an effective educator requires not just hearing what someone is saying, but really listening to them.
RSS Feed
