Parashiot Matot Masei: Shimu Dvar Hashem – Listening Through the Journey

Dedicated to the memory of my uncle, Shmuel ben Moshe, who passed away approximately 60 years ago without children. May the words of Torah shared here be a zechut for his neshama.

As we enter the second Shabbat of the Three Weeks, we read the Haftarah that begins with the words "Shimu Dvar Hashem" — “Hear the word of Hashem.” This call from the prophet Yirmiyahu in chapter 2 is not just an ancient message, but an eternal one, relevant to our moment in time.

The Power of Listening

In the morning tefillah before Shema, we say: "Lishmoa, lilmod u’lelamed…” — First, to listen. Only then can we truly learn or teach. Listening is the gateway to growth. The Navi cries out: "Shimu!" — Listen! Wake up! Pay attention! Hashem is speaking to us, and He has been for months. During the challenges of recent times — whether it's global unrest, illness, or spiritual confusion — the question remains: are we listening?

It's easy to become numb, to scroll through headlines and statistics. But Hashem is calling us to open our ears and open our hearts. Even if we don’t understand everything, we are asked to respond. We can choose to grow, to reach out, to make this world a better place — even through the smallest gestures.

A Timely Message in Parashat Masei

This week we read Parashat Masei, which recounts the 42 journeys Bnei Yisrael made through the desert. We ask: why such detail? We don’t know these locations, and many of them seem insignificant. Yet the Torah, usually so concise, chooses to list each stop.

The Ramban, quoting the Rambam, explains: This is to remind us of the miraculous survival of our nation in the desert — a place uninhabitable, with no food or water. For forty years, Hashem sustained us. Just as there are Holocaust deniers today, there may come a time when people will try to deny the miracles of the Midbar. But these verses stand as eternal testimony: Hashem provided for every need.

And if Hashem could sustain a nation in a barren desert, how much more so can He care for us today, wherever we are in the world.

Another perspective offered by the Midrash: “Eleh Masei Bnei Yisrael… al pi Hashem.” Every journey was guided by Hashem. The people didn’t move on their own initiative — they followed the Cloud of Glory and the pillar of fire. This reminds us that our own life journeys, too, are al pi Hashem — Divinely orchestrated. Whether we live in Belgium, Chile, Argentina, or Israel, it’s not chance. Every step is planned from Above.

A Story of Hashgacha Pratit

A story shared recently illustrates this beautifully. A group of young men from Bnei Brak traveled weekly to Rishon LeTzion to give shiurim and strengthen Jewish learning in a more secular neighborhood. After the first COVID lockdown, they returned, but were turned away from the beit knesset. The gabbai refused them entry, even to the courtyard.

Someone nearby offered them his building’s parking lot to learn in. They agreed, but one of them stayed back in case others came looking for them.

A young man passed by, looking uncertain. The remaining avreich asked if he’d like to join their shiur. The young man was shocked and began to cry. “I stopped keeping mitzvot years ago,” he said. “Recently I’ve felt the pull to do teshuva. Just this morning I asked Hashem, ‘Give me a sign. Show me You still want me.’ And then you appeared.”

The avreich asked if he had tefillin. “No,” the young man replied. The avreich responded, “We have a pair for you. One of our friends lost his father recently, and he wanted to gift his tefillin to someone returning to Yiddishkeit.”

This wasn’t chance. It was hashgacha pratit, Divine Providence — guided every step of the way. Had the gabbai let them in, this connection never would have happened.

Each Step Matters

The Belzer Rebbe once remarked: Before entering a car, you must bend down. So too in life — to move forward, you sometimes must lower yourself, submit to Hashem’s will, and accept that not everything goes according to plan. Yet every “detour” is part of the journey.

The journeys listed in Parashat Masei were not just geographic — they were spiritual. And so are ours.

Even at the moment of Yetziat Mitzrayim, the Torah says the Egyptians were “busy burying their dead.” Rashi explains: they didn’t even notice that Bnei Yisrael — only one-fifth of whom actually left — were disappearing from their midst. Why? So there wouldn’t be a chilul Hashem (desecration of G-d's name). Hashem orchestrated even that detail — shielding us from shame, even in the moment of our redemption.

In Conclusion

During these difficult weeks of the Three Weeks — the time of Bein HaMetzarim — Hashem whispers to us: Shimu. Listen. Look at your life. Hear the voices of those in pain. Remember the journeys of our ancestors — and your own. Know that each step is meaningful, each delay is purposeful, and every turn is guided by His hand.

May we merit to internalize this message, deepen our connection to Eretz Yisrael, and live with the awareness that Hashem is speaking to us — if only we choose to listen.

Yehi zichro baruch — May the memory of Shmuel ben Moshe be blessed.May we all be zocheh to hear the footsteps of Mashiach speedily in our days. (2020)