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Writer's pictureSusie Keinon

Shema: The Power of Mindful Listening

Listening With Intention: Sound and Parshat Ki Tavo



Listening is not an easy thing to do. It’s more than just hearing– true listening requires us to open ourselves up to another’s experience so that the person is truly seen and heard.


Philosopher Martin Buber is known for the I-thou relationship, as opposed to the I-it relationship, which means we see someone for who they are, and not just as an object.


Buber describes listening as “something we do with our full selves by sensing and feeling what another is trying to convey so that together we can remove the barrier between us.”


In this week’s Torah portion, Ki Tavo, the Jewish people learn about the blessings and the curses before going into the Land of Israel. Moshe says to the people, Be silent Israel and listen (Deut.27:9) before he mentions the blessing and curses. 

It’s not just about hearing or even obeying, it’s about understanding and truly internalizing making the “right choices” and learning from the wrong ones.  


When we received the Torah on Mount Sinai, we heard the blasts of the shofar and said, “We will listen…    to the commandments of the Torah”

And one of our most important prayers that we recite three times a day starts with 

Shema Yisrael, “Hear O Israel…”

On Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, which is approaching. the only commandment we have is to hear the shofar. Hearing the shofar is intended to “wake us up” and examine all our deeds from the past year.

It could also be understood as “Pay Attention!”


What is it about hearing that is so important compared to the other senses?


According to Seth Horowitz, neuroscientist and author of The Universal Sense, hearing is an underrated sense. 

Hearing, and sound shape the mind and affect the way we think, feel, and act.

He explains that “much of the emotional impact of sound dwells beneath conscious thought.”


Hearing is the fastest of all the senses -- we process sound much faster than sight.

It is also the sense that allows us to perceive the world at the greatest distance away.


Mindful meditation is often practiced with the breath as the object of our focus,

Sound meditation uses sound as our object of focus. Just as we use the breath to anchor us in the present moment, we use sound to keep us in the here and now.


Let’s try this sound meditation together.

Sound meditation can be practiced indoors or outdoors.


Sound Meditation                                                                                             

Settling in, and making sure you’re comfortable, sitting straight, shoulders relaxed.  You can sit or lay down, whatever keeps you most alert.

Either close your eyes or lower your gaze to a spot in front of you.

Noticing the points of contact that your body is making with the chair or surface you are sitting on.  Noticing if you are holding any tension anywhere in your body. (taking a moment to check) Pause

And seeing if you can let it go of any tension as you allow your body to be supported by the chair or mat.

Just as in awareness of the breath meditation, when our attention gets pulled away, we gently re-focus on sound or sounds.


Follow the instructions as best as you can.

I will leave spaces with no talking between the guiding for you to practice.

And now bringing attention to your breath.

Allowing the breath to move all the way down to your stomach.

Not forcing your breath in any way, but allowing your body to breathe naturally and at its own pace.

And noticing where you feel the breath most in your body– your stomach, your chest, your nose/nostrils? Taking a moment to notice (pause)

Can you hear your breath entering and leaving your body?

Resting your attention on the sound of your breath. Pause

Any time your attention wanders, bringing it back to the sound –as many times as you need to.

Imagining that all that exists is the sound of your breath. Pause


And now expanding our awareness and paying attention to the sounds in the room around us. And if there is no sound at all, then noticing that.


Sounds around you, sounds from within you (and your body) such as your breath,

Being fully open to any sounds around you or within you.

And being aware of hearing at his moment.

We practice without judging the sounds– "this is good, this is bad."

We don’t have to get caught up in the sounds, just allowing them to come and go.

Aware of sound and the space between sounds. Aware of silence. Pause

At any point, if you notice that your mind is distracted, that's okay.

Bringing your attention back to your ears and hearing whatever is in your awareness right now

We allow any sounds around to come to us on their own.

We don’t need to make an effort to hear sounds.

We can be curious about sounds.

Their volume, their pitch, their length. Vibration. Do they change?

Being present to whatever sounds are here– right now.

And allowing any sounds to wash over you and pass through you.

Taking a few more moments to observe your hearing and sounds.

Pause

And maybe feeling some gratitude for all our ears do for us.

How effortless it is for most of us to hear.

Imagine a sound you enjoy and maybe brings a smile to your face.

Pause

And now returning our attention to our breath.

Resting here for a few more moments.


May we merit a year in which we can truly listen to each other and remove any barriers between us, and appreciate all of our senses and sounds around us. 

Mindful Listening Guide Sound Meditation: https://insighttimer.com/skeinon

שנה טובה! Shana Tova

The next mindfulness workshop of 2 sessions with Susie Keinon is

on 8/10 and 15/10 in Ma'ale Adumim.

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