Two levels of hearing and bittul

במדרש שמעי בת וראי והטי אזנך כו' בירה דולקת כו'.

In the Midrash: "Listen, O daughter, and see, and incline your ear" (Tehillim 45:11) — like the parable of a palace lit up (alight), etc.

The Sefas Emes opens with the Midrashic image of a person who sees a "lit palace" and concludes there must be an owner — the way Avraham Avinu came to recognize Hashem — coupled with the verse calling on a person to listen, see, and incline the ear.

דקשה מאי הטי אזנך אחר שנאמר שמעי.

The difficulty is: what does "incline your ear" add after it already said "listen"?

Why does the verse command two acts of hearing — first "listen" and then "incline your ear" — if they mean the same thing?

ומוכח שיש ב' בחי' שמיעה כמ"ש שמוע תשמעו כי בתחילה הקב"ה משמיע לאדם מעט הארה כשמייגע עצמו לבוא אל האמת.

This proves there are two levels of hearing, as it says "if you will surely listen (shamo'a tishme'u)" — for at first Hakadosh Baruch Hu lets a person hear a small illumination when he labors to arrive at the truth.

The doubled language of "hearing" points to two stages. The first is a faint flash of insight that Hashem grants to someone who exerts himself to seek the truth.

אח"כ צריכין להשגיח בעין השכל על זה ההרגש ולהבין כי הוא עיקר הכל ולהניח כל הרגשות אחרים וזהו שמעי וראי והטי אזנך.

Afterward one must focus the eye of the intellect upon this perception, and to understand that it is the essence of everything, and to set aside all other sensations — and this is "listen, and see, and incline your ear."

Once the first spark of truth is felt, a person must fix his attention on it, recognize it as the main thing, and quiet every other distraction. That deeper, focused attentiveness is "incline your ear."

פי' כל כח השמיעה שלא יהי' נשמע לו שום דבר אחר כלל ועי"ז יזכה לשמוע האמת.

That is to say: all the power of hearing — so that nothing else at all should be heard by him — and through this he merits to hear the truth.

To "incline the ear" means to direct one's entire capacity to listen toward Hashem alone, shutting out everything else, and only then does one truly hear the truth.

כי מה שהקב"ה משמיע בתחלה הוא רק כדי ללמוד הכנעה שיבין האדם שיש דבר לשמוע למעלה מהשגתו ויבוא לבטל עצמו ויזכה לשמיעה.

For what Hakadosh Baruch Hu lets one hear at first is only in order to learn submission (hachna'ah) — that a person should understand there is something to hear that is above his grasp, and come to nullify himself (bittul), and thereby merit true hearing.

The initial flash of truth is not the goal in itself; its purpose is to teach humility — to make a person realize that there is a higher truth beyond his comprehension, leading him to bittul, which is the prerequisite for real hearing.

והנה אברהם אבינו ע"ה הי' חפץ מאוד להטות כל הברואים אליו ית'.

Now, Avraham Avinu, peace be upon him, greatly desired to turn all created beings toward Hashem.

Avraham's deepest wish was to draw every creature in the world to recognize and serve Hashem.

והשי"ת אמר לו לך לך כו' ואעשך לגוי גדול כו' ואברכה מברכיך כו'.

And Hashem said to him, "Go forth (lech lecha)… and I will make you into a great nation… and I will bless those who bless you…" (Bereishis 12:1-3).

In response, Hashem directs Avraham to leave and become a distinct great nation, with blessing and curse attached to how others relate to him.

ואברהם אבינו ע"ה הי' סובר כי נכון יותר להיות כל העולם מיוחדין אליו יתברך ולא יהיו מתנגדים כלל והשי"ת הראה לו כי נכון יותר להיות אומה נבחרת לו ית' על צד היותר טוב ויהיו מברכים ומקללים והאומה הבחורה י) יגברו הכל.

Avraham Avinu held that it would be better for the entire world to be united to Hashem with no opposition at all; but Hashem showed him that it is better that there be a chosen nation for Him in the most ideal way, and that there be those who bless and those who curse — and the chosen nation will prevail over all.

Avraham imagined the ideal as a world with no resistance to Hashem whatsoever. Hashem corrected him: the truest good is for there to be one chosen nation, around which both blessing and opposition exist, and through which everything is ultimately elevated.

וזה עצמו ענין הבירה דולקת ששכל הפשוט מורה שאין שום דבר שלא יהי' לו קיום ולכן הי' סבור אברהם אבינו ע"ה שיש להטות כל הנבראים וכל החיצוניות אליו ית' שלא יהי' נפסד שום בריה.

This itself is the matter of the "lit palace": plain reason indicates that there is nothing that should not have permanence (kiyum); therefore Avraham Avinu thought one should turn all creatures and all the externality toward Hashem, so that no creature would be lost.

By simple logic, nothing in creation seems meant for destruction — everything should endure. So Avraham reasoned that even the outer, "external" parts of the world should be drawn to Hashem and preserved.

והשי"ת הראהו כי אני בעל הבירה וכך רצונו ית' שברא כמה דברים שכל קיומם הוא הביטול שיבטל אותם האדם ויתרחק מהם וזהו לך לך כו' ושכחי עמך כו' כי הוא אדוניך שמזה יש הכרת מלכות שמים שיש חצוניות והאדם מרחיק עצמו ממנו.

But Hashem showed him, "I am the Owner of the palace," and such is His will — that He created certain things whose entire purpose (kiyum) is their nullification, that a person should nullify them and distance himself from them. This is "Go forth… and forget your people…" (Tehillim 45:11), "for He is your Master" — for from this comes the recognition of malchus Shomayim (the Kingship of Heaven): that there is externality and a person distances himself from it.

Hashem revealed that He is the Master of the "palace," and that some things in creation exist precisely so that a person will reject them and pull away. Recognizing that there is an "external" realm one must distance oneself from is itself how one comes to recognize Hashem's Kingship.

וכן בבחי' הדביקות בו ית' א"א באופן אחר רק שיהי' אומה נבחרת אליו יתברך ועל ידי כן מי שירצה יוכל להתבטל לאומה זו ג"כ.

So too, regarding the aspect of deveikus (cleaving) to Hashem, it cannot be otherwise than that there be a chosen nation for Him — and through this, whoever wishes can also nullify himself to this nation.

True attachment to Hashem requires a chosen people as its channel; and once that channel exists, anyone else who desires can attach himself by joining and subordinating himself to Bnei Yisrael.

והוא כלל גדול גם בפרט כל איש ישראל אשר אי אפשר להיות בפעם אחד כראוי רק על ידי שנמצא איזה הנהגה ומדה טובה באדם על ידי זה יוכל לתקן כל מדותיו לנקודה זו.

And this is a great principle also regarding each individual Jew: it is impossible to become whole all at once; rather, only through finding some one good conduct or trait within himself can a person, through it, repair all his traits toward this point.

The same pattern works within each person. One cannot fix everything at once. By anchoring oneself in a single genuine good quality, a person can gradually draw all his other traits into alignment with that one true point.

וזה עצמו ענין ב' השמיעות הנ"ל כי מקודם היה אברהם אבינו ע"ה חוקר בדרך השכל לבוא אל האמת.

This itself is the matter of the two hearings mentioned above, for at first Avraham Avinu investigated by way of the intellect to arrive at the truth.

The two stages of hearing map onto Avraham's path: first he reached emes through his own rational inquiry.

והוא בחי' הנבראים מצד הטבע וזכה להכיר האמת.

And this is the aspect of created beings from the side of nature, and he merited to recognize the truth.

This first level belongs to the natural order — using the mind to perceive the Creator through the world, as any thinking creature might, and Avraham succeeded in this.

ואחר כך אמר לו השי"ת לך לך כו' לבחי' שמיעה שניה והוא שייך רק לבני ישראל להיות מבטל כל השמיעה אליו ית' שלא להיות המכוון לתקן עצמו שזה נקרא לגרמייהו והוא דרך צדיקי אומות העולם.

And afterward Hashem said to him "Go forth," to the aspect of the second hearing — which belongs only to Bnei Yisrael: to nullify all one's hearing to Hashem, such that the intent is not to perfect oneself (which is called "for one's own sake," legarmaihu) — and that self-focused path is the way of the righteous of the nations of the world.

The second, higher hearing is unique to Bnei Yisrael: to listen to Hashem with no self-interested motive at all. Even righteous gentiles serve in order to perfect themselves; their avodah is ultimately "for their own sake."

אבל בני ישראל מבקשין להיבטל אליו ית' בלבד.

But Bnei Yisrael seek to be nullified to Hashem alone.

The defining aspiration of a Jew is pure bittul — to be subsumed in Hashem with no agenda for the self.

ולכך אחר ששמע והכיר האמת אינו מספיק עצמו בזה להתגאות כו' כדרך האומות עו"ג שרוצין לידע כדי להתגאות וכל ההכנעה כדי להשיג כו'.

Therefore, after one has heard and recognized the truth, he is not satisfied to use it to take pride, etc., as is the way of the idolatrous nations, who wish to know in order to take pride, and all of whose submission is only in order to attain.

For Bnei Yisrael, attaining truth is not an endpoint for self-aggrandizement. The nations seek knowledge to feel elevated, and even their humility is a means to acquire something for themselves.

אבל בני ישראל הם להיפוך שכל מה שרוצין להשיג כדי להכניע עצמו אליו ית'.

But Bnei Yisrael are the opposite: whatever they wish to attain is in order to humble themselves before Hashem.

For a Jew the relationship is inverted — every attainment is sought precisely so as to deepen his submission and bittul to Hashem.

ולכך אחר השמיעה מכין עצמו יותר לשמוע כנ"ל:

And therefore, after hearing, he prepares himself all the more to hear, as above.

Because each attainment only increases his humility, every act of "hearing" makes him readier to hear again — an endlessly deepening listening rather than a finished accomplishment.

Summary: The verse's two expressions of "hearing" reflect two levels of avodah. The first is the rational search for truth — open even to the righteous of the nations — which Hashem grants only to teach humility. The second, unique to Bnei Yisrael, is total bittul: listening to Hashem with no self-interest, so that every attainment deepens submission rather than pride. This is why Hashem chose Avraham to become a distinct nation rather than uniting all creation at once — for true deveikus requires a chosen channel, and each person likewise repairs himself by anchoring in one true point and drawing everything else toward it.