On November 14, 2023 at the

March for Israel in Washington, DC,

US Congresswoman Kathy Manning quoted from Psalm 130, in both English and Hebrew, which says,

שִׁ֥יר הַֽמַּעֲל֑וֹת מִמַּעֲמַקִּ֖ים

קְרָאתִ֣יךָ יְהוָֽה׃

אֲדֹנָי֮ שִׁמְעָ֪ה בְק֫וֹלִ֥י תִּהְיֶ֣ינָה אָ֭זְנֶיךָ קַשֻּׁב֑וֹת לְ֝ק֗וֹל תַּחֲנוּנָֽי׃

This is translated as

Out of the depths I cry to You, Ad-nai!

L-rd, hear my voice!

Let Your ears be attentive to the sound of my supplications.

The Hebrew word for hear, as in “hear my voice” is שִׁמְעָ֪ה.

You might be familiar with the word shema.

It is written in our mezuzot and tefellin.

We might remember every time that we walk through a doorway that G-d is telling us to listen.

Two-way listening is healthy for any relationship. If we are asking G-d to hear us, shouldn’t we also be willing to hear him?