RAV KOOK ON BeShalach Part 3: Listening to the Old...

Truly Listening At a place in the desert called Marah, Moses sweetened the bitter waters so the people would have water to drink. Then he admonished them that they should listen carefully — שָׁמוֹעַ תִּשְׁמַע — to God’s voice (Ex. 15:26). Why is the verb “to listen” (שָׁמוֹעַ תִּשְׁמַע) repeated? In Biblical Hebrew, the grammatical structure of combining the infinitive with the conjugated verb is used to place emphasis. Thus שָׁמוֹעַ תִּשְׁמַע means “you will listen carefully.” The Talmud, however, often infers additional meanings from this repetition. In this case, the Sages derived an important lesson about Torah study: “If שָׁמוֹעַ — if you listen to the old — then תִּשְׁמַע — you will merit listening to the new. But if you turn away [from the old], you will no longer hear.” (Berachot 40a) This statement needs clarification. What is meant by “old” and “new”? What special promise is hinted in the double verb, שָׁמוֹעַ תִּשְׁמַע ?