{"id":92369,"date":"2026-04-23T09:57:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T14:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/spiritualsparks.beehiiv.com\/p\/spiritual-sparks-are-you-a-good-listener"},"modified":"2026-04-23T09:57:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T14:57:00","slug":"spiritual-sparks-are-you-a-good-listener","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/spiritual-sparks-are-you-a-good-listener\/","title":{"rendered":"Spiritual Sparks: Are You a Good Listener?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n    <div class='beehiiv'><style>\n  .bh__table, .bh__table_header, .bh__table_cell { border: 1px solid #C0C0C0; }\n  .bh__table_cell { padding: 5px; background-color: #FFFFFF; }\n  .bh__table_cell p { color: #2D2D2D; font-family: 'Helvetica',Arial,sans-serif !important; overflow-wrap: break-word; }\n  .bh__table_header { padding: 5px; background-color:#F1F1F1; }\n  .bh__table_header p { color: #2A2A2A; font-family:'Trebuchet MS','Lucida Grande',Tahoma,sans-serif !important; overflow-wrap: break-word; }\n<\/style><div class='beehiiv__body'><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\"><i>Most aren&#39;t as good listeners as we think<\/i><\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">Two friends were walking down a busy street one evening when one suddenly stopped. \u201cListen to those crickets,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat crickets?\u201d his friend replied. \u201cI don\u2019t hear them.\u201d <\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">Without a word, the first man reached into his pocket, took out a handful of coins, and tossed them onto the sidewalk. Instantly, people turned.\u00a0A\u00a0car slowed.\u00a0A\u00a0door opened. He smiled. \u201cIt all depends on what you\u2019re listening for.\u201d<\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">We hear what we expect to hear. When it comes to other people\u2026 are we really listening?<\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">\u2728<b>3 Ideas<\/b><\/p><ol start=\"1\"><li><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\"><b>What listening really is <\/b><\/p><\/li><\/ol><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">Listening is more than hearing words. It is the act of entering another person\u2019s world without rushing to respond, correct, or redirect. <\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">It means listening not only with our ears, but with our attention, even with our heart. To notice not just what is said, but what is meant; to hear what lies beneath the words.<\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\"><b>At our deepest level, we are drawn to connect.<\/b> Listening is the way we tell another person, \u201cYou matter.\u201d When we truly listen, we give someone something rare: the experience of being understood. <\/p><ol start=\"2\"><li><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\"><b>Why we struggle to listen<\/b><\/p><\/li><\/ol><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">Most of us would like to think we\u2019re good listeners. But if we\u2019re honest, we often listen just long enough to say what we want to say. <\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">When someone else is speaking, we\u2019re checking our phone or simply waiting for our turn. As Stephen Covey famously observed, \u201cMost of us don\u2019t listen with the intent to understand. We listen with the intent to reply.\u201d<\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\"><b>At our core, the soul longs to connect, but we\u2019re often pulled inward<\/b>. When people feel truly heard, they feel understood. That\u2019s where real connection begins.<\/p><ol start=\"3\"><li><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\"><b>Listening as something deeper <\/b><\/p><\/li><\/ol><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">When we truly listen, we set aside the need to respond or be heard, and make space for another person. Not just their words, but the world within them. <\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">It\u2019s not enough to simply hear words. True listening requires setting aside our own inner noise so we can fully receive another person. <\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\"><b>Listening, done well, becomes an act of empathy<\/b>. We begin to see the world through another person\u2019s eyes. It deepens when we become more interested in understanding than in being understood. <\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\"><span style=\"color:rgb(208, 224, 227);\">----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<\/span><\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">\ud83d\udcdc<b>2 Quotes<\/b><\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">\u201cThe purposes of a person\u2019s heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out.\u201d \u2014<i> Proverbs 20:5<\/i><\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">\u201cWisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you\u2019d have preferred to talk.\u201d \u2014 <i>Doug Larson<\/i><\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\"><span style=\"color:rgb(208, 224, 227);\">----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<\/span><\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">\u2753<b>1 Question<\/b><\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">What\u2019s one small thing you could do today to become a better listener? <\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\"><span style=\"color:rgb(208, 224, 227);\">----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<\/span><\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">A friend of a journalist once traveled to Japan for the first time. Unfamiliar with the language, he was given a simple tip: carry something with the name of your hotel written in Japanese. So he picked up a box of matches from the hotel and went out sightseeing.<\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">Later, he got into a taxi, showed the driver the matchbox, and after a few confused moments, the driver nodded and drove off. Thirty minutes later, the taxi came to a stop. The driver turned, smiled proudly, and pointed outside.<\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">They had arrived\u2026at a match factory.<\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">To truly listen -- to understand, not just to respond -- is a rare gift. And it may be one of the most meaningful gifts we can give another human being.<\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">Until next time,<br>Wishing you a week of meaningful conversations and deeper listening, <\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\"><b>Rabbi Ze&#39;ev Smason<\/b><\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\"><i>A number of readers wrote to me after my recent note about the upcoming Spiritual Sparks book -- thank you. If you\u2019re even curious about being part of bringing it into the world, I\u2019d be glad to send a brief overview. Just reply and I\u2019ll forward it along.<\/i><\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">P.S. Think of someone who truly listens to you. What do they do that makes you feel heard? I\u2019d love to hear.<\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">P.P.S. If you\u2019re new here, you\u2019re always welcome to subscribe: <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/spiritualsparks.beehiiv.com\/subscribe?utm_source=spiritualsparks.beehiiv.com&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=spiritual-sparks-are-you-a-good-listener\"  rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">https:\/\/spiritualsparks.beehiiv.com\/subscribe<\/a><\/p><\/div><div class='beehiiv__footer'><br class='beehiiv__footer__break'><hr class='beehiiv__footer__line'><a  class=\"beehiiv__footer_link\" style=\"text-align: center;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beehiiv.com\/?utm_campaign=c2248d78-f1e1-4a28-8447-f50e92cb0a85&utm_medium=post_rss&utm_source=spiritual_sparks\">Powered by beehiiv<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n  ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Most aren&#8217;t as good listeners as we think<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14776],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92369"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92369"}],"version-history":[{"count":31,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92369\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":94403,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92369\/revisions\/94403"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92369"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=92369"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=92369"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}