Can we really hear a Bat Kol (Divine Voice)???

*These ideas are partially drawn from Rabbi Lamm’s book The Shema

There is a Mishna in Avot that always intrigued me. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi says that every day a bat kol (Divine Voice) comes down from Har Sinai. What does that actually mean? I never heard the voice!!

The Chief Rabbi of Trier explains that Hashem chose to reveal Himself to us at Har Sinai through the medium of sound because it is the least dimensional. This enables us to view God as a limitless Being, as well as His commandments as limitless. Had God revealed himself to us through the medium of sight, we might have thought that God is what we saw and no more, and that God’s commandments are limited.

What does it mean that there is a Divine Voice from Har Sinai evey single day? It is another way of saying that we are constantly being commanded to fulfill what Hashem says; we are constantly supposed to be responding to Hashem’s Will. Being a Jew is not limited to certain times and circumstances, rather it is something that affects every moment of our lives.

In practice: When we watch a movie, we can think to ourselves, “What messages can I take away from this movie that might contribute to my growth as a Jewish person?” When we meet a new person, we can think to ourselves, “What can I learn from this person that might help me work on my character?”