When we sing or say the Shema we say the first verse at a normal volume, clear and strong:

Sh'ma Yis'ra'eil Adonai Eloheinu Adonai echad.

And the second verse:

Barukh sheim k'vod malkhuto l'olam va'ed.

is almost a whisper. Very, very, quietly...

The reason we do this is to remind us that sometimes we can hear God and sometimes we can't. God is there just the same, speaking just the same. Sometimes we hear, sometimes we don't.


In the same way, sometimes light shines on the cactus in a way that reveals the thorns...










































And sometimes in a way that reveals the flowers.









But, look closely...Both are present...
The flower and the thorn grow from the same plant, receive their nourishment from the same source, come forth from the same ground.


Just something to think about.