So too, says the Chofetz Chaim, is our relationship with Hakodosh Boruch Hu. We pray, “Avinu malkeinu -- our Father, our King. have mercy upon us. Give us to understand and to be wise. Enlighten our eyes with the Torah and with yiras Shamayim.”

Hashem is a merciful king and wishes to grant our request. However, we don’t come to collect payment. There is no one to blame. It is as if we were talking in our sleep – sometimes our ears do not hear what our mouth is speaking.

The Chofetz Chaim relates a parable of a poor person who exerted himself to get a contribution from a wealthy man. He sent many different messengers to ask the wealthy man for an audience. Then he himself went to the rich man to ask him to have rachmanus. The rich man agreed and set up an appointment to meet the poor man the next day in his office, at which time he would grant him his request.

A week went by and the man did not show up. When the two met again, the poor man repeated his plea, and asked the rich man to have rachmanus and lend him the money he needed.

HaGaon R’ Yosef Sholom Elyashiv shlita suggests that the difficulty here is not why no one could answer Hashem’s query. It is important for us to clarify what was the cause of this generation’s downward spiral, of their spiritual decline that they did not recite these brachos.

With this concept, the Sefer Divrei Aggadah offers an understanding of the destruction of the First Bais Hamikdash. Hashem asked the Bnai Yisroel (Yirmiyah 9:11) “Al mah ovdoh ha’aretz – why was the Bais Hamikdash destroyed?” No one knew how to answer the question, despite the fact that the nation had transgressed the three severe aveiros of giluy arayos, shefichas damim and avodah zarah – immorality, murder, and idol worship.

The pasuk in Devarim (6:7) states, “V’shinantam l’vonecha v’dibarta bam … -- and you shall teach them to your children and you shall speak of them.”

The Vilna Gaon once commented that this small paragraph of Krias Shema contains all of the Aseres HaDibros – Ten Commandments. For example, the first dibrah (commandment) of “Anochi, I am your G-d,” is represented by the words “Hashem Elokeinu Hashem Echad,”. We learn that the commandment of “Lo Sirtzach – one shall not kill,” is alluded to in this parsha with the word “v’shinantam – and you shall teach your children.”