וידבר משה כן אל בני ישראל ולא שמעו אל משה מקצר רוח ומעבדה קשה ... (ו-י)
The Aibishter instructed Moshe Rabbeinu to inform His nation about their imminent mass departure from the control of the Egyptians. However, due to their current mental state and heavy workload, they didn’t “believe” - wholeheartedly, that it would actually occur. The obvious question is, why then did Hashem even tell Moshe to talk to them? Hakadosh Boruch Hu knew and understood the level of belief the young fledgling Nation was at. If they were ready, why tell them at all?
Write the Sefas Emes zy”a, that we can glean a significant message for life from this. Even though right now, at this moment in time, those words could not penetrate due to their matzav, nevertheless, they were still there, “resting on their hearts” - biding their time, waiting to break through, be accepted, and be appropriately acted upon.
Sometimes we try to impart a chinuch idea, a lesson, or some divrei mussar to our children or talmidim, and we feel that our well-intentioned words are falling on “deaf ears.” The people we are looking to are not ready to listen to us. We mustn’t become discouraged because as Chazal teach us, it could take even up to 40 years to effect real change.
There’s a famous vort from the Kotzker zt”l that complements this machshava. The posuk in Krias Shema tells us: "והיו הדברים האלה אשר אנכי מצוך היום על לבבך". Fregt the Kotzker: if the words only rest “on” our hearts (על לבבך) but they do not actuqally enter into our hearts, what is the point? The point is, he says, the mere fact that we place the words ON our hearts is inestimable, as we don’t know the exact moment of their inevitable actual penetration.
In fact this could be the pshat in our daily tefillah: "אמת אשרי איש שישמע למצותיך ותורתך ודברך ישים על לבו". Praiseworthy is the person who (though he may not yet be ready for that full inspiration still) will place the dvar Hashem על לבו. Once again, on his heart: Trusting and knowing that ultimately the words will find their mark and drive him to become a better all-around yid.