Is this illegal to do with a Ham radio?

i want to start getting in to Ham radio and i don't know where to start. i have read on some websites saying that getting a 2 meter radio handheld is the best beginners choice. then you can make your way up from there. i understand that you have to get a licence to talk and transmit on a ham radio but is it ok just to listen to other transmissions and scan for activity? i have read that this is in fact illegal too