Secrets of the Shema

There are two Midrashic sources for the historical roots of the Shema. One is the story of Yaakov’s death, when he asked his children if they had any complaints about Hashem. They responded by declaring, “Shema Yisrael, Hashem Elokanyu, Hashem Echad!” (Devarim Rabbah 2:35) This was deeply healing to Yaakov, as he realized that he had taught his children so well that they totally embodied his teachings, and had fully integrated Hashem’s Oneness into their consciousness. Yaakov realized that they would be able to lead the Jewish people with the strength of their emuna shelema (total faith), and thus he experienced a great healing of the suffering of his life, and was able to die peacefully, having achieved a level of spiritual development equal to the angels.

 

The second Midrashic source for the Shema is the revelation at Sinai, where it is said that as each of the 10 commandments was given to the Jewish people, they responded with lines of the Shema as a sign of their total acceptance of Hashem’s will, and integration of His Oneness, as a people, on the highest soul level, Yechida (Devarim Rabbah 2:36)

 

Both of these stories begin our understanding of the power and importance of the Shema for every Jew. The spiritual heights attained by the Jews at the time of the revelation, and by Yaakov and his children in the merit of their mothers and fathers, are contained as potential within the very syllables of the Shema. It is like a seed that contains the entire Torah, a chemical formula directly to G-d. It is a verbal mikva, pouring into every level of our souls and aligning us to the truth of Hashem’s Oneness, purifying doubt and the temptation to believe that there is anything in the world that is separate from Hashem. This is absolutely the highest spiritual work of every human being, and the special responsibility that is both the blessing and the curse of every Jew: sanctifying The Name as One, in a world of separation and confusion.

 

The Shema is a spiritual headlamp through this confusion, a brilliant light for the path of every person seeking to connect with absolute truth. Every mitzvah exists for the purpose of aiding us in this task; they are Hashem’s kindness, smoothing and beautifying the path of the Jewish people, the path that is revealed in the supernal light of the shema.

 

Memories of the both the revelation at Sinai and the deathbed healing of Yaakov are encoded in the neshamot (souls) of Jews on the highest soul level, Yechida. In this way, there is an affinity and readiness to receive the depth of the Shema’s truth in the soul of every Jew, similar to the in utero teachings of Torah that create a readiness to re-receive these teachings again in life. There is a spiritual pilot light, or Pintele Yid, in every Jew that simply cannot be extinguished, and the Shema is a spark that causes that hidden light to grow and strengthen. Every time we say the Shema, then, that light that is within us grows stronger, purifying us with the truth, connecting us to a wellspring of emuna (faith) that is a blessing of our birthright. Conversely, every Jew not connected to this truth will suffer, without understanding why–always feeling the presence of that pilot light being obscured by layers of worldly impurity that comes with exile, true exile: the distance from knowing Hashem, from feeling that constant loving and teaching Presence in one’s life. Distance comes from our inability to integrate both suffering and joy as the ways that Hashem will never give up on us, always trying to reach out to us, to draw us closer.

 

Israel, the name used in the Shema, means to struggle with, or encounter G-d. The Shema, then, addresses that part of every human soul that longs to connect with the spiritual, to align herself with her true purpose. (Aryeh Kaplan) In this way, the Shema’s message is totally universal, addressing every person’s highest self and potential, and urging it to hear the truth, to wake up! With the dispersion of the 10 tribes and the fall of the Beit HaMikdash (The Temple), Jewish identity is in a state of confusion and obscurity. Who is a Jew, and who is not, is no longer clear–there are many Jewish souls who are totally unaware of their identity. However, they will always maintain the potential to receive the teachings of G-d’s Oneness in the deepest way, and the Shema contains the power to draw them back to their Soul’s purpose: loving G-d, and sanctifying the Name as One, thus enabling the total healing of the world.

 

To be continued.

 

 

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