* Translated by Janine Muller Sherr
In yesterday’s parasha, we read “Shema Yisrael,” the Jewish people’s most famous and central declaration of faith: “Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one.”
Did you ever contemplate the meaning of this phrase? Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch explains these holy words thus:
This world pulls us in many different directions. Over the course of our lives, we oscillate between sorrow and joy. Our evil and good inclinations are engaged in a constant battle. In such a turbulent world, the Torah teaches us a revolutionary idea: It is all one.
“Hear O Israel”—Listen, the nation of Israel: The Lord is one. There is a unifying force behind the chaos, a mastermind of the plot. This is such a radical concept— and so distant from our living reality—that we repeat this message twice daily, every morning and evening, so that we may internalize it.
Whether our lives are filled with light and goodness, or darkness and anguish, this message still holds true. When we recite this verse, we cover our eyes to remove ourselves from the tumult and falsehood that surround us, in order to concentrate on this fundamental truth.
May we always remember this truth in our hearts.
