Shema 1
Overview - Part 1
Before proceeding to our next tefilah, which, b’ezras Hashem, will be the Shemoneh Esrei, we will devote two weeks to the Shema, primarily focusing on the essence and first pasuk, Shema Yisrael.
The Sefer HaChinuch discusses the root of the mitzvah of Shema. The following is a rough translation of part of what the Sefer HaChinuch says:
“Hashem wanted us to have the z’chus of accepting the yoke of His Kingship and Oneness every day and evening of our lives. Since man is a physical being drawn after his desires, he requires constant reminders of the Kingship of Hashem to protect him from sin. Therefore, Hashem, in His lovingkindness, commanded us to remember Him twice every day with complete kavanah. One reminder is during the daytime, to assist us all day (until the evening Shema is recited) as we move through our daily activities. When we remind ourselves each morning of the Oneness and Kingship of Hashem and that He oversees all, is All-Capable, and that no action or thought is hidden from Him, this will serve as a protection for us to resist the temptations thrown at us. The Shema recited at night will offer the same protection for the evening until the morning Shema is once again recited.”
Rav Avigdor Nebenzahl, speaking about Rosh HaShanah, asks why we can’t just say that Hashem should be recognized as King by all the world in under five minutes and then go home to eat. Why do we need hours and hours of tefilah on Rosh Hashanah? Similarly, we can ask why we need the two reminders of Shema every single day of our lives. He answers that we are bombarded throughout the day, every day of our lives, with the opposite message. We talk about all of life’s events as if there are other factors: If only he would have done this…. if Obama would have given Israel that….if only the doctor had diagnosed the illness properly....that event was caused by.... And so we need a strong reminder to deprogram and to internalize the truth that everything is controlled by Hashem and by Hashem alone. This is one of the primary messages of which we remind ourselves twice a day by reciting the Shema with kavanah.
The following is a sound bite of Rabbi Finkelman’s Shema 1, available at TorahAnytime.com:
Rav Chaim Volozhin [1749-1821], in the name of his rebbe, the Vilna Gaon [1720-1797], says that the word שמע represents Shmaryahu (We do not know who this was), Mishael, and Azaryah. The word אחד represents Avraham, Chananyah, and Daniel. All were moser nefesh, ready to give up their lives to sanctify the name of Hashem. We should have these people in mind when saying Shema. The Bach tells us that we should actually envision ourselves ready to be killed as well, to sanctify the name of Hashem.
Rav Avrohom Schorr points out that all the people mentioned above (the five we know) did not actually die when they were moser nefesh. They all lived. Why do we specifically remember these people and not people like Rabbi Akiva, who did die for kiddush Hashem? The Gaon wants us to understand that we should live for kiddush Hashem and give away our רצון to 'רצון ה. This is harder than dying for kiddush Hashem, because we must live this way, day in and day out. We must battle the yeitzer ha’ra and resist his temptations, giving up our will to do Hashem’s will.
In the Siddur HaGra, it says that the two large letters ayin and daled of the pasuk of Shema spell עד (“eid”). We testify that Hashem is One. The remaining letters of these words (שמע and אחד) spell אשמח (“esmach”) – I will be happy. Happiness is a state of being that lasts. The Zohar says that when a person says Shema with kavanah, that represents the pasuk 'אנכי אשמח בה (“Anochi esmach baShem”). When I am close to Hashem, I will be happy.
When our life is a testimony to our belief in Hashem, praising Hashem by the way we live, giving away our ratzon in resisting the temporary pleasures, that will bring us to 'אנכי אשמח בה, a life of inner peace and satisfaction in this world, which brings us to success in the next world.