\u05d1”\u05d4<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Parashat Va\u2019etchanan contains some of the most fundamental words in the Torah:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u05d0\u05b7\u05ea\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4 \u05d4\u05b8\u05e8\u05b0\u05d0\u05b5\u05ea\u05b8 \u05dc\u05b8\u05d3\u05b7\u05e2\u05b7\u05ea \u05db\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9 \u05d4’ \u05d4\u05d5\u05bc\u05d0 \u05d4\u05b8\u05d0\u05b1\u05dc\u05b9\u05d4\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05d0\u05b5\u05d9\u05df \u05e2\u05d5\u05b9\u05d3 \u05de\u05b4\u05dc\u05b0\u05bc\u05d1\u05b7\u05d3\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou were shown to know that Hashem is G-d; there is nothing besides Him.\u201d\u00b9
A few verses later, Moshe says:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u05d5\u05b0\u05d9\u05b8\u05d3\u05b7\u05e2\u05b0\u05ea\u05b8\u05bc \u05d4\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05dd \u05d5\u05b7\u05d4\u05b2\u05e9\u05b5\u05c1\u05d1\u05b9\u05ea\u05b8 \u05d0\u05b6\u05dc \u05dc\u05b0\u05d1\u05b8\u05d1\u05b6\u05da\u05b8 … \u05d0\u05b5\u05d9\u05df \u05e2\u05d5\u05b9\u05d3
\u201cYou shall know today and take it to your heart\u2026 there is nothing else.\u201d\u00b2
Moshe does not tell us merely to believe. He tells us to know\u2014and then to bring that knowledge into the heart. Belief in Hashem must change the way we understand ourselves, the world and the purpose of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many people believe that one Supreme Being created the universe. They understand G-d as the highest power or the first cause of existence. Yet the world He created may still be perceived as a separate reality\u2014something that continues to exist while G-d rules over it from above.
The Torah\u2019s declaration, Ein od milvado\u2014\u201cthere is nothing besides Him\u201d\u2014goes much further. It does not mean only that there are no other gods. It means that nothing possesses an existence independent of Hashem.\u00b3
When a carpenter makes a table, the table remains after he has left. Creation is different. Hashem did not form the universe from material that already existed. He brought all existence into being from absolute nothingness. The Divine power that created it must therefore continuously sustain it. Were that creative power to be withdrawn for even one moment, creation would not merely collapse; it would cease to exist. The universe is therefore not only something Hashem created long ago. It is being brought into existence by Him at every moment.\u2074
Every person, tree, star and atom exists because Hashem presently gives it existence. This does not mean that the world is G-d. The Creator is infinitely beyond His creation. It means that
creation has no independent existence apart from Him. Hashem is not merely watching the world from a distance; He is continuously its source of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Lubavitcher Rebbe explains the difference between the two verses. First, Moshe says, \u201cYou were shown to know.\u201d<\/strong> At Sinai, Divine unity was revealed from Above. The concealment of the physical world was temporarily removed. A beautiful Chassidic tradition is told about the young Rabbi Yisrael of Ruzhin. He is said to have asked the Alter Rebbe a profound question about the order of the verses in the Shema. \u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05de\u05b7\u05e2 \u05d9\u05b4\u05e9\u05b0\u05c2\u05e8\u05b8\u05d0\u05b5\u05dc, \u05d4\u05f3 \u05d0\u05b1\u05dc\u05b9\u05e7\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc, \u05d4\u05f3 \u05d0\u05b6\u05d7\u05b8\u05d3<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHear, O Israel: Hashem is our G-d; Hashem is One.\u201d\u2076<\/p>\n\n\n\n The recitation of Shema expresses complete surrender before Hashem. A person recognizes that nothing possesses independent reality. Immediately afterward, however, the Torah says:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u05d5\u05b0\u05d0\u05b8\u05d4\u05b7\u05d1\u05b0\u05ea\u05b8\u05bc \u05d0\u05b5\u05ea \u05d4\u05f3 \u05d0\u05b1\u05dc\u05b9\u05e7\u05d9\u05da\u05b8<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou shall love Hashem your G-d.\u201d\u2077 \u201cBlessed is the name of the glory of His kingdom forever.\u201d This explains why Ve\u2019ahavta<\/em> follows Shema<\/em>. First comes contemplation and understanding. Then comes recognition of Divine unity. From that awareness, love is born. A human being can observe creation and recognize that the universe has a Creator. Avraham Avinu reached this recognition through contemplation before the Torah was given.\u00b9\u00b9 People of every nation can possess wisdom, spiritual sensitivity and a sincere desire to know Hashem. Parashat Va\u2019etchanan is always read on Shabbat Nachamu, the first Shabbat after Tisha B\u2019Av. The haftarah begins: \u201cComfort, comfort My people.\u201d\u00b9\u2075 After declaring that Hashem is One, we return to our families, businesses and responsibilities\u2014but we return differently. We carry Shema<\/em> dans le monde. \u201cHashem is G-d; there is nothing besides Him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n By Rabbi Avriel Rabenou<\/strong>, MSc. MBA<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sources and References<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n 1 Devarim 4:35. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00a9 Copyright, tous droits r\u00e9serv\u00e9s. Si vous avez appr\u00e9ci\u00e9 cet article, nous vous encourageons \u00e0 le diffuser.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nos blogs peuvent contenir du texte, des citations, des r\u00e9f\u00e9rences ou des liens qui comprennent des \u00e9l\u00e9ments prot\u00e9g\u00e9s par le droit d'auteur de Mechon-Mamre.org<\/a>, Aish.com<\/a>, Sefaria.org<\/a>, Chabad.org<\/a>et\/ou AskNoah.org<\/a>que nous utilisons conform\u00e9ment \u00e0 leurs politiques.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u05d1”\u05d4 Parashat Va\u2019etchanan contains some of the most fundamental words in the Torah: \u05d0\u05b7\u05ea\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4 \u05d4\u05b8\u05e8\u05b0\u05d0\u05b5\u05ea\u05b8 \u05dc\u05b8\u05d3\u05b7\u05e2\u05b7\u05ea \u05db\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9 \u05d4’ \u05d4\u05d5\u05bc\u05d0 \u05d4\u05b8\u05d0\u05b1\u05dc\u05b9\u05d4\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05d0\u05b5\u05d9\u05df \u05e2\u05d5\u05b9\u05d3 \u05de\u05b4\u05dc\u05b0\u05bc\u05d1\u05b7\u05d3\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9 \u201cYou were shown to know that Hashem is G-d; there is nothing besides Him.\u201d\u00b9 A few verses later, Moshe says: \u05d5\u05b0\u05d9\u05b8\u05d3\u05b7\u05e2\u05b0\u05ea\u05b8\u05bc \u05d4\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05dd \u05d5\u05b7\u05d4\u05b2\u05e9\u05b5\u05c1\u05d1\u05b9\u05ea\u05b8 \u05d0\u05b6\u05dc \u05dc\u05b0\u05d1\u05b8\u05d1\u05b6\u05da\u05b8 … \u05d0\u05b5\u05d9\u05df \u05e2\u05d5\u05b9\u05d3 \u201cYou shall know today […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":50,"featured_media":24794,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24792","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-holidays-remembrance-days","category-parshot-of-the-rabbis"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Later, Moshe says, \u201cYou shall know today and take it to your heart<\/strong>.\u201d This describes our own work. A miraculous revelation can awaken us, but it cannot replace the lifelong task of learning, contemplating and internalizing Divine truth.\u2075
It is not enough to repeat that Hashem is One. We must ask what this means for our work, family, possessions, relationships and decisions. What does it mean when life develops differently from what we had hoped?
The knowledge of Divine unity becomes complete when it enters ordinary life.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Question of the Young Ruzhiner<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
First we declare:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The young Ruzhiner asked: If, while saying Shema<\/em>, I have completely surrendered my individual existence before Hashem, who remains to be commanded to love Him?
According to one version of the tradition, the Alter Rebbe considered this question so profound that he said the entire teaching of Chassidus could be understood as an answer to it. The story appears in varying forms in later Chassidic sources, but its message expresses a fundamental Chassidic idea.\u2078
The purpose of Shema<\/em> is not that the human being should disappear. The purpose is that we return to life with a transformed sense of self.
Between Shema<\/em> et Ve\u2019ahavta<\/em>, we quietly say:
\u05d1\u05b8\u05bc\u05e8\u05d5\u05bc\u05da\u05b0 \u05e9\u05b5\u05c1\u05dd \u05db\u05b0\u05bc\u05d1\u05d5\u05b9\u05d3 \u05de\u05b7\u05dc\u05b0\u05db\u05d5\u05bc\u05ea\u05d5\u05b9 \u05dc\u05b0\u05e2\u05d5\u05b9\u05dc\u05b8\u05dd \u05d5\u05b8\u05e2\u05b6\u05d3<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Alter Rebbe explains that Shema<\/em> expresses the higher unity, while Baruch Shem expresses the lower unity.\u2079 From the higher perspective, nothing has independent significance before Hashem. From the lower perspective, the world is experienced as real and diverse, but every part of it is recognized as dependent
upon Him.
We return to our individual lives, personalities and responsibilities, but no longer see ourselves as independent. Our individuality is not erased; it is given a Divine purpose.
Now the Torah can say:
Ve\u2019ahavta\u2014You shall love Hashem.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nKnowledge Gives Birth to Love<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Rambam teaches that when a person contemplates the wisdom within creation, he becomes filled with love and a desire to know the Creator.\u00b9\u2070 Chassidus explains that understanding in the mind awakens emotion in the heart.
When a person understands that Hashem is not only a distant Creator but the source of life at this very moment, the relationship becomes personal.
My next breath comes from Him. My abilities come from Him. The people and opportunities in my life are entrusted to me by Him. Even my challenges occur within a world continuously sustained by His will.
The more deeply this is understood, the more naturally gratitude, trust and love can develop. Knowledge enters the mind, awakens the heart and transforms the way we live.<\/p>\n\n\n\nA Truth Meant for Humanity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Yet human reason alone cannot reveal with certainty what the Creator expects from us. Reason may lead a person to believe that G-d exists, but revelation teaches us how He wants humanity to live.
At Sinai, Divine truth entered the world in an enduring form. The Torah was entrusted to the Jewish people not as a private possession, but as a responsibility. This includes making its universal teachings accessible to humanity.
The Seven Noahide Laws establish the Divine foundations of civilization: recognition of the Creator, respect for His Name, protection of life, family and property, humane treatment of animals and the establishment of justice.\u00b9\u00b2
The Rebbe repeatedly emphasized the Rambam\u2019s ruling that Moshe Rabbeinu was commanded to bring the inhabitants of the world to the observance of the commandments given to the descendants of Noach.\u00b9\u00b3
This should be expressed carefully. A non-Jew does not require a Jew in order to recognize that there is a Creator or to develop a sincere relationship with Him. However, the Torah\u2019s revealed understanding of Hashem, the deeper meaning of Ein od milvado <\/em>and the knowledge that the Seven Laws are Divine commandments come through the revelation entrusted to the Jewish people.
This is not a reason for superiority. It is a responsibility to teach with humility, clarity and respect.
The Midrash teaches that the voice at Sinai divided into seventy languages, corresponding to the nations of the world. The Rebbe explains that this reveals the universal dimension of Sinai: its moral voice was meant to reach all humanity.\u00b9\u2074<\/p>\n\n\n\nShabbat Nachamu: Comfort and Purpose<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u05e0\u05b7\u05d7\u05b2\u05de\u05d5\u05bc \u05e0\u05b7\u05d7\u05b2\u05de\u05d5\u05bc \u05e2\u05b7\u05de\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9<\/p>\n\n\n\n
True comfort does not mean pretending that destruction and suffering never happened. The Rebbe explains that complete consolation comes through the rebuilding of the Beit HaMikdash. The Third Beit HaMikdash will not merely replace what was lost; it will unite the Divine revelation of the First Temple with the human
effort and transformation associated with the Second.\u00b9\u2076
This is also the deeper meaning of consolation. Darkness does not have the final word. Concealment itself can become the setting for a deeper revelation.
Exile is a condition in which the world appears separated from its Creator. Life seems fragmented, and Divine purpose is difficult to see. The message of Ein od milvado<\/em> is therefore especially appropriate for Shabbat Nachamu.
Hashem may be hidden, but He has not abandoned the world. His creative power continues to sustain every person and every moment. The Temple was destroyed, but the relationship between Hashem and creation was not destroyed.
There is also a personal comfort in this teaching. A person may feel alone, disappointed or distant from Hashem. Ein od milvado<\/em> does not deny pain or explain every tragedy. It teaches that even within pain, we are never outside Hashem\u2019s presence.
There is no place in which He is absent and no moment sustained by another power. We may not understand what is happening, but we have not fallen out of Hashem\u2019s world.
Shabbat Nachamu therefore moves us from mourning to mission. Every act of justice, kindness, faith and moral courage removes a measure of concealment. Every honest decision declares that the world has a Master. Every home in which Hashem is recognized becomes a place for His presence.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBringing Shema Into Life<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
There is no separate \u201creligious life\u201d and \u201cordinary life.\u201d Work, family, money and technology must all serve a Divine purpose. Our abilities are gifts entrusted to us, and our lives are opportunities to reveal Hashem\u2019s presence.
First comes:
Hashem Echad\u2014Hashem is One.<\/strong>
Then:
Ve\u2019ahavta\u2014You shall love Hashem.<\/strong>
Love means using the life Hashem continuously gives us to fulfill the purpose for which we were created.
This is the shared message of Parashat Va\u2019etchanan and Shabbat Nachamu: the world is not abandoned, human life is not meaningless and darkness is not permanent. Hashem is present, creation depends upon Him at every moment, and every person can help make that truth visible.
\u05db\u05bc\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d4\u05f3 \u05d4\u05d5\u05bc\u05d0 \u05d4\u05b8\u05d0\u05b1\u05dc\u05b9\u05e7\u05d9\u05dd \u05d0\u05b5\u05d9\u05df \u05e2\u05d5\u05b9\u05d3 \u05de\u05b4\u05dc\u05b0\u05bc\u05d1\u05b7\u05d3\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00b2 Devarim 4:39.
\u00b3 Likkutei Sichos<\/em>, Vol. 29, Va\u2019etchanan 1.
\u2074 Tanya, Shaar HaYichud VeHaEmunah<\/em>, chapters 1\u20133.
\u2075 Likkutei Sichos,<\/em> Vol. 29, Va\u2019etchanan 1.
\u2076 Devarim 6:4.
\u2077 Devarim 6:5.
\u2078 Chassidic traditions concerning Rabbi Yisrael of Ruzhin and the Alter Rebbe; the wording varies among
later collections.
\u2079 Tanya, Shaar HaYichud VeHaEmunah<\/em>, introduction and chapter 1.
\u00b9\u2070 Rambam, Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah 2:2.
\u00b9\u00b9 Rambam, Hilchot Avodat Kochavim 1:3.
\u00b9\u00b2 Sanhedrin 56a\u2013b; Rambam, Hilchot Melachim, chapter 9.
\u00b9\u00b3 Rambam, Hilchot Melachim 8:10\u201311; see the Rebbe\u2019s talks on the universal mission of the Seven
Noahide Laws.
\u00b9\u2074 Shemot Rabbah 28:4; Likkutei Sichos<\/em>, Vol. 4, Va\u2019etchanan 1, \u201cThe Voice of Sinai.\u201d
\u00b9\u2075 Yeshayahu 40:1.
\u00b9\u2076 Likkutei Sichos<\/em>, Vol. 9, Va\u2019etchanan 3, \u201cConsummate Divine Comfort.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n