(1) Hashem our God, Hashem is One means, the One who is now our God and not the God of the other peoples of the world, He will at some future time be the One (sole) hashem, as it is said, (Zephaniah 3:9) “For then I will turn to the peoples a pure language that they may all call upon the name of the Lord", and it is further said, (Zechariah 14:9) “In that day shall the Lord be One (אחד) and His name One" (cf. Sifrei Devarim 31:10).
In this baraita, the Master said that when one returns from work in the evening, he enters the synagogue, recites Shema, and prays. From this baraita, we see that at night, just as during the day, one first recites Shema and then prays. This supports the opinion of Rabbi Yoḥanan, as Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Who is assured of a place in the World-to-Come? It is one who juxtaposes the blessing of redemption, recited after Shema, to the evening prayer. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi says: The prayers were instituted to be recited between the two recitations of Shema. According to Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, one recites the morning Shema, then recites all of the prayers and only after the recitation of the evening prayer does he recite the evening Shema.
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: Even though one recited Shema in the synagogue, it is a mitzva to recite it upon his bed in fulfillment of the verse: “When you lie down.” Rabbi Yosei said: What verse alludes to the fact that one must recite Shema in the evening, upon his bed, as well? “Tremble, and do not sin; say to your heart upon your bed and be still, Selah” (Psalms 4:5). This is understood to mean: Recite Shema, about which it is written, “on your hearts,” upon your bed, and afterward be still and sleep.
The Gemara continues its treatment of the recitation of Shema upon one’s bed. Rabbi Yitzḥak said: Anyone who recites Shema on his bed, it is as if he holds a double-edged sword, guarding him from all evil, as it is stated: “High praises of God in their mouths, and a double-edged sword in their hands” (Psalms 149:6). The Gemara asks: From where is it inferred that this verse from Psalms refers to the recitation of Shema? Mar Zutra, and some say Rav Ashi, said: We derive it from the preceding verse, as it is written: “Let the pious exult in glory; let them joyously sing upon their beds.” The praise of God from one’s bed is the recitation of Shema. And it is written thereafter: “High praises of God in their mouths, and a double-edged sword in their hands.” And Rabbi Yitzḥak said: Anyone who recites Shema upon his bed, demons stay away from him. This is alluded to, as it is stated: “But man is born into trouble, and the sparks [reshef ] fly [uf ] upward” (Job 5:7). The verse is explained: The word fly [uf ] means nothing other than Torah, as Torah is difficult to grasp and easy to lose, like something that floats away, as it is stated: “Will you set your eyes upon it? It is gone; for riches certainly make themselves wings, like an eagle that flies into the heavens” (Proverbs 23:5). The word “sparks” means nothing other than demons, as it is stated: “Wasting of hunger, and the devouring of the sparks [reshef] and bitter destruction [ketev meriri], and the teeth of beasts I will send upon them, with the venom of crawling things of the dust” (Deuteronomy 32:24). Here we see reshef listed along with ketev meriri, both of which are understood by the Sages to be names of demons. Regarding this unclear verse, Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: If one engages in Torah study, suffering stays away from him, as it is stated: “And the sparks fly upward.” And fly means nothing other than Torah, as it is stated: “Will you set your eyes upon it? It is gone; and sparks means nothing other than suffering, as it is stated: “Wasting of hunger, and the devouring of the sparks,” equating devouring sparks with wasting hunger, as both are types of suffering. From here, we derive that through Torah, fly, one is able to distance himself, upward, from suffering, sparks.
MISHNA: In the morning when reciting Shema, one recites two blessings beforehand, and one thereafter. And in the evening one recites two blessings beforehand, and two thereafter, whether one recites it in its long formula and whether one recites it in its short formula. The general principle is: Where the Sages said to recite a long blessing, one may not shorten it, and so too, wherever they said to recite a short blessing, one may not lengthen it. Where the Sages said that a blessing must conclude with a second blessing at the end, one may not fail to conclude with that blessing. Similarly, if the Sages said that a blessing must not conclude with a second blessing, one may not conclude with a blessing.
~ What are the themes of the blessings? Check the translation in your siddur. Are the themes different at night and in the morning?
~ Why would those blessings package the experience of the Shema?
“Who forms light and creates darkness, Who makes peace and creates evil, I am the Lord Who does all these things” (Isaiah 45:7). With regard to this formula of the blessing, the Gemara asks: Let him say the following formula instead: Who forms light and creates brightness, so as not to mention darkness, which has negative connotations. The Gemara answers: We say the blessing as the verse is written in the Bible and do not alter the formula that appears in the verse. The Gemara strongly objects: But if so, what about the continuation of the verse: “Who makes peace and creates evil”? Do we say this blessing as it is written in the Bible? Rather, it is written evil and we euphemistically recite the blessing all things to avoid mention of evil. Here, too, let us euphemistically say brightness instead of darkness. Rather, Rava said: The reason we recite: “Who creates darkness” is in order to mention the attribute of day at night and the attribute of night during the day, and thereby unify day and night as different parts of a single entity. The Gemara continues and asks: Granted, the attribute of night is mentioned during the day, as we say: Who forms light and creates darkness, but where do you find the attribute of day mentioned at night? In the blessing over the radiant lights recited at night there is no mention of “Who forms light.” Abaye said: Nevertheless, the attribute of day is mentioned at night in the words: Rolling away light before the darkness and darkness before the light. The Gemara asks: And what is the formula of the other blessing recited before Shema? Rav Yehuda said in the name of Shmuel: An abounding love [ahava rabba]. And Rabbi Elazar instructed his son, Rabbi Pedat, to also say: An abounding love. That was also taught in a baraita: One does not recite: An eternal love [ahavat olam]; rather, one recites: An abounding love. And the Rabbis say that one recites: An eternal love, and so it says: “And an eternal love I have loved you, therefore I have drawn you with kindness” (Jeremiah 31:2).
יסוד התורה ועמוד העבודה לידע שיש אלקים אחד יחיד ומיוחד, והוא ברא כל העולמות, והוא משגיח עליהם בכל עת ובכל רגע. ואלמלי יצוייר חס ושלום סילוק השגחתו – אף רגע היו כל העולמות חוזרים לתוהו ובוהו. וזהו שנאמר: "שמע ישראל ה' אלקינו ה' אחד". ונאמר: "וידעת היום… כי ה' הוא האלקים בשמים ממעל ועל הארץ מתחת אין עוד". כלומר: שאין שום כוח זולתו יתברך, והוא המהוה כל העולמות, והוא המחיה את כל העולמות, והוא המקיימם. ובמתן תורה ראינו זה בחוש, כדכתיב: "אתה הראת לדעת כי ה' הוא האלקים, אין עוד מלבדו". כלומר: כי ה' שברא כל העולמות – הוא המשגיח והמנהיג עליהם לעד ולעולמים. ו"אלקים" ביאורו: השגחה והנהגה, ואין שום כוח גדול או קטן זולתו יתברך.
The foundation of Torah and the pillar of the divine service is to know that there is one God. who is singular and unique, and that He created all the worlds, and that God is constantly watching for them. If, God forbid, he suddenly stopped watching and guiding all the worlds even for a moment, they would revert to chaos and disorder. This is what is said: (Deut. 6:4) 'Listen, oh Israel, Ad-nai, your God, Ad-nai is One'. And it is also said: "Know therefore this day and keep in mind that Ad-nai is God in heaven above and on earth below; there is no other." (Deut. 4:39) - that is to say: there is no power except the Blessed One, and God makes the existence of all the worlds, and maintains them. And at the giving of the Torah we saw this with our senses, as it is written: "It has been made you see, to know that Ad-nai is God; there is nothing beside Him" (Deut. 4:35). That is to say: Ad-nai who created all the worlds watches out for them and directs them for all times. And the word "God" has this explanation: watching out for and directing, there is no other, power great or small, besides the Blessed One.
שמע ישראל התבונן והבן זה:
Listen Israel ~ with your mind open;
אלהינו. הוא נבחר מהנבדלים אצלנו אשר ממנו נקוה להשיג חפצינו בלי אמצעי ומצד היותו עליון בכחו הנורא הנה לו לבדו ראוי להשתחות ומצד שממנו תקותנו בלי אמצעי ראוי שאליו לבדו נתפלל ונעבוד:
Our God ~ this word indicates that He is the choicest of all the abstract forces assigned to supervise our conduct with no intermediary. And since we yearn for God's assistance in helping us to achieve our purpose on earth, to God alone is fit to address prayers, given God's power and being All-mighty.
YHVH ~ He is the One Who is gives existence to all that is created.
Ad-nai is One ~ seeing that He created all phenomena in this universe, celestial or terrestrial out of a total void, it is logically impossible for there to be another phenomenon representing an existence independent of Him. It also makes Him basically different, unique, for all things created by Him are by definition potentially terminal, transient existences. He is absolutely unique in a world based on four basic raw materials, water, fire, earth, air. This idea appears to be hinted at in the letter dalet in the word אחד (One, Echad) which is written larger than usual and the letter ayin in the word שמע (Listen, Shema) which is also written in larger than normal script, suggesting that we should use our eyes to take note of these concepts, the “testimony, עד (Ed)” that this is so. This is why our sages said that we must draw out the word אחד Echad when reciting it so as to give us time to reflect on the full meaning of the verse.
Rabbi Ovadiah ben Jacob Sforno, a 16th-century Italian rabbi and physician.
Deuteronomy 6,4. “Hear O Israel!” it is a rule based on tradition that when the Israelites pray and address G’d as הא-ל הגדול, “the great G’d,” G’d responds by wrapping Himself in greatness, whereas when we add the words: הגבור, “the mighty One,” G’d drapes Himself in garments signaling that He is mighty. When we continue in our prayers to refer to G’d as הנורא, “the awesome One,” G’d garbs Himself in a robe symbolizing that adjective or attribute. The phenomenon of G’d garbing Himself in various robes in response to our prayers is known as אם, an abbreviated form of the word אמה, “cubit,” a basic unit in measuring lengths. [If I understand correctly, this is used as a device to interpose between the root, the essence, and visual image of the essence it hides. Ed.] The “essence” behind is known as מטי ולא מטי, “both capable of being found and not capable of being found;” [in the sense of “at one and the same time attainable and yet not attainable”. Ed.] Even this expression never appears without an accompanying modifying adjective, attribute.
When we recite the first line of the kriyat sh’ma, i.e. the verse above, we refer to G’d in His essence prior to His having garbed Himself in “robes,” in order to make it easier for us to visualize Him, seeing that His Essence is beyond our ability to visualize. The moment we add the word: אלוקינו, i.e. “our G’d,” we have already added something that reflects how G’d has imposed restrictions on Himself and the absolute freedom represented by His Essence. It is important for us to remember at all times that we do not address our prayers to the “visualized” version of “Hashem,” but to His Essence.
[In order to understand the concept of אם המדידה the “mother of measuring,” the reader may recall that there is a rod exactly one meter long preserved in Paris as a terms of reference whenever a dispute would arise about the accuracy of a device claiming to be exactly one meter long. Ed.]
~ Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev
ואולי לזה מכוון הכתוב (דברים ו, ד), שהוא יסוד היסודות ועיקר העיקרים של היהדות: ״שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל! ד׳ אֱ־לֹקֵינוּ, ד׳ אֶחָד״, והכתוב (דברים ד, לה): ״ד׳ הוּא הָאֱ־לֹהִים״ – כי אף על פי שהחלל והזמן ידמו לנו כשני מושגים, אינם באמת אלא אחד. האין־סופיות של הכמות והאיכות, של החומר והרוח גם יחד; האין־סופיות של למעלה, למטה, לפנים ולאחור; האין־סופיות של ההיה, ההווה והיהיה, של הנצחיות, בלי ראשית ובלי תכלית – שאין ראשית לראשיתו ואין אחרית לאחריתו.
And maybe this is what is meant by the verses - that God is the basis of all basis, and the principle of all principles of Judaism - Listen Israel! Hashem is our G-d, Hashem is One! (Deut. 6:4) and the other verse Hashem is G-d" (Deut. 4:35) - that even though space and time seem like two concept, they are really only one. The endlessness of quality and quantity, of matter and spirit together; the endlessness of above, below, behind and in front; the endlessness of past, present and future, of eternity, with no beginning and with no end - there is no beginning for God's beginning and no end for God's end.