פרשת ואתחנן - חשיבות שמע ישראל

Hear, O Israel! יהוה is our God, יהוה alone.

The Gemara relates: When they took Rabbi Akiva out to be executed, it was time for the recitation of Shema. And they were raking his flesh with iron combs, and he was reciting Shema, thereby accepting upon himself the yoke of Heaven. His students said to him: Our teacher, even now, as you suffer, you recite Shema? He said to them: All my days I have been troubled by the verse: With all your soul, meaning: Even if God takes your soul. I said to myself: When will the opportunity be afforded me to fulfill this verse? Now that it has been afforded me, shall I not fulfill it? He prolonged his uttering of the word: One, until his soul left his body as he uttered his final word: One. A voice descended from heaven and said: Happy are you, Rabbi Akiva, that your soul left your body as you uttered: One.

Why does one read these two sections every day? Rebbi Simon says because they mention lying down and getting up. Rebbi Levi said, because the Ten Commandments are contained in them. “I am the Eternal, your God.” - “Hear, o Israel, The Eternal, our God.” “You should not have any other gods before me.” - “The Eternal is One.” “Do not take the name of the Eternal, your God, in vain.” - “You must love the Eternal, your God.” He who loves the king will not swear in his name and lie. “Remember the Sabbath day to sanctify it.” - “So that you shall remember;” Rebbi said: that is the commandment of Sabbath which is as important as all other commandments of the Torah together, as it is written (Neh. 9:14): “You informed them about Your Sabbath, commandments, laws, and Torah you commanded them, …” to show that it is as important as the other commandments of the Torah. “Honor your father and mother” - “So that your days and the days of your children should increase.” “Do not murder” - “You will soon be lost.” He who kills will be killed. “Do not commit adultery” - “Do not stray after your hearts and after your eyes.” Rebbi Levi said: heart and eye are the two agents of sin. It is written (Prov. 23:26) “My son, give Me your heart; your eyes should watch My ways.” The Holy One, Praise to Him, says: If you give me your heart and eyes I know that you are mine. “Do not steal” - “You shall harvest your grain,” not your neighbor’s grain” “Do not testify against your neighbor as a false witness,” - “I am the Lord, your God.” And it is written (Jer. 10:10) “But the Lord is the God of truth.” What is truth? Rebbi Abun said: that (Jer. 10:10) “He is God of life and king of the world.” Rebbi Levi said: The Holy One, praise to Him, said, if you gave false testimony against your neighbor, I count that against you as if you gave testimony against Me that I did not create heaven and earth. “Do not covet your neighbor’s house” - “You shall write them on the doorposts of your house,” your house and not your neighbor’s house.

(1) ה׳ אלהינו ה' אחד means, The Lord 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) ה׳, 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).