Tag: shema

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Vaeschanan – The Pledge of Allegiance

The pledge of allegiance to the United States of America is to its flag, and the national anthem talks about war and victory. The national anthem of Israel talks about hope and hints to uncertainty. However the pledge of allegiance in the Torah, the pasuk of Shema, which is referred to, as the Maharz”u says, as Kabbalas Ol Malchus Shamayim [accepting the yoke of Heaven], is a pledge of allegiance to Hashem, the Almighty, All Powerful, Eternal King Of All Kings, Master Of The Universe. The “national anthem” of the Torah, the paragraph that follows, Vi’ahavta, is a declaration of love and dedication. The Shema and Vi’ahavta, which there is a mitzva to say twice a day, besides other two paragraphs of Krias Shema (which are in parshas Eikev and Shelach), are found in this week’s torah portion of Vaeschanan (Devarim 6:4):.

Hear, O Israel: Hashem is our G-D; the Hashem is one. שְׁמַ֖ע יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ יְהֹוָ֥ה | אֶחָֽד


The Medrish Rabba (Devarim 2:31) asks:, “From where did the Jews merit reciting Krias Shema? Rebbe Pinchas bar Chama said the Jews merited reciting Krias Shema when they accepted the Torah. How? You find that Hashem in fact began talking to them about this matter. He said to them, ‘Hear, O Israel, I am Hashem your G-D.’ They all answered (the Maharz”u says they answered in unity and with joy) ‘Hashem is our G-D; the Hashem is one.’ And Moshe said ‘Baruch Shem Kivod Malchuso Li’olam Vaed,’ Blessed is the Name of His glorious kingdom for all eternity. The Rabbis have taught that Hashem said to the Jews, ‘All that I have created, I created in pairs. Heaven and earth are a pair. The sun and moon are a pair. Adam and Chava were a pair. This world and the World to Come are a pair. But My Honor is one and unique in the world.’ How do we know this? From what we read in the matter of Hear, O Israel: Hashem is our G-D; Hashem is one.”

The Maharz”u, explaining the last part of the medrish, points out that Hashem is sending a message to the Jews that we are a pair with Him. What pairs mean is that in each pair one is an influencer of the other. Heaven shines sunlight and rains upon the earth, the sun shines light onto the moon so it can shine, Adam and Chava, in fact any married couple, compliments and helps each other. As this world is a corridor to prepare and earn reward for The Next World, so too, Hashem is our guide and sustainer who interacts with us with hashgacha pratis [individualized Divine intervention] every day of our lives.

The Etz Yosef has a difficulty, and asks an obvious question,: isn’t Krias Shema a positive commandment? If so, what merit is specifically given here more than for any other positive mitzvah? The answer he gives is that the merit the medrish is talking about is the language of Shema Yisrael, that the Jews are given special honor by having their name mentioned when accepting the Yoke of the kingdom of Heaven. Indeed, it says, ‘The Lord is our G-D,’ which is to say that through the Jews, Hashem’s Name is more distinguished, as mentioned in the Sifri. The medrish is saying that because this language was used when the Torah was given, it stays that way always. (Click here for Hebrew text.)
Contemplating what all this means is quite awesome! Hashem is one and unique, there is nothing like Him in existence, He in fact created existence. However, when giving allegiance to His Oneness and Sovereignty, Hashem ensures we are mentioned, and it’s only through us, “Our G-D,” that this pledge of allegiance is declared. Why does Hashem treat us with such respect in a situation or statement dedicated to His oneness and uniqueness? Doesn’t mentioning us detract on some level from accepting the Yoke of the kingdom of Heaven, His individuality?

We must say that in fact it does not detract; realizing the special, unique state and influence the Jews have in the world, and the relationship the Jew has with his and her Creator actually enhances the acceptance of The Yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven. The very acknowledgement that Hashem wants and does take His Honor, and is sharing it with us, the Jews, should be an impetus to embrace His yoke and encourage us to serve Hashem with even more consistent enthusiasm.

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Torah Riddles Test #87

1.      Question: Why does the Shaagos Aryeh hold that saying Shema in the morning and night are two separate mitzvos but honoring your father and mother is one mitzvah but two parts to it?

Background:

A. The Maharatz Chiyos (Sanhedrin 56b) proves that honoring your parents is one mitzvah with two parts because there are only Ten Commandments not 11.

B. What is “michayev,” meaning what creates the obligation of each mitzvah?      

A1. By honoring one’s parents the obligation is because you are their child so the source of obligation is that you by yourself have to honor your mother and father. This is why it is one mitzvah with two parts to it. But what obligates one to say Shema is the time of day and night so it is two separate mitzvos.

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Torah Riddles Test #70

  1. Question: If you are in doubt whether you said Shema or blew shofar or shook lulav on the first day of the respective Yom Tov, you should perform those mitzvos with their blessing according to some opinions, (See Mishna Berura 67:1:1), which means by Shema the blessings before and after should be said. Why then if a person was only able to hear shofar or shake lulav at bein hashmashos, twilight, or whether a tumtum wears tzitzis or an androgynous gets a bris, in those cases no blessing is made because when in doubt be lenient and don’t say a blessing in doubt?

Background: A. A tumtum is a person who does not have seeable genitalia because it is covered up by extra flesh so there is a doubt of whether the person is male or female. Women aren’t obligated in tzitzis. B. An androgynous is a person with both genitalia which there is also a doubt what gender it is or maybe even a third type of person. Women certainly don’t get a bris. C. Bein hashmashos, or twilight is a time when there is a question whether it is halachically day or night. One cannot fulfill the mitzvos of shofar or lulav at night.

Answer: In cases where we would say a blessing are scenarios where the person is obligated in the mitzvah but is just in doubt whether he did it or not therefore since there is a definite obligation he just isn’t sure whether he fulfilled it or not there is an original assumption that he did not do it yet and still is obligated. A mitzvah fulfilled in doubt does not remove a definite obligation one has. Whereas when a blessing should not be said are in cases where there is a doubt if there is even an obligation at all. (However there is an opinion that by any doubt one should not say a blessing when fulfilling the mitzvah, (See Mishna Berura here in its totality and Dirshu footnote 1.)

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Torah Riddles Test #69

  1. Question:  Why is saying Shema with the congregation derech eretz, a cordial thing to do even if you are not praying with them but there is an obligation to say Kedusha with the congregation even if you are not praying with them?

 Background: A. The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 65:2 and Mishna Berura 9) says that if you already read the Shema and you enter the shul and find them reading the Shema you must read the first verse so that you don’t look like as if you don’t want to accept the yoke of Heaven with your friends. This applies to other things that the congregation says together, for example “Ashrei” or “Aleinu,” you should read with them because it is derech eretz, proper manners. B. The Rema (125:2) says there is an obligation to say kedusha with the congregation and Rav Moshe Feinstein (Igros Moshe Orach Chaim 3:89) says that this is a halachic obligation, not just proper manners. C. There is a set obligation to say the Shema twice a day, once in the morning and once at night. D. The concept of saying Kedusha is to sanctify the name of Hashem within a congregation.

Answer: Since the obligation is to say Shema twice at some point in the day and at night then to say it when everyone else is saying it and you already said it is only proper manners, derech eretz, to not look like you don’t want to accept the yoke of Heaven. But to sanctify Hashem’s name with the congregation potentially really could be even a hundred times a day, there is no limit, therefore every opportunity is a real obligation.