Dedicated By Dr. Ezra and Lauren Kest
In honor of our children, Chava, Yisroel Tzvi, Freida and Sarah
They should be blessed with clarity to read Hashem's signs and always make the best choices in life that bring them closer to Hashem with ease.
This week's parsha, Vaeschanan, has the verse, "You should teach them to your children (students, Rashi), and you should discuss them, when you sit in your house and when you go on the way, and when you lay down and when you rise."
From this verse we learn two foundational mitzvahs, to recite the shema twice a day, once in the morning and once at night, and to learn Torah.
It is strange, that these two mitzvahs have such different laws, almost opposite, when they are learned from the same verse.
Shema has to be recited in the morning and at night and you are done. We also say blessings for the mitzvah, both in the morning and at night.
Learning Torah, is a mitzvah that is not at specific times, but all day, and its blessings are said once in the morning and it covers all day long.
It would make sense to be the opposite way around. Because the study of Torah has the divisions of night and day, as well as different levels of study. For example, if one doesn't understand the oral Torah, he is not allowed to recite the blessing. Because it has to be understood, and when it comes to understanding, everybody is at a different level. Also, different people, learn better at different times of the day.
The Midrash asks, "How did Moshe know when it was day and when it was night? Rather, at the time that Hashem taught him scripture, he knew it was day, and when He taught him Mishnah, he knew that it was night." So we see that Torah study has the division of night and day.
On the other hand, reciting the shema, is about accepting the yoke of Heaven, and the oneness of Hashem, which are constant thought obligations.
Why is shema connected to night and day, while Torah study is not?
The life of a person, is divided into days, and every day is divided into morning and evening. As it says, "And it was evening and it was morning, one day."
In this verse can be found the purpose of existence, to make a dwelling place for Hashem in this world, which is the lowest realm, and there is nothing lower. Our job is not to negate the lowly physical world, but rather to make the lowest possible place itself into a home for Hashem, that his essence could be at home even in the lowest part of existence. In other words, the "morning," the brightest and highest level of Hashem, should be able to dwell in the "evening," the darkest and lowest part of existence. So that they become "one day," the highest and the lowest levels are united as one.
This is the idea of reciting the shema, the unity of Hashem in all of existence. As our sages say, that when you say the word "echad" in the shema, "You should have in mind, when you say the Aleph (of echad, which has the numerical value of 1), that Hashem is one, when you say the ches (8), that He is unique in the seven heavens and the earth, which equals 8, and the daled (4), hints to the for directions." In other words, that Hashem is united in all of existence equally.
The shema is saying that there are the different parts of existence, and from the highest to the lowest, Hashem is one. Shema, is uniting the highest, "morning," and the lowest, "evening," as one. Shema is all about existence, the heavens and the earth and all four directions. Therefore it is connected to morning and evening, but not as two separate entities, but rather, as the factor that unites them.
On the other hand, Torah, although it effects existence, it is above and beyond existence, and it's not effected by it. As our sages say, "They are words of fire, just as fire can't become impure, so too, the words of Torah can't become impure." They are not affected by the world, because Torah is above and beyond existence.
Another reason is found in the effect we have in the world through these two modes of service to Hashem, reciting shema and studying Torah.
Reciting shema, as mentioned above, is to make the physical world into a home for Hashem. We do this by affecting the world around us to be less coarse, and nullify itself, to the point that Hashem is comfortable there. And this work continues, we have to try to attain higher and higher levels. Meaning, that we get the world more and more refined, so that greater levels of G-dliness can be at home in the world.
Every time we reach a new level, it is bringing light to the darkness of the world, morning into the evening. However, every time we reach a new level, we have to evaluate the situation, and realize that there is higher to go. The current level is dark in contrast to the higher level we wish to attain. And this is the constant progression of reciting shema, darkness to light, night to day, filling the world with ever greater levels of G-dliness. So the mode of service of reciting shema, is all about evening and morning.
On the other hand, Torah, being that its purpose is not to accomplish this unity, because it is higher, and compared to it, the whole world is completely nullified, the idea of night and day are irrelevant.
Another difference between reciting shema and studying Torah, is that being that reciting shema is nullifying the world through a person's work, it is subject to vary according to where the person is at the moment. Because we all have ups and downs, even a Tzadik, as King Shlomo said, "A Tzadik can fall seven times and rise." Sometimes we are in a position of light, close to Hashem, other times we feel that it is dark and that we are distant. The mitzvah of reciting shema is both when it's dark and when it's light, to tell us that whether it is dark or light, we have to do the work of making this place into a home for Hashem. And no matter how dark it gets, we have the ability to effect the world.
On the other hand, Torah, is above the whole idea of the world, and it is not affected by the ups and downs of the person's spirit, and so the idea of night and day don't apply to it.
How do we rise above even when things are dark? The mitzvah of reciting shema is also considered learning Torah. Being that Torah study is above all of existence, and it's not affected by ups and downs, we have the ability to rise above.
Now we can understand why the two mitzvahs are found in the same verse, because the mitzvah of studying Torah, is what lifts us above and enables us to do the work of reciting shema, transforming the world, even when things are dark.
I see this in my own life. Hashem has placed me and my family in a very dark and bitter situation, but thanks to my wife and children, and thanks to all of you who motivate, support and are supportive of what I am trying to do, I am able to rise above, connect to people and bring some light into the world, through studying and teaching Torah.
May we merit to unite day and night, may our darkness turn into light, and this exile come to an end with the coming of Moshiach. May he come soon.
Reciting shema, as mentioned above, is to make the physical world into a home for Hashem. We do this by affecting the world around us to be less coarse, and nullify itself, to the point that Hashem is comfortable there. And this work continues, we have to try to attain higher and higher levels. Meaning, that we get the world more and more refined, so that greater levels of G-dliness can be at home in the world.
Every time we reach a new level, it is bringing light to the darkness of the world, morning into the evening. However, every time we reach a new level, we have to evaluate the situation, and realize that there is higher to go. The current level is dark in contrast to the higher level we wish to attain. And this is the constant progression of reciting shema, darkness to light, night to day, filling the world with ever greater levels of G-dliness. So the mode of service of reciting shema, is all about evening and morning.
On the other hand, Torah, being that its purpose is not to accomplish this unity, because it is higher, and compared to it, the whole world is completely nullified, the idea of night and day are irrelevant.
Another difference between reciting shema and studying Torah, is that being that reciting shema is nullifying the world through a person's work, it is subject to vary according to where the person is at the moment. Because we all have ups and downs, even a Tzadik, as King Shlomo said, "A Tzadik can fall seven times and rise." Sometimes we are in a position of light, close to Hashem, other times we feel that it is dark and that we are distant. The mitzvah of reciting shema is both when it's dark and when it's light, to tell us that whether it is dark or light, we have to do the work of making this place into a home for Hashem. And no matter how dark it gets, we have the ability to effect the world.
On the other hand, Torah, is above the whole idea of the world, and it is not affected by the ups and downs of the person's spirit, and so the idea of night and day don't apply to it.
How do we rise above even when things are dark? The mitzvah of reciting shema is also considered learning Torah. Being that Torah study is above all of existence, and it's not affected by ups and downs, we have the ability to rise above.
Now we can understand why the two mitzvahs are found in the same verse, because the mitzvah of studying Torah, is what lifts us above and enables us to do the work of reciting shema, transforming the world, even when things are dark.
I see this in my own life. Hashem has placed me and my family in a very dark and bitter situation, but thanks to my wife and children, and thanks to all of you who motivate, support and are supportive of what I am trying to do, I am able to rise above, connect to people and bring some light into the world, through studying and teaching Torah.
May we merit to unite day and night, may our darkness turn into light, and this exile come to an end with the coming of Moshiach. May he come soon.
Amen. Thank you for explaining why we elongate the word אחד. I will iy”H incorporate that into my heart while reciting the shlemah. Shabbat Shalom
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