Parshas Vaeschanan details part of the discussion that Moshe Rabeinu has with the Jewish People prior to entering the Land of Israel:
“And you should know today, and take to heart, that Hashem is the G-d on Heaven Above and on earth below; there is none else.” (Devarim 5:35)
The Alter Rebbe will analyze this verse:
We need to understand: Did the verse not already state, (ibid. 5:35) “You were shown at the Giving of the Torah that Hashem is the true existence so that you should know that Hashem is G-d, and there is none else.”
If so, what is added by telling us that we should know that Hashem is the only G-d? We were already shown this at Sinai.
Furthermore, what does it mean, “And you should know today... that Hashem is the only G-d?” Why today, specifically?
To answer these questions, the Alter Rebbe will first ask another question:
The idea is that following the Giving of the Torah, when [the Jewish People] saw Hashem “face to face,” and they themselves heard the Ten Commandments, they said, “If we continue to hear Hashem speaking, then we will die. Therefore, you, Moshe, should come close and hear what Hashem says and tell it over to us.” (Devarim 5:22–23)
Hashem agreed with them and responded, “Everything they said was proper; you [Moshe] should go and tell them to go home, while you stay here with Me, and I will tell you all the Mitzvos, statutes, and judgments that you should teach them.” (ibid. 5:24–26)
Following this, it is written, “And this is the mitzvah, [the statutes, and the judgments, that Hashem has commanded you to learn how] to fulfill in the land [that Hashem has given you], a land flowing with milk and honey.” (Devarim 6:1–3)
This is followed by the verses, “Hear Yisroel, that Hashem, who is our G-d, Hashem is One... And you should love Hashem etc.” (ibid. 6:4–5)
Thus, this mitzva [of saying the Shema] was the first mitzvah commanded to them through Moshe after the repetition of the Ten Commandments by Moshe in Parshas Vaeschanan.
We need to understand why the verse prefaced the mitzvah of saying Shema by saying, “And this is the mitzvah [that Hashem has given you] to fulfill in the land,” since the obligation to say Shema is on the person and is not dependent on whether one is in the Land of Israel or outside of the Land?
Summary of the Questions
To summarize, the Alter Rebbe asks three questions:
- Why do we need to “know” that Hashem is the One and only G-d if we were already shown this at the Giving of the Torah?
- What does it mean, “You should know ‘today?’” Why ‘Today?’
- Why is the recital of the Shema the first mitzvah that Moshe Rabeinu commands us to fulfill in the Land of Israel? What connection does saying Shema have with the Land of Israel?
Knowing vs. Believing in Hashem
To answer these questions, the Alter Rebbe prefaces by explaining the meaning of “knowing” Hashem, in contrast to “believing” in Him:
To understand all of this, we first need to explain the difference between “דעת-knowing” Hashem, and “אמונה-believing” in Him, which are counted as two separate mitzvos.
It is written, “Know the G-d of your fathers, and serve Him with your whole heart.” (Divrei Hayamim I 28:9) This means to say that one must come to have actual knowledge and comprehension about Hashem.
And elsewhere it is written, “And they believed in Hashem.” (Shemos 14:31)
These verses show that there are two mitzvos: One mitzvah is to “know” Hashem, and another mitzvah is to “believe” in Hashem.
The idea is as follows: In truth, what people call “belief,” means that they believe that Hashem gives life to everything and that He created all of the worlds from nothing to something. However, they are mistaken in using that terminology, because belief is not required to recognize this, since this knowledge can be perceived from being “seen” in the mind’s eye.
Even though the person cannot physically see this, by using his mental perception of this knowledge, it is as if he sees it.
“Seeing” Hashem’s Presence
The Alter Rebbe will elaborate on how we can “see” Hashem’s Presence:
Regarding this perception, it is stated, “And from my flesh, I can see Hashem.” (Iyov 19:26) Meaning that the fact that I can “see” Hashem’s presence is specifically derived from understanding the function of the body and soul relationship.
Just like with regard to the body, since one sees that the body is alive and exists, one knows and feels that there must be a soul in it that gives the body life, and without [the soul], the body has no life and continuous existence.
So too, I “see Hashem,” since I see that all of the worlds are like one great “body,” as our Sages say, “From the earth to the heaven is a distance that takes 500 years to travel.” (Talmud Bavli, Chagiga, 13a) Meaning that the heavens have measurements and parameters, just like the body has physical measurements.
So too, even the spiritual beings, like angels and souls, etc. are like “bodies” compared to the spiritual life-force invested in them, which is derived from the infinite Hashem. This life-force creates and enlivens [the Angels and souls] and gives them continuous existence, as it is written, “Lift up your eyes on High, and see who created these.” (Yeshayahu 40:26)
It is this “knowledge” that can be perceived as though it were actually seen, which is the meaning of the word “אֶחֱזֶה-to perceive,” which means to understand empirically, to the extent that the idea is as real as if one were to physically see it.
Therefore, this recognition is not called “belief,” in Hebrew. Rather, it is called “knowledge” of Hashem:
For the term “knowing” means recognition and awareness, and “knowing” also implies thinking deeply into a matter so that one not remove his attention from it, and it should constantly be in his thoughts so that it should never be forgotten or removed from his heart.
This is not the case if he would think only generally, superficially or occasionally, since then, it would not accomplish anything, as in the statement of our Sages, “Thought is not considered like speech from a halachic perspective.” (Talmud Bavli, Berachos 20b)
Verbalizing words of Torah or prayer has an intrinsic effect, since it is a mitzva. However, only when one applies onself to actively thinking about Hashem, does one fulfill the mitzva of “knowing” Hashem. In contrast, one does not fulfill the mitzva of “knowing” Hashem if one has only fleeting, unfocused thoughts about Hashem.
Summary of Chapter 1
The maamer asks a few questions on the verse, “And you shall know today and take to heart that Hashem is the G-d on the heaven above and on the earth below, there is nothing else.” The Rebbe explains the difference between the two mitzvos of “knowing” and “believing” in Hashem. We can understand “knowing” about Hashem from the analogy of knowing that there is a soul that enlivens the body. So too, we can know that Hashem is creating and enlivening everything. The mitzvah of “knowing” Hashem is only when one truly applies oneself to the disciplined practice of thinking deeply about Hashem.
