Va'et'chanan - The Shema: A Vision of the world now and the world as it could be

The internet buzzes with rumors about an upcoming new iphone or other smartphone.

70 years ago David Ben Gurion and 10 others led the way in writing Israel’s Declaration of Independence – setting out a vision of what they hoped would be the spirit of a nation reborn.

We’re always curious about the future.  We want to know what is going to happen before it does.  It’s comforting to have at least some idea of what to expect.

Within ourselves, it’s especially challenging to look ahead – each of us as one among 7.5 billion people on earth.

But as a Jewish community we face both the present, and the unknown ahead as a community, as a family.

This week we confront our perception of the present as we read in our parsha the words that define us, “Shema Yisrael Ado-nai Elo-henu Ado-nai Echad.”  ‘Hear Israel, Ado-nai Our God, Ado-nai is One.’

This is the one statement of faith that all Jews regardless of background or observance agree upon.  These are the words we say every morning when we wake up, every night when we go to sleep, and in the last moments of life itself – we affirm the belief in One God of the Universe who unifies everything and is the Source of everything we see and know.

But then, at the end of every service, we sing the words of the prophet Zechariah as part of the Alenu prayer.  “Bayom hahu yiyeh Ado-nai echad uShmo echad.”

“On that day (in the future) God will be One and God’s Name will be One.”(14:9)

The Shema is definitive.  We believe, we know that God is One.  It’s the basis for our worldview that we are all deeply connected through time and through the Torah and its teachings.

But Zechariah seems to say the Shema is an aspiration, it’s a hope, it’s a dream, it’s just a hint like the iphone rumors swirling around.

There are great Jewish thinkers who explain this apparent contradiction.  The great Rashi, Radak (David Kimchi) explain Zecharia’s prophecy is about the other peoples of the world, that Zehcariah foresees a time that others will recognize the One God of the Universe.

But I see here another lesson, a lesson rooted in the idea that we are partners with God in creation, that creation is ongoing, and that our work is ongoing. 

Before prayers, the Kabbalah teaches we say ‘I am saying this prayer for the purpose of unifying the Holy One and the Shechinah’ – this means, our prayers, our words, our mitzvoth, our actions, contribute toward creating the unity that we seek – they contribute toward making God’s Name One in the world.

So many things challenge our ability to see unity and holiness around us.  Surrounded by so many people, we can still feel lonely.  Overwhelmed with news and information, we can still feel we haven’t found truth.  Moving so quickly in the car and our routines, we may miss the colors and contrasts, the art that is there already in nature.

The relationship between Shema and Bayom hahu, between our statement of faith and Zecharia’s commentary on it, is a motivation, a call to action, that where there is loneliness we have the ability to create chaverut, fellowship and friendship, where there is a surplus of information, we remember that truth is elusive and we should be open for ideas that are different from our own, and where we move too fast, there is time, especially on Shabbat, to appreciate the miracles we see in each other’s eyes, and in the color and life around us.