What Does the
Shema
Really Mean?
Shema Yisroel...
All frume yidn [religious Jews] regard this posek from the Torah as the foundation of Judaism. Upon this posek and specifically the last word Echad [one], rests the basis of monotheism. The
Shema Yisroel
therefore, is used by the Jews as the main refutation and dismissal of believing in Yeshua. However, the following etymological investigation of the word “Echad” reveals provocative and insightful information.
In the Tenach, “Echad” is frequently used to express a compound unity – demonstrating oneness or unity, but at the same time contains several entities. Some examples are:
(Bereshis
ב, כד
) – Adam and Chava are referred to as “
one
” flesh.
עַל־כֵּן יַֽעֲזָב־אִישׁ אֶת־אָבִיו וְאֶת־אִמּוֹ וְדָבַק בְּאִשְׁתּוֹ וְהָיוּ לְבָשָׂר אֶחָֽד:
“And a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”
(Yechezchel
לז, יז
) – In this verse mention is made of the restoration of the twelve tribes into
“one
” unit or “stick.”
וְקָרַב אֹתָם אֶחָד אֶל־אֶחָד לְךָ לְעֵץ אֶחָד וְהָיוּ לַֽאֲחָדִים בְּיָדֶֽךָ:
“And join them one to another into one stick, that they may become one in your hand.”
(Bamidbar
יג, כג
) – Echad is used here for one cluster, obviously more than one grape.
וַיָּבֹאוּ עַד־נַחַל אֶשְׁכֹּל וַיִּכְרְתוּ מִשָּׁם זְמוֹרָה וְאֶשְׁכּוֹל עֲנָבִים אֶחָד...
See also Ezra
ב, סד
and Bereshis
א, ה
.
In Hebrew there exists another word for “one”
Yachid,
which expresses absolute singular oneness. Although there are places in the Siddur that use it to describe ha-Kodesh Baruch Hu, it is never used in the Tenach to describe the unity of ha-Kodesh Baruch Hu.
A typical example of the usage and meaning of
yachid
in the Tenach is found in Bereshis
כב, ב
–
קַח־נָא אֶת־בִּנְךָ אֶת־יְחִֽידְךָ אֲשֶׁר־אָהַבְתָּ אֶת־יִצְחָק
“Take now your son, your
only
son, whom you love, Yitzchak…” The same usage is found in other places in the Tenach including Mishlei
ד, ג
; Tehillim
כב, כא
; Shoftim
יא, לד
; Yermiyohu
ו, כו
; Amos
ח, י
; and Zecharyo
יב, י
.
According to the Zohar, it is expressly forbidden to ever use the word
yachid
to describe the unity of ha-Kodesh Baruch Hu.
“Said ha-Kodesh Baruch Hu: Aleph, Aleph, wherefore comest thou not before Me like the rest of the letters? She answered, “Because I saw all the other letters leaving thy presence without any success. What then could I achieve there? And further, since Thou hast already bestowed on the letter Beis this great gift, it is not appropriate for the Supreme King to take away the gift which He has made to His servant and give it to another. Ha-Kodesh Baruch Hu Said: Aleph, Aleph, although I will begin the creation of the world with the Beis, thou wilt remain the first of the letters. My unity shall not be expressed except through thee, on thee shall be based all calculations and operations of the world and my unity shall not be expressed except by the letter Aleph.” – Zohar 3b (Volume I)
As we all know, Aleph is the first letter of Echad, and the first letter of Yachid is Yod.
“
Shema Yisrael Hashem Elokeynu Hashem Echad.
These three names are one. How can the three names be one? Only through the perception of Faith in the vision of the Ruach ha-Koydesh [Holy Spirit], in the beholding of the hidden eyes alone. The mystery of the audible voice is similar to air and water which have however, become one in the mystery designated by Hashem, Elokeynu, Hashem- Three modes which yet form one unity” (Zohar – Bo [Shemos] 43B).”
“
Shema Yisrael...
This verse
is the root of our faith; therefore, Moishe records it after Eseres ha-Diboros [the Ten Words]. The reason that it says Hashem, Elokeynu, Hashem is because the word ‘Shema’ does not here signify ‘Hear,’ but rather ‘gather together the people.’ The meaning implied is, ‘The Inherent Ones’ are so united together, one in the other without end, they being the exalted G-d. He mentions the three names mystically to indicate the three exalted original Ones (Fathers).” – (R. Menachem of Recanti, in the Commentary on Torah p.267, Venice Edition, Va’ethannan).
In conclusion, we have seen that the idea of the unity of ha-Kodesh Baruch Hu is much more complicated than just a simple “one” and that even many of our Jewish sources allow for and even propagate the idea of a complex unity within the
Shema Yisroel
. Therefore, we are compelled to take Yeshua’s radical statement, “I and ha-Kodesh Baruch Hu are One” seriously and to respond accordingly. There is no conflict between believing that Yeshua is the Son of G-d and also believing in the
Shema Yisroel
, and if we wish to serve Hashem in truth, we need to know who He really is.
