Judaism (340-20300 & 344-20300)
Spring 2006
Judaism (340-20300 & 344-20300) |
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Verse 4: Hear O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one.
The Lord who is presently our God and not the God of the nations, will in the future be [recognized] as the One God, as is said, For then I will turn over to the peoples a pure language that they may all call upon the Name of the Lord (Zeph. 3:10). And it is said, On that day the Lord will be One and His name One (Zech. 14:9).
Verse 5: You are to love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might.
You are to love
You are to obey His words (commands) because of your love [for Him]. There is no comparison between one who obeys out of love and one who obeys out of fear. He who obeys (serves) his master out of fear - if the master overburdens him, he will leave him and go away.
With all your heart.
With your two inclinations.1
Another interpretation: with all your heart - your heart should not be fragmented with God
With all your soul.
Even if He were to take your soul.
And with all your might (me’odecha).2
With all your wealth. There are men whose wealth is dearer to them than their bodies. It is therefore said, With all your possessions.
Another interpretation: With all your measures (medadim) - with whatever measure He apportions you, whether it is a measure of goodness or a measure of punishment (you must love Him).
Similarly (to this verse) David said: the cup of deliverance I will raise and upon the Name of the Lord I will call (Psalm 116:13). Trouble and sorrow I encounter, and upon the Name of the Lord I call (Ps. 116:3).3
What is the form of love [you are commanded]? "These words4 [that I command you today]." For in this manner you will be aware of the Holy One blessed is He, and You will cling to His ways.
Verse 6: And these words that I command you today shall be upon your heart.
[These words] shall not be in your eyes like an outdated decree which no one takes seriously, but rather like a newly given one, which is read eagerly by all. The word implies a royal command in written form.
Verse 7: You are to teach them (ve-shinantam) to your children (banecha) and you are to discuss them, when you sit at home, and when you journey on the road, and when you go to sleep, and when you rise.
And you shall teach them.
The word ve-shinantam is an expression of sharpness,5 implying that they (words of Torah) should be sharp in your mouth, so that if a person asks you anything about them, you will not need to stammer (hesitate) about it, but tell (the answer) immediately.
To your children.
In this instance banecha (which literally means “your children”) refers to students.6 We find everywhere that students are referred to as children, as it is said, You are children of the Lord your God (Deut. 14:1), and it says, the children (students) of the prophets who were in Beth El (2 Kings 2:3). Similarly, in reference to King Hezekiah, who taught the Torah to all of Israel, and he called them children, as it is said, My children, now, do not be carelessly forgetful (2 Chron. 29:11). And even as students are called children, as it is said, You are children of the Lord your God, so too is the Rav (teacher) called father, as it is said, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel (2 Kings 2:12).
And you are to discuss them.
Your main discussions should be only about them. Make them (words of Torah) primary and do not make them of secondary importance.
When you go to sleep.
I might conclude that this means even if you go to sleep in midday, it is therefore stated, When you arise. I might then conclude that this means even if you arise in midnight, it is therefore stated, When you sit at home and when you walk on the road;7 thus the Torah speaks of the usual way of life, the usual time of sleeping and the usual time of rising.
Verse 8: You are to tie them as a sign on your arm and they are to be totafot8 between your eyes.
As a sign on your arm
These are the tefillin that are placed on the arm.
And they are to be totafot between your eyes.
These are the tefillin that are placed on the head. It is due to the number of Scriptural sections (four) [contained in them] that they are called totafot.9
Verse 9: You are to write them on the doorposts (mezuzot) of your house, and on your gateposts.
The doorposts of your house.
The word mezuzot is written defectively to indicate that only one is necessary [for each door.]10
And on your gateposts.
[The plural is used] to include the gates of courtyards, the gates of provinces and the gates of cities.
Footnotes
1 With your good inclination, and your evil one as well. Channel your natural passions into the service of God.
2 This word can be translated several ways: might or possessions; the following interpretation relates it to the Hebrew word madad, which means “to measure.”
3 David invokes the name when encountering trouble and sorrow, just as when raising the cup of deliverance.
4 The words of Torah will teach you to love Him. Otherwise, why does "These words, etc." follow "You are to love, etc."?
5 Here Rashi points out that the word for “you shall teach” is related to the word for “to be sharp.”
6 This is because the plural "your children," appears here. A teacher relates to a number of students at once. When referring to the biological child, however, the Torah uses the singular, "You shall tell your son" (Ex. 13:8).
7 But not when you walk at home, as it is customary to walk on the road. Similarly, "when you go to sleep" and "when you arise" refer to the customary times of going to sleep and arising.
8 This Hebrew word is obscure; it is often translated as “frontlet.” The word is plural.
9 The word totafot is plural because it refers to the four scriptural passages contained within the tefillin, the square leather boxes that pious Jews tie on to their forehead and arm during the weekday morning prayers.
10 The word mezuzot is written with a missing letter, which Rashi takes to indicate that although the word is plural, one need put a mezuzah only on one side of the doorpost.
Last revised January 12, 2006