The Way of G-d

Part 4: "Divine Service"
Ch. 4: "Shema Yisroel and Its Blessings"
Paragraph 4

There's another, far more arcane and powerful detail we fulfill when we recite "Sh'ma Yisroel". And while it too touches upon universal perfection much like our last entry did, it also has to do with G-d manifesting His presence in order to allow for that.

We learned early on that only G-d is truly perfect and whole (1:2:1). So then, how could the universe achieve perfection, as we said it would? And, again, what has that to do with "Sh'ma Yisroel"? It comes to this.

When we recite "Sh'ma Yisroel" and thus affirm G-d's utter sovereignty and the fact that absolutely everything and everyone is dependent upon His will alone, we're actually asking G-d to manifest His presence right here and now. And He does, to our eyes at least -- as long as we recite "Sh'ma Yisroel" sincerely and in full faith. After all, His being the sovereign Entity *already* implies that He and His will are manifest throughout the universe, and our affirming that indeed sets that fact right before our "eyes" (i.e., our heart and mind).

And once G-d's sovereignty becomes manifest (even on so subtle and particular a level), all of creation can then partake of His perfection, subjugate itself to it, and share in it to some degree.

Text Copyright © 2004 by Rabbi Yaakov Feldman and Torah.org.