Of all the Parshiot (Torah portions) of the Torah, this week’s, Va’etchanan, contains the two most fundamental selections of the entire Torah: The Ten Commandments (which appears here for the second time) and the Shema.
While the Ten Commandments focus primarily on the most basic norms of behavior, the Shema emphasizes the most important tenets of our faith. Maimonides formulated thirteen principles of faith, that form the basis of Judaism. With some effort we can trace many, if not all, of these 13 principles to the Shema.
“Hear o Israel, the L-rd is our
G-d, the L-rd is one.” First and foremost the Shema affirms that there is a G-d. Second, the Shema establishes the principle of G-d’s unity:
“G-d is one”—the first two principles of faith.
From the principle that G-d is one, one can derive the third principle that G-d has no physical form, because everything physical is a composite of many parts. If G-d is truly one, then there can be no composition in Him.
The fifth principle that precludes worshipping any other entity besides G-d, is implied in the belief that G-d is one.
Furthermore, even the fourth principle that the universe was created by G-d, whereas G-d was always here, can also be inferred from the belief in G-d’s unity. If the universe were to have shared G-d’s eternal nature, then there would have been two eternal and, therefore, absolute beings.
Thus, the first five principles of Judaism, the existence of G-d, His unity, incorporeality, eternality and the negation of worshipping anything else are all contained in the Shema.
The Shema also stresses how G-d is “our
G-d, declaring thus that G-d has a special relationship with us. There is no area where this relationship is more obvious than in prophecy, particularly the “face to face” form of prophecy experienced by Moses. This encapsulates the sixth and seventh principle establishing the role of prophecy and the uniqueness of Moses’ form of prophecy.
The eighth and ninth principles of faith enunciated by Maimonides: that the Torah is Divine and that it can never be altered, are alluded to in the latter part of the Shema: “And these words that I have commanded you today, shall be upon your heart.” “These words that I have commanded you,” refers to the Divine source of the words of the Torah. Furthermore, the word “today,” our Sages tell us, teaches us that everyday the teachings of the Torah shall be as if they were given that very day — the principle that the words of the Torah are eternal.
The tenth principle of faith is: G-d knows all of our actions and has not divorced Himself from the world. This principle is implicit in the words: “Our G-d” in the Shema; i.e.,
G-d is aware of our actions. But, even more explicitly, this principle, as well as the eleventh one that G-d rewards and punishes us for our actions, is stated in the follow up paragraph to the Shema (that appears in next week’s Parsha, but is always recited together with the Shema).
The twelfth principle of faith, the belief in and anticipation for the coming of the Moshiach, according to Rashi, is implied in the very first verse of the Shema. “Hear o Israel, the L-rd who is presently our G-d, recognized by the Jewish people, will eventually become “one G-d” for all of humankind in the future Messianic Era.
One of the sources for the thirteenth principle of faith, that the Dead will come back to life at some point in the Messianic Age, has been traced by the Talmud to the second part of the Shema: “So that your days and the days of your children shall be multiplied on the the land that G-d swore to give to your ancestors..” Those ancestors did not have possession of the land, and yet the Torah suggests that they will receive their portion. This teaches us that the dead will be brought back to life and will claim their share in the Land of Israel.
We can now gain greater appreciation for the Shema in that it contains either explicit or implicit references to the thirteen principles of the Jewish faith. Our Sages in the Jerusalem Talmud also inform us that the 10 commandments are also alluded to in the Shema, but that we will leave, G-d willing for another occasion.