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Monday, April 29, 2013

Va'eschanan He'oro on shma

We are required to have intent on the words of krias sh'ma until the words vehayu hadevarim ha'eileh....al l'vovecha which seems fitting at 1st glance, as they mean "& these words.....should be on your heart". However, the point here of course is not that THESE words rather the afformentioned words : Ve'ahavta... - You should love Hashem with all your heart.... So why on earth must we focus on the words " & these words.....should be on your heart" - it should suffice to think about the words of Ve'ahavata!

The simple & true answer is that chazal explain 'vehayu hadevarim' not as a separate command to keep ve'ahavta in mind. Rather it is the describing the practical application of HOW to Love Hashem with all your heart etc.
How can Mortal Man come to love an existance so unimaginally different & distant from his own understanding? The Eternal Infinite Creator can be loved by the dismal physical man???!
The pasuk vehayu is coming to address thi point exactly. This is How to come to lov Hashem - These words that I command you today should be on your heart! Study the words of Torah & thereby you will come to love Hashem!

This pasuk is the completion of the commandment to love, not a second mitzvah. It is this understing of the passuk that requires us to concentrate on it. We must have kavvanah in shmah until we've focused on HOW to fulfill the mitzvah of loving Hashem.