What is the single most universally known declaration of Jewish faith? I would be surprised if you came up with anything other than “שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל ה’ אֱלֹקינוּ ה’ אֶחָד.” While most of us know this as part of the larger Shema prayer, this single verse, known as “Shema Yisrael” for short, stands on its own as the most fundamental declaration of Jewish faith.
Shema Yisrael is one of the first things taught to a child learning to speak, and one of the last things a person strives to say before their passing. We recite it twice daily, taking care to recite it on time, and we even proclaim it during moments of great awe and wonder. Something this important, this central to who we are, you would expect to be among the very first commandments recorded in the Torah. Instead it is recorded only in the last book of the Torah, Sefer Debarim (Debarim 6:4), within Moshe’s farewell speech. It seems odd that something so fundamental would only surface at the very end.
Let’s step back in time to Perashat Behar. The perasha opens with the words “Behar Sinai,” on the mountain of Sinai, and then immediately discusses the laws of Shemitah (Vayiqra 25:1). Rashi asks what is the connection between Har Sinai and Shemita? He explains that just as Shemitah and all its details were given at Sinai, so too all 613 commandments were given to Moshe at Sinai, even if not all were recorded publicly until later, and by extension that would include the Shema. The Gemara (Sanhedrin 99a) confirms this, teaching that one who claims even a single pasuk of the Torah was not transmitted by G-d to Moshe is considered a denier of the Torah entirely.
With this understanding, let us try to understand why Shema Yisrael appears specifically in Moshe’s farewell speech. As Rabbi Sacks A”H notes (Listen, Really Listen, Eqeb, Covenant & Conversation, 5778) the word “shema” appears no less than ninety two times in Sefer Debarim. The word itself has no single English translation. It can mean listen, hear, pay attention, internalize, or respond. G-d wants us to listen deeply, to understand, and to respond from a place of genuine commitment. That is what makes Debarim so unique. It is not only a summary or a repeat of the commandments with some new. It is a guide for a new generation about to enter a new reality, one where they would need to carry G-d in their hearts and minds. Perhaps this is the reason that Shema Yisrael is recorded here, in Moshe’s farewell speech, as opposed to at the beginning of the Torah.
For thirty eight years the Jewish people wandered in the desert due to the sin of the spies. Finally the new generation stood ready to cross the Jordan and begin their conquest of the land. The earlier generations had experienced G-d’s presence directly. The manna fell daily in Moshe’s merit, Miriam’s well provided water, and the Clouds of Glory offered protection in Aharon’s merit. They had witnessed the awesomeness of the Exodus, the grandeur of the sea splitting. Now Miriam and Aharon had both passed, and Moshe was about to leave them as well. This new generation would have to battle, conquer, settle, farm, and earn a living on their own. G-d’s presence, while never removed, would feel less obvious.
That is precisely why Moshe stood before them and said: Shema Yisrael. Hear, O Israel. Don’t forget. When life gets busy and ordinary and the miracles aren’t as visible, that is exactly when you need to say it most. G-d is not only present in the dramatic moments. He is there on the quiet afternoons when nothing special seems to be happening. Throughout Eqeb, Moshe drives this point home repeatedly. Be wary, he tells them, and don’t forget G-d who has given you the strength and success to be where you are. Don’t say it was my own power that got me here (Debarim 8:11-18).
That message is as relevant today as it was then, perhaps even more so. We are nearly two thousand years removed from the destruction of the Bet HaMikdash, and G-d’s presence in our lives is far less obvious. Yet those who look for it, who train themselves to see it, find it everywhere, in their health, their loved ones, their homes, and in the ordinary moments of every day. Our relationship with G-d should not be a last resort, a speed dial we reach for only when something major goes wrong. It should be constant, woven into every morning and every night. When you say Shema Yisrael, don’t just recite the words by heart. Think about what they mean. Think about what Moshe was imparting to that new generation standing at the threshold of the land. He was telling them, and he is telling us, don’t forget where it all comes from. Hear O Israel, G-d is our G-d, G-d is the only One.