Shema Yisroel!
Perhaps the most recognizable words to the Jewish ear appear a few parshiot ago in parshat vetchanan. But if you pay close attention, you may notice that “Shema Yisroel” appears in our parsha as well.
As the Jewish people prepare for war, they are to receive a pump-up speech from a high ranked Kohen:
| ב וְהָיָה, כְּקָרָבְכֶם אֶל-הַמִּלְחָמָה; וְנִגַּשׁ הַכֹּהֵן, וְדִבֶּר אֶל-הָעָם. | 2 And it shall be, when ye draw nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people, |
| ג וְאָמַר אֲלֵהֶם שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל, אַתֶּם קְרֵבִים הַיּוֹם לַמִּלְחָמָה עַל-אֹיְבֵיכֶם; אַל-יֵרַךְ לְבַבְכֶם, אַל-תִּירְאוּ וְאַל-תַּחְפְּזוּ וְאַל-תַּעַרְצוּ–מִפְּנֵיהֶם. | 3 and shall say unto them: ‘Hear, O Israel, ye draw nigh this day unto battle against your enemies; let not your heart faint; fear not, nor be alarmed, neither be ye affrighted at them; |
| ד כִּי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם, הַהֹלֵךְ עִמָּכֶם–לְהִלָּחֵם לָכֶם עִם-אֹיְבֵיכֶם, לְהוֹשִׁיעַ אֶתְכֶם. | 4 for the LORD your God is He that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.’ |
It is no coincidence that the words “Shema Yisroel” are used in this speech; Rashi explain that they serve as encouraging words to the soldiers. Even if your only merit is reciting the Shema, you are worthy of being saved from war.
However, immediately following this pump-up speech, the Kohen lists who should return from battle:
The man who has built a house, planted a vineyard, gotten married, and finally (20:8):
| …מִי-הָאִישׁ הַיָּרֵא וְרַךְ הַלֵּבָב, יֵלֵךְ וְיָשֹׁב לְבֵיתוֹ… | ‘What man is there that is fearful and faint-hearted? let him go and return unto his house… |
Rashi quotes the opinion of Rabbi Yossi Haglili: the faint of heart is he who fears his sins. The other exemptions (newlyweds, new house/vineyard) serve as a coverup so the sinners feel comfortable leaving.
These two Rashis seem to contradict each other. The first Rashi implies that no matter the spiritual baggage one carries, the merit of “Shema Yisroel” will protect him. But this Rashi implies that the Torah legitimizes the fear of even the slightest of sinners, presumably even those who can take the two minutes to recite Shema!
This question bothered me all week, and I would like to share an answer from Rabbi Pinchas HaLevi Horowitz in his Panim Yafos on the parsha. He explains that no particular sin forces a soldier to return home only because he has the ability to do teshuva. If he chooses not to do teshuva, then yes, he should return for even the slightest of sins.
But the mitzva of Shema is fundamentally different. Shema represents our commitment to monotheism and our rejection of idol worship. Even if teshuva wipes his slate clean from sin, the soldier at the very least needs the merit of Shema to succeed in war.
While I do not think that everyone who neglects to say Shema is a non-believer, it behooves us to consider our commitment to Shema and understand its centrality in our religion.
Rashi quoting Sotah 42a explains that the Kohen’s speech to the soldiers must be said in Hebrew. Even if all the soldiers speak Yiddish or Engilsh, they must hear the words “Shema Yisroel” in the holy tongue because of their ability to inspire.
Most of us are not planning to go into battle, but when we are engaging on a difficult endeavor, we need to remind that the Torah’s pump up talk is to recommit ourselves to Shema Yisroel.
We can increase our commitment to Shema by making sure we are punctual saying it in the proper time. Shema should be said in the first few hours of the day and the final few hours of the evening. We can connect to Shema by thinking about what the words mean. “Hear O Israel the L-rd our G-d the L-rd is one” is a nice start, but if we read the bottom of the Artscroll or Koren siddur we can understand these fundamental words on a deeper level.
As we progress through Elul, we are reminded that the soldier can do teshuva for all his sins, just as we all can. But teshuva is not enough; the starting point is recommitting ourselves to Shema Yisroel.
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