לזכות רפואת
הרב זאב חיים בן חיה איידל
מרים בת חיה
אסתר רות בת נעמי שרה
The Rambam [Krias Shema 1/2] tells us about the 3 paragraphs of Shema:
ומה הוא קורא שלשה פרשיות אלו הן:
שמע והיה אם שמוע ויאמר ומקדימין לקרות פרשת שמע מפני שיש בה יחוד השם ואהבתו ותלמודו שהוא העיקר הגדול שהכל תלוי בו ואחריה והיה אם שמוע שיש בה צווי על (זכירת) שאר כל המצות ואחר כך פרשת ציצית שגם היא יש בה צווי זכירת כל המצות:
And what is it that one recites? These three sections:
"Shema Yisrael..." (Deuteronomy 6:4-9),
"And if you will listen..." (Deuteronomy 11:13-21),and
"And God said..." (Numbers 15:37-41).
We begin with the section of "Shema Yisrael" since it contains [the concept of] the unity of God, [the commandment of] loving Him and the study of Torah, it being a fundamental principle upon which everything is based.
After it, [we read] "And if you will listen...," since it contains the imperative to fulfill the rest of the commandments, and finally the portion of tzitzit, since it also contains the imperative of remembering all the commandments.
שמע והיה אם שמוע ויאמר ומקדימין לקרות פרשת שמע מפני שיש בה יחוד השם ואהבתו ותלמודו שהוא העיקר הגדול שהכל תלוי בו ואחריה והיה אם שמוע שיש בה צווי על (זכירת) שאר כל המצות ואחר כך פרשת ציצית שגם היא יש בה צווי זכירת כל המצות:
And what is it that one recites? These three sections:
"Shema Yisrael..." (Deuteronomy 6:4-9),
"And if you will listen..." (Deuteronomy 11:13-21),and
"And God said..." (Numbers 15:37-41).
We begin with the section of "Shema Yisrael" since it contains [the concept of] the unity of God, [the commandment of] loving Him and the study of Torah, it being a fundamental principle upon which everything is based.
After it, [we read] "And if you will listen...," since it contains the imperative to fulfill the rest of the commandments, and finally the portion of tzitzit, since it also contains the imperative of remembering all the commandments.
So the first paragraph of Shema contains the unity of Hashem, the command to love him and the study of Torah which is THE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE UPON WHICH EVERYTHING IS BASED. This places the mitzvah of learning Torah on a completely different plateau. Not just a mitzvah like all mitzvos, not just כנגד כולם, but the principal upon which everything is based!!:-) Wow! But wait....
It is interesting to compare the Rambam in Hilchos Mezuza [6/13]:
A person must show great care in [the observance of the mitzvah of] mezuzah, because it is an obligation which is constantly incumbent upon everyone.
[Through its observance,] whenever a person enters or leaves [the house], he will encounter the unity of the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, and remember his love for Him. Thus, he will awake from his sleep and his obsession with the vanities of time, and recognize that there is nothing which lasts for eternity except the knowledge of the Creator of the world. This will motivate him to regain full awareness and follow the paths of the upright.
[Through its observance,] whenever a person enters or leaves [the house], he will encounter the unity of the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, and remember his love for Him. Thus, he will awake from his sleep and his obsession with the vanities of time, and recognize that there is nothing which lasts for eternity except the knowledge of the Creator of the world. This will motivate him to regain full awareness and follow the paths of the upright.
The three benefits of mezuzah correspond to what the Rambam mentioned about the first paragraph of Shema [where we actually conclude with a pasuk about mezuzah]. First - יחוד השם, the unity of Hashem. G-d is One! Then - Number 2 - LOVE. Number 3: .... and recognize that there is nothing which lasts for eternity except the knowledge of the Creator of the world. So in Hilchos Krias Shema that would parallel what the Rambam says " ותלמודו" - which must then mean not Talmudo in the sense of fulfilling the mitzvah of Talmud Torah but Talmudo which brings one to knowledge of G-d. Indeed, in Sefer Hamitzvos [מצוה ג] the Rambam writes that "והיו הדברים האלה אשר אנכי מצוך היום על לבבך" - learning Torah, brings one to a knowledge of Hashem.
Kumpt ois [French for "The Rambam rocks!!"] - The "principal upon which everything is based" is learning Torah in order to achieve knowledge of Hashem and that "there is nothing which lasts for eternity except the knowledge of the Creator of the world".
Let us be zocheh to learn with that kavana!!:-):-).
[עי' בס' היקר אמרי חן על הרמב"ם ח"א שחלק מהכתוב מבוסס על דבריו]
