אַחַת מִתּוֹרוֹת הָרִאשׁוֹנוֹת שֶׁל רַבֵּנוּ הַזָּקֵן — וְנִקְרְאוּ אָז בְּשֵׁם "וועֶרטעֶר": שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל — אַ אִיד דעֶרהעֶרט — הֲוָיָ' אֱלֹקֵינוּ — אַז כּוֹחֵנוּ וְחַיּוּתֵינוּ אִיז דאָס לְמַעֲלָה מִן הַטֶּבַע, אוּן — הֲוָיָ' אֶחָד.

One of the Alter Rebbe’s first teachings, which in those [early] days were known as verter,1 was the following mystical interpretation2 of the opening verse of the Shema:

Shema Yisrael (lit., “Hear, O Israel”) — a Jew hears deeply that

Havayah Elokeinu3 — our strength and vitality transcend nature, and that

Havayah Echad — Havayah is One.4

Probing Beneath the Surface

Nature has a rhythm and rhyme of its own. On the one hand, nature manifests G‑d’s presence (“How manifold are Your works, O G‑d!”5 ). On the other hand, G‑d hides Himself in nature. (Indeed, the word for nature in the Holy Tongue (הטבע) is related to the root ,(טבע) meaning submerged and hidden.6 ) And every Jew finds himself placed in the midst of this ambiguity. However, his soul is “an actual part of G‑d Above,”7 not a mere part of nature; he is not bound by its limitations. Hence, when he looks at the natural world around him, he sees through it, unraveling the code, as it were, and perceiving that the world is G‑d’s creation.

As his contemplation deepens, he understands not only that the world was brought into being by G‑d, but that it and every created being within it are also expressions of G‑dliness. This is the intent of Havayah echad, “G‑d is One” — not only that there is one G‑d, but that all existence is at one with Him.

This oneness should resonate within the person as well. Instead of reciting the Shema as a barren intellectual exercise, he takes it to heart. Whenever he recites that verse, he reminds himself that Havayah Elokeinu, Havayah Echad — G‑d as He is perceived in nature (Elokim) is identical with G‑d in His transcendent aspect (Havayah). Keeping this in mind, he will not plan his life according to the dictates of a natural, shortsighted view of the world, but instead will place the dictates of G‑d’s Torah and Hismitzvos at the vortex of his existence.