Introduction
This maamar explores three profound questions about Krias Shema: Why the Torah says "Hashem" twice in Shema Yisrael ("Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem Echad"), why "Baruch Shem Kevod..." separates Echad from Ve'ahavta, and why simply reciting Shema twice daily does not automatically bring a person to true love of Hashem.
The Rebbe explains that "Shema" means not only "hear" but also understand deeply and gather one's thoughts together. The phrase "Ve'ahavta" ("you shall love") is both a command and a promise: if a person truly contemplates Hashem's unity, genuine love of Hashem will naturally develop.
Choosing Life
However, before one can reach this love, he must first make the proper choice of life. The Torah says, "Choose life," but this does not simply mean choosing physical existence, since everyone naturally desires that. Rather, true life is attachment to Hashem—the "upper waters," representing spiritual delight. Worldly pleasures are compared to the "lower waters," separated by the rakiaThe firmament; in this context, referring to the body's diaphragm that separates higher and lower functions (firmament), just as the body's diaphragm separates higher and lower functions.
Upper Waters and Lower Waters
The human heart supplies life to both the brain and the limbs. Without the heart's pumping, nothing in the body functions.
All Divine vitality flows from Hashem. He is the source of all life, both spiritual and physical, just as the heart is the source of all bodily life.
The maamar uses the human body as a metaphor: just as the heart supplies life to both the brain and the limbs, so too all Divine vitality flows from Hashem. There are two kinds of Divine influence:
The purpose of Shema is to choose the higher life over the lower.
Two Levels of Divine Revelation
The two Names of Hashem in Shema represent two levels of Divine revelation:
Refers to the soul's source in the Divine thought (machshavahDivine thought; the level of creation as it exists within Hashem's infinite mind before being brought into reality), a level of intimate unity with G-d.
Refers to G-d's unity as expressed throughout creation, where the heavens, earth, and all directions are nullified to Him.
The soul originates from an even higher level than creation itself—the level of "Yachid" (Absolute Oneness). When one meditates on this relationship, the soul naturally awakens to love Hashem.
Baruch Shem Kevod
The maamar then explains why "Baruch Shem Kevod..." was inserted between Echad and Ve'ahavta. In the era of the First Temple, lofty souls could proceed directly from contemplation to love. After the destruction of the Temple, people generally require an intermediate stage: accepting the yoke of Heaven (Kabbalat Ol Malchut ShamayimAccepting the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven; the submission of one's ego before the Divine). This submission breaks the ego (iskafyaSelf-conquest; the subjugation of one's natural desires and ego to serve Hashem), allowing love to develop afterward.
Practical expressions of this acceptance include: restraining one's natural desires, going beyond one's habits in Torah, mitzvos, and charity, and sanctifying oneself even in permitted matters.
The Seed of Self-Nullification
A seed is placed in the ground. It is small, hidden, seemingly inert. Only after the seed decomposes can it produce abundant new growth.
When a person nullifies his own will, he becomes capable of reaching "Bechol Me'odecha"—an unlimited love of Hashem that transcends the normal capacities of the soul.
This self-nullification is compared to a seed: only after the seed decomposes can it produce abundant new growth. Likewise, when a person nullifies his own will, he becomes capable of reaching "Bechol Me'odecha"—an unlimited love of Hashem that transcends the normal capacities of the soul.
The path to infinite love of Hashem requires first breaking through the ego. Self-nullification is not a loss—it is the seed from which unlimited spiritual growth emerges.
Four Levels: Life, Good, Death, and Evil
Finally, the maamar explains that the Torah speaks of four levels:
Spiritual vitality from Hashem. The soul's connection to its Divine source.
An even higher level—closeness to Hashem Himself. The direct experience of the Divine.
Attachment to lower worldly pleasures. The separation of the soul from its source.
Taking those lower pleasures and making them an independent goal. Turning away from the Divine purpose entirely.
Summary
The ultimate purpose of Shema is to elevate the "lower waters," so that even the physical world becomes a vessel for Divine revelation, a process that will be fully realized in the future redemption.
Say Shema with the awareness that you are not just reciting words—you are choosing the upper waters over the lower, activating the soul's connection to its Divine source, and participating in the ultimate elevation of all creation.
Thinking that simply reciting Shema twice daily is enough. Without the proper contemplation and the acceptance of the yoke of Heaven, the words remain external. The maamar teaches that Shema requires deep understanding, self-nullification, and a genuine choice of spiritual life.