Parashat Shofetim tells us that when you go to war against your enemy, and see horses and chariots, a nation larger than you,
אל תירא מהם don’t be afraid, because G-d is with you, the One who took you out of Egypt.
It talks about how Jews went to war. Most of us don’t physically go to war today, but there is a war that we go through during the High Holiday season, which is approaching. On the high holidays, it says, we are at war. There’s a perek in tehilim dedicated to the month of Elul (chap. 27) called
לדוד ה׳ ארי וישעי
David said Hashem is my light... “Hashem is my light” refers to Rosh Hashanah.
In this perek, David HaMelech talks about war, when the nations and ministering angels of heaven are prosecuting the Jewish people. This war goes though the High Holiday season until Succot, when we wave our lulavs like a victorious warrior waves his sword.
David HaMelech writes in chapter 27:
אם תחנה עלי מחנה
If they camp around me.
לא יירא לבי
I’m not afraid
אם תקום עלי מלחמה
If they come to war against me,
בזאת אני בוטח
I’m relying on G-d
כי יצפננ י בסכה
He’ll hide me in a succah..
The entire chapter is taking about the war of the high holidays.
When we go to war, what’s the first way to prepare the front lines? It was a pep talk from the kohen:
As Parashat Shoftim tells us,
והיה קרובים למלחמה
When getting close to war,
ונגש הכהן ודבר אל העם ואמר אלהם שמע ישראל
The kohen came and he told them “Shema Yisrael”
Rashi says:
אפילו אין בכם זכות אלא קריאת שמע בלבד, כדאי אתם שיושיע אתכם
All you need is the merit of Shema; that’s enough of a merit that Hashem should save you.
Keryat Shema is powerful. It’s our belief in G-d.
Hashem -Who makes everything come to be,
Elokenu- He is my G-d- He supervises over me
Hashem Ehad- Hashem is the One and Only. There is no other force but Him
In our Rosh Hashanah prayers, one of the longest the year is the Mussaf, which is divided into 3 units. The 10th pasuk that we bring down in the Malchuyot unit, where we talk about G-d being king, is Shema Yisrael Hashem Elokenu Hashem Ehad. This is because on Rosh Hashanah we are accepting G-d as king. That is our greatest protection and the greatest source of our success- accepting G-d as our king. That’s why we blow the shofar.
We don’t talk about sins on Rosh Hashanah. We talk about G-d being the king. That’s the focus.
Rav Wolbe said that since Shema Yisrael is our statement of G-d’s Oneness, it’s like our pledge of allegiance, so to speak. Therefore, during the month of Elul, we should put some extra time and emphasis on saying Keryat Shema properly. Since we are getting ready for the auspicious day of Rosh Hashanah, when our Keryat Shema is very important, as a suggestion, we should we should put extra focus on understanding the power of Shema.
Another important point that Rav Wolbe used to make is that we don’t just say Hashem Elokenu Hashem Ehad. Why not? It’s a statement of our belief.
Because we need Shema Yisrael first. It’s not just about me and my G-d. It’s the G-d of the Jewish people. I’m part of the Jewish people. Rav Wolbe also often quoted from Rambam in Moreh Nevuchim, where it says that a person can work for years, just to say the first the pasuk of Keryat Shema properly!
In Shulhan Aruch סמן סא
it says you should say Shema with intent, fear, trepidation and trembling.
That first pasuk is powerful. We have to understand it.
Hashem made everything, Hashem is in charge of everything. Hashem is the One and Only. There is no one else but G-d.
Additionally, we have to think when we say Shema that we are willing to give up our lives for Hashem. Hashem Ehad is He is the Only One and there is no one more important than Him. We are willing to give up our lives for him.
That’s a powerful thought. B’chol Nafshecha
means with all your soul - even if He takes our soul. Even if one has to die for the cause.
Let us prepare for the war of the holiday season by saying our Shema a little more slowly, with more focus, and a little bit more kavana.
Shabbat Shalom