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אחָד in שמע ישראל actually mean?</a>'<br />
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<p><a href="https://judaism.stackexchange.com/users/9531/shoaib">Shoaib</a>
asked on <a href="https://judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/100141">Mi
Yodeya</a>:</p>
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><p> In the Shema the word used for the
oneness of God is אחָד (<a
href="http://www.scripture4all.org/OnlineInterlinear/OTpdf/deu6.pdf">ref</a>.).
This is startling for a Muslim, as they find in the Quran almost a
transliteration of the same word, i.e. the Arabic احد (pronounced:
Ahad).</p><p><br>What is surprising, however, is that in almost all the
translations that I could find on the Internet, אחָד has been translated
as “One,” The Arabic counterpart, even though, can be used in the
sense of “one,” but a truer meaning is conveyed by
“alone,” or even “unique.” Theologically, this has
huge significance, because a God who is “Alone,” is a denial of
any other God.<br>My question then is: Does the hebrew אחָד bear the same
connotations of alone and unique? If yes, then has Judaism always understood
God of Israel to be the God of the whole universe? If there is only one God,
there cannot be any place for henotheism. </p></blockquote>
<p>My answer:</p>
<p> The first paragraph of Shema, including this sentence, is a declaration of
accepting G-d as King. From Quoting Berakhos 13a:</p>
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><p>אמר רבי יהושע בן קרחה
למה קדמה פרשת שמע לוהיה אם שמוע כדי שיקבל
עליו עול מלכות שמים תחלה ואחר כך מקבל עליו
עול מצות…</p><p>Rabbi Yehoshua ben Qorchah (“the bald
one”, ie the son of Rabbi Aqiva) said: Why does the paragraph of Shema
come before that of VeHayah Im Shamoa? So that one accepts upon
oneself <em>ol Malkhus Shamayim</em> — the yoke of the
Kingship of [the One in heaven] and after words accept upon
oneself <em>ol mitzvos</em> — the yoke of
mitzvos….</p></blockquote>
<p>So, the first paragraph is accepting G-d as my King. Not as a theory, but
as a yoke I am harnessing myself to. To elaborate the “yoke”
metaphor — accepting G-d’s rule as part of my means of being
productive. (Followed by accepting his Mitzvos in the next paragraph of
Shema.)</p>
<p>This is why we use the same verse as one of the 10 prooftexts in the
berakhah of Malkhios in the Mussaf for Rosh haShanah, as it declares Hashem as
our King.</p>
<p>Although on Rosh haShanah 32b, Rabbi Yehudah objects to the proposal, we
rule otherwise. In an interesting essay, Rav Hutner (Pachad Yitzchaq, Rosh
haShanah #11) says that Rabbi Yehudah is bothered about the difference in
modality: Shema is accepting G-d as my King, in practice. Which may not fit
Malkhios, which is a declaration of G-d as King in fact, whether I choose to
be a loyal subject or not.</p>
<p>So this is what we mean when we say <em>Hashem E-lokeinu</em> —
Hashem is our G-d.</p>
<p>And when we say Hashem is One, it is in this context alone. I am ruling out
dual loyalty — He alone is my King.</p>
<p>This is why we’re taught that when saying <em>echad</em>, there
is a thought we’re supposed to have for each letter relevant to
Kingship. Shulchan Arukh Orakh Chaim 61:6:</p>
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><p>צריך להאריך בחי”ת
של אחד כדי שימליך הקב”ה בשמים ובארץ שלזה
רומז החטוטרות שבאמצע הגג החי”ת ויאריך
בדל”ת של אחד שיעור שיחשוב שהקב”ה יחיד
בעולמו ומושל בד’ רוחות העולם ולא יאריך
יותר מכשיעור זה ויש נוהגים להטות הראש כפי
המחשבה מעלה ומטה ולד’ רוחות:</p><p>It is necessary
to extend [the pronunciation of] the [letter] <em>ches</em> of [the
word] <em>echad</em> (one) in order to make the Holy One, blessed be
He, King in the Heavens and the Earth, in that this is hinted at in the humps
in the middle of the roof of the chet. And one should extend the
letter <em>dalet</em> of <em>echad</em> long enough to
think that the Holy One, blessed be He, is unique in His world and rules in
the four directions of the world, but he should not extend more than this
amount. There are those who have the custom to turn the head in accordance
with the thought: up, down, and to the four directions.</p></blockquote>
<p>(Others associate the <em>ches</em> using <em>gematria</em>:
Hashem is King over 7 heavens + 1 earth = 8, the numerical value
of <em>ches</em>. As for extending the <em>dalet</em>, in his
accent, the undotted version of <em>dalet</em> makes the /dh/ sound
at the beginning of the word “this”. As the Rambam describes it,
“the sound a bee makes”. There are Ashkenazim who try to make do
with the Ashkenazi traditional sound, but err by ending up saying the non-word
“Ech-ch-ch-a-a-a-a-deh”. Can’t extend by adding a vowel at
the end.)</p>
<p>The Chafeitz Chaim went further, and warned about this thought of the
Shulchan Arukh, “Don’t be so busy accepting G-d as King of heavens
and earth, across all four compass points of the world, that one forgets to
accept Him as King over oneself!”</p>
<p>As a matter of theory, the unity of G-d means two things — (1) that
Hashem is Unique; and (2) that Hashem is indivisible. Remembering these two
facts are two of the Six Constantly Applicable Mitzvos. So it’s not
terrible to have those in mind either. But as you see above, it’s not
the primary thrust of how our sages explain the
word <em>echad</em> in the mitzvah of reciting this verse.</p>
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