A deeper meaning within the Shema
What do these words mean to you?
Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheynu, Adonai Echad [Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One].
If you've had any exposure to Judaism, these six words are likely among the first Hebrew phrases you've learned and memorized. But for many of us, we may have stopped at the simple translation, even though they hold deeper meanings.
Books have been written about the profound spiritual significance of just these six words, and I continue to learn more interpretations all the time. However, since many of us learned these words when we were much younger, we may not have progressed beyond the memorization phase.
Here, we’ll focus on just one aspect: The One. Not just "one" as in a number, or even by a meaning of singularity as opposed to plural, but ONE as in the One-ness of the universe. A One-ness meaning that despite what seems ‘real’ to us, that we are all separate beings, on another level entirely, we are connected.
What if we considered that the smallest particles in the cosmos are linked in ways that transcend time and space?
What if all things in the universe are connected in ways we can't immediately perceive? This isn't just a spiritual idea—it's a scientific reality.
In quantum physics, there's a phenomenon called quantum entanglement. Essentially, when two particles become entangled, their states become interdependent, no matter how far apart they are. The state of one particle instantly affects the state of the other, even if they are light-years apart.
This discovery, made in the 1930s by Albert Einstein and Erwin Schrödinger, puzzled scientists. Einstein famously called it "spooky action at a distance" because the interaction happened faster than the speed of light. Imagine it like this: someone on the other side of the world experiences what you're feeling, instantly.
Taking another example, imagine if you were at a concert, and everyone is holding a tuning fork. When one person strikes theirs, the vibrations spread to the entire audience, with each fork vibrating, resonating in harmony, in sync with one another. This occurs no matter how far apart people are seated. No one sees the vibrations, but the interdependence is undeniable.
Quantum entanglement is like this unseen vibration—an invisible connection that transcends space. It’s something felt on a deeper, more subtle level, even if we can’t see it with our eyes.
This concept of interconnectedness mirrors the spiritual idea of Oneness, a unifying interconnectedness, which the Shema refers to as the Divine.
According to Kabbalistic thought, everything in the universe is connected through divine energy. The divine light that flows through creation links every living being, every moment, and every event. In this sense, all things are intertwined, in a great tapestry, just like entangled particles. Distance and separation are constructs that don’t exist on the quantum level. Though we may feel separate, and at times, isolated and alone, on the deepest level, we’re all part of the same cosmic fabric.
Every act of kindness, every mitzvah we do, and every thought we have might be sending ripples through the universe, influencing others in ways we may never fully understand.
We are all part of the ONE, entangled in this grand universe…where even the smallest actions matter in ways we can’t always see.
So, what is the Shema really saying?
What if the Shema was a call to us, a call to ask us, actually to demand us —to act on this powerful idea. More than that, our Jewish tradition compels us to share it, to be a light to others.