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A Declaration Of Faith
Unites All Mankind

Shabbat Vaetchanan: Deuteronomy 323-7:11;
Isaiah 40:1-26.

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he sedrah this week con- fering and in the triumph of good
tinues the speeches of over evil.
Moses to the Israelites just
The modern psychologist Erich
before his death. He pleads Fromm, in his book The Art of
with God to allow him to enter Loving, maintained that love is
the promised land, but Moses is an activity, not a passive effect;
refused. Moses gives the com- that love is primarily giving, not
mandments that God has pro- receiving. Giving is the highest
claimed for the Israelites to obey, expression of love. In the very act
and then Moses pronounces the of giving, you experience your
six words that have become the strength, your will, your power.
watchwords of the Jewish faith,
To love God, says Fromm,
"Hear 0 Israel, the Lord is our means to treat every human be-
God, the Lord is One."
ing with respect, and to
Of the 4,875 verses
act honestly, justly and
in the Torah, one
kindly to all. To show
your love of God sets an
stands out as the code
of faith for Jews. Since
example for others.
the time of the temple
Love leads to giving, to
in Jerusalem, the
sharing one's creativi-
words of the Sh'ma
ty with another. The
have been the first
love of God springs
words taught to a
from the need to over-
young child and the
come separateness and
to achieve union.
last words recited at
The old familiar
time of death. The Jew-
RA BBI
ish martyrs have RICHARD C. HERTZ translation of "The
proudly pronounced
Lord our God, the Lord
SPE CIAL
them before going to
is One," makes the
TO THE
their deaths. These six
verse a statement
JEWISH NEWS
words have become the
about the nature of God
himself, namely that
battle cry of the Jewish
people. On the doorposts of Jew- He is one. This might mean that
ish households a mezuzah is He is unique and incomparable,
nailed, continuing the six pre- or that He is indivisible, or that
cious words blessing that family. He does not consist of multiple
Why has the Sh'ma occupied deities. The belief in the uniting
such a visible place in Judaism? of the human role is the natural
Many have been the com- corollary to the uniting of God;
ments of scholars and rabbis over for if God is one, He is God of all
the centuries. For Maimonides, humanity, father of all men — all
the Sh'ma was not a statement men are brothers.
of hope, but of theological decla-
The Sh'ma enables the Jew to
ration that the cause of all exis- better understand the nature of
tence is one, the one power that Judaism. The Sh'ma is the Jew's
creates all that is.
pledge of allegiance, not to a flag
A medieval rabbi, Jacob Ben or a king, but to the King of
Isaac Ashkanazi of Yamof, com- Kings, the one supreme God of
pared reciting the Sh'ma to re- the universe. 0
ceiving a cherished letter. When
you say the Sh'ma, he wrote, it
should be as if you are reading
a letter from the king, which was
written only today and which you
cherish. You should heed each
and every word.
Rabbi Leo Baeck, leader of
Jewry during the Holocaust
years, taught his people at
Teraisenstadt, where he was in- Michigan State University Hillel
terned, "Everything proceeds Jewish Student Center will hold
from the one God; everything re- its opening party Friday, Aug. 22,
turns to the one God."
from 2:30-5 p.m. at the field by
Rabbi Mordechai M. Kaplan the rock. Music will be provided
believed that the Sh'ma is an ex- by The Lash. Meet student lead-
pression of the special partner- ers.
ship between God and the Jewish
On Sunday, Aug. 24, Hillel will
people, in the battle against suf- host a free, opening BBQ, 6 p.m.
at Hillel (402 Linden St.).
Richard C. Hertz is distinguished
On Tuesday, Aug. 26, the
professor of Jewish studies at
Freshman Ice Cream Social will
the University of Detroit-Mercy.
be held, 7 p.m. at Hillel.

MSU Hillel
Opening Events

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