In the Egyptian exile as well as every other stage of Jewish history, we have experienced good times as well as hardship. The common thread that has run continuously throughout all our experiences has been our faith and tradition, encapsulated in this heroic proclamation of "Shema Yisrael." We have never abandoned our firm belief in the one God who has the power over both good and evil, wealth and poverty, joy and sorrow, light and dark. This faith has enabled us to hope for better days during times of hardship.
Among the most dramatic moments of the drama-rich parasha of Vayigash is the reunion between Yaakov Avinu and his beloved son, Yosef, whom he had presumed dead for twenty-two years. The Torah records that at the moment of their reunion Yosef wept (46:29). Rashi, quoting the Midrash, comments that Yaakov did not weep; instead, he was busy reciting shema. Why would Yaakov recite shema specifically at this moment, when he sees his son for the first time in over two decades? What about shema rendered its recitation the most appropriate activity Yaakov could engage in just at this moment?
Rav Hersh Yaar, in his "Chamudei Tzvi," explains by taking a closer look at the meaning and significance behind the verse, "Shema Yisrael Hashem Elokeinu Hashem echad." Why must we declare the oneness of God on a daily basis? Rav Yaar cites an earlier source explaining that this declaration emphasizes that both what we perceive as good and that which appears bad originate from the same source - the Almighty. In the ancient world, many peoples could not accept the notion of a single divine power governing the forces of good and evil. Opposing forces in the world were interpreted as the manifestations of competing divine powers. The source cited by the Chamudei Tzvi draws an analogy to one who sees a surgeon perform an operation and then treat other patients by giving them fine food and drink. The onlooker concludes that these must be two different physicians - one cruel, heartless doctor who treats patients with violence and bloodletting, and the other who performs his work kindly and gently. He could not understand that the doctor's mode of treatment depended on the specific needs of the patient. Many have attributed Pharaoh's stubborn reluctance to free the Hebrew slaves to this belief. He was convinced that the plagues resulted from the God of evil; ultimately, however, the God of good would prevail. When we declare "Shema Yisrael," we affirm the single, shared origin of all phenomena to which we bear witness in the world. Whether His treatment of us appears kind or cruel, gentle or fierce, loving or harsh, He is one. (The Malbim, in his commentary to the verse of "Shema Yisrael," explains similarly.)
Yaakov's arrival in Egypt and reunion with Yosef ushered in a period of tranquillity and happiness that he had not before experienced. He had lived a life replete with fear, tension, anxiety, contention and sorrow, until these final seventeen years of his life under Yosef's care in Egypt. He wished to emphasize to his family who now settles in Egypt that "God is one." The same God who took Yosef away from him for over twenty years has brought them back together. The same God who had him flee to Lavan and sent Esav after him has now blessed him with peace of mind and happiness. Lest Benei Yisrael fall prey to the pagan influences of Egyptian culture, Yaakov emphasizes "Hashem echad" - God is one, regardless of His seemingly conflicting treatment of us.
This message would prove critically important as the bitter exile unfolds. In the Egyptian exile as well as every other stage of Jewish history, we have experienced good times as well as hardship. The common thread that has run continuously throughout all our experiences has been our faith and tradition, encapsulated in this heroic proclamation of "Shema Yisrael." We have never abandoned our firm belief in the one God who has the power over both good and evil, wealth and poverty, joy and sorrow, light and dark. This faith has enabled us to hope for better days during times of hardship. Lamenting the destruction of Jerusalem in Megilat Eikha, the prophet Yirmiyahu declares, "The kindness of the Lord has not ended, His mercies are not spent; they are renewed every morning - ample is Your grace!" (Eikha 3:22). Regardless of the difficulties we face, we are promised that God's kindness is renewed with every rising sun, that He is, has been, and always will be, the God of compassion.