Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. — Deuteronomy 6:4

The Torah portion for this week is Va’etchanan, which means “I pleaded,” from Deuteronomy 3:23–7:11, and the Haftorah is from Isaiah 40:1–26.

In this week’s Torah portion, we come across one of the most fundamental verses in the Jewish tradition: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.” This verse, known as the Shema, is so paramount to our faith that we recite it when we wake up each morning and as the last thing we say before going to bed each night. It is customary to say this verse in times of trouble, and it is one of the last things a Jew says before death.

Why are these words so important?

The answer is because they express our core belief in God and the acceptance of His dominion. However, if that is so, then couldn’t the verse have ended a few words earlier? Wouldn’t it have been enough to say, “Hear, O Israel, The LORD is God’?

The extra words – “the LORD is one” – remind us that God is God in good times and in difficult times. The same God who gives us blessings is the One who gives us challenges. God is one! Since everything comes from God, it is all ultimately for the best. It is our mission to accept this truth and to live it.

A story is told in the Talmud about King Nebuchadnezzar when he threw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the furnace for failing to bow down to him. As we learn in the book of Daniel, the three friends emerged without a single hair singed. This caused Nebuchadnezzar to praise God. He said, “How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom; his dominion endures from generation to generation” (Daniel 4:3). The Sages teach at that very moment an angel came and slapped Nebuchadnezzar across the face.

Why would the angel do such a thing? After all, even the wicked are encouraged to praise God and repent.

Menachem Mendel of Kotzk, the great 18^th-century rabbi, explained the episode as follows: Nebuchadnezzar was praising the God of salvation. He had faith in the God whom he had seen perform miracles. However, the true test of faith is when things aren’t so clear and sunny. The angel slapped him as if to say, “Can you still praise God now? Even when it’s painful? Even when it’s confusing?”

This is the greatness of the Shema. We proclaim that we acknowledge and accept God’s dominion at all times. When we say the prayer we cover our eyes as if to say, “We have faith when we can see You and also when we can’t.”

This week, let’s reaffirm our faith in God, no matter what season we may be experiencing in our lives. God is always God, and God is always good.