He shall say to them,
'Listen, Israel (shema Yisrael), today you are about to wage war against
your enemies. Do not be faint-hearted, do not be afraid, do not panic ,
and do not break ranks before them. Deuteronomy 20:3
These are the words which
the Kohen appointed for war must address to Israel’s army before they
enter battle.
Our Sages [Babylonian
Talmud, Sota 42a] explain the reason the first words spoken by the Kohen
appointed for war are “shema Yisrael”:
Rabbi Yoḥanan says in the
name of Rabbi Shimon bar Yoḥai: the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel:
even if you have only fulfilled the mitzva of reciting Shema Yisrael
morning and evening, you will not be given into the enemy’s hand.
Rabbi
Shimon bar Yoḥai hints at two central points of the recitation of Shema,
which are the keys to Israel’s victory against its enemies:
1] Shema is the basic
declaration of Israel’s faith on God and in His divine providence on behalf of
His chosen nation;
2] Shema addresses the nation
of Israel in the singular, and as such, expresses the ultimate importance of
the unity of the people of Israel.
Indeed,
with faith in God’s providence over His nation and the nation’s unity, Israel
will defeat its enemies.
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