The Shema is one of the most essential prayers in the entire Siddur (prayer book). It is through the Shema that one declares the Oneness of the Divine Creator. Since Hashem is the Ultimate Creator, and Hashem is One, it follows, therefore, that all of His Creation is One as well. On the everyday level of reality in which we live, it is difficult to see or realize this unity, which is why we recite the Shema three times a day. Once in the morning prayers, once in the evening prayers, and one more time before going to bed. In fact, while reciting the Shema we cover our eyes with our right hand (which represents hesed, or loving-kindness) to show that we cannot yet perceive a world of complete unity, though we will be able to in the time of the Redemption. We need to remind ourselves that Hashem's essence is beyond anything our physical senses can detect. Again, that is why we begin and end all of our days with the consciousness that all is One and that there is but One Creator.
Rueven Grodner, again, in his book "Spirit of Mishnaic Law", writes:
Rashi
(one of the great Jewish commentators from medieval times) interprets the
clauses "Hashem, our G-d" and "Hashem is One" (two phrases
of the Shema) as referring to two separate eras in the history of humankind. In
the present, "Hashem is our G-d". "Hashem is One" is a
prophecy for the future. There will come a time, in the days of the Messiah,
when all nations of the world will join the Jewish people in
their belief in One Creator. No longer will human beings see the world
as being anchored to the confusion and void from which it was created. No longer
will we see a world filled with conflicts and paradoxes. Life and death, good
and evil, will not be viewed as independent forces governing the affairs of
humanity. All humankind will perceive the unity of creation and the Creator.
Thus, the Shema is not only a testimony to the belief in One Creator, it is a
testimony to the Jew's faith in the spiritual redemption of all humankind.
As a side note, if you take the gematria (numerical value) of "ahava echad", which means “one love” in Hebrew, you get 26. Twenty-six is also the gematria of the four letter holy name of the Divine One. It's all connected. The Divine One is One Love! (Bob Marley was onto something!).
Besides being a declaration of the unity of Hashem and His entire universe, the Shema, in its subsequent paragraphs, is telling us, screaming to us, of the importance of not being a slave to one's physical senses, but rather using them for kedushah, for holiness...it says:
"
if we don't use them for the sake of holiness, we will suffer the consequences of being cut off from the Divine One and all that abounds from Him...we see this in our world today...it's as if nature is striking back at the human race for all of our misuse and abuse towards it...when we live in accordance with the light of Torah, we are working towards the rectification of our misdeeds, as well as the misdeeds of all the world...we are raising the sparks of kedushah in all the places we stand, readying the world for the Days of Everlasting Peace...
In fact the second paragraph of the Shema ends with the words:
"In order to lengthen your days and the days of your children
on the land that Hashem promised to your ancestors to give to them, like
heaven on earth."
The underlying theme and mission of Judaism and of the Jewish people is to make this world a place in which the Light of Hashem can dwell. By doing acts of hesed, of loving-kindness, we are getting the world ready for the coming redemption, for a time when the world will be full of Hashem's wisdom and unity, when we will no longer have to cover our eyes to proclaim the Oneness of All, for we will be able to clearly see it wherever we look.
The time of redemption is fast approaching. The world is getting ready for it. We need to make sure that, as individuals, we are ready for it...there's a saying that only those who prepare for Shabbos receive its benefits...since you can not do certain acts of work on Shabbos, like cook, if you don't prepare your meals ahead of time, you'll be stuck eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on the holiest day of the week instead of beautiful home-cooked meals...the same applies to the days of the Redemption...those who prepare for it now, in this reality where we have to contend with the temptations of the body and the influence of the yetzer hara (the evil inclination), they will be able to bask in its light...those who don't, those who give into their bodily urges and don't recognize and nurture the spiritual will be unable to connect with the light of the Redemption, for they won't know how...it will be like a foreign concept to them...
Our society views those people who play its game of materialism and physical pleasure as sane, while those who are opposed to it, those who choose to live a life dedicated to higher spiritual values and beliefs, it views them as crazy or strange...in the time of the Redemption, I believe those labels will be switched, for the latter group will see the fulfillment of their dreams, while to the former group it will seem like a nightmare...
The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Reb Menachem Mendel Schneerson, zt'l, says:
"Remember: G-d created each of us with unique abilities. The mission that you have been chosen to fulfill on this earth can be fulfilled by no one but you; it is your responsibility to become aware of your mission and channel all your energies toward it."
In order to bring forth the redemption, a time in which peace, justice and unity will be the foundations of reality, we all need to do that which we were brought into this world to do…for what purpose you came into the world, I cannot tell you, for, as the Lubavitcher Rebbe said, we all have to discover that for ourselves...surely, we can help each other out in our process of self- and G-d-discovery, but inevitably it is a discovery that is inherently personal and private.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe does offer guidance on how to conduct this search for our life's mission, for our search for G-d within ourselves:
"[G-d wants] us to unite with Him, He created an elaborate and elegant process by which we can do so. We begin by probing and asking questions, then emotionally grappling with our existential pain through our search for meaning. We slowly scale the vast mountain of reality, step by step, answering some questions and discovering new ones, continually finding deeper answers until we finally begin relating to and uniting with G-d. We come to realize that we cannot define G-d, we accept that He is beyond all definitions, including the term "beyond all definitions." This is the ultimate unity: In a world of definitions and paradoxes, we recognize G-d, who is beyond all definitions and paradoxes."
There's a prophecy that says Hashem will bring his people back one by one. Like other ancient prophecies, this is becoming manifest in our world today, as estranged Jews are finding their way back home to the tradition of their ancestors, to the ways of their Jewish neshama (soul)...each ba'al teshuva (someone who returns to an observant Jewish life, literally meaning "master of return") has his/her own story of how he/she came back to Judaism…each story is unique and powerful…each is a testament to the true beauty of the Jewish path and the spiritual wellsprings it offers to those who are thirsty...some have had to travel the world in order to find their way back...others needed to meditate in a Buddhist ashram for some time to discover their Jewish roots...for others, a teacher or a book inspired their path of return...whatever or whoever it was, each ba'al teshuva's re-discovery of the Jewish tradition is a deep and meaningful one...each a sign that things are changing, that the days of redemption are near...