Va’eschanan 6:4 · unit 9

TT #50 · Parashas Va’eschanan · Passuk 6:4

The Complete Passuk

שְׁמַ֖ע יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ יְהֹוָ֥ה ׀ אֶחָֽד׃

Hear, O Israel: Hashem is our God, Hashem is One.

Chabad.org — 6:4

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to the derasha that Israel is more beloved than the ministering angels because Israel mentions the Name after two words (Berachos 16b? / parallel midrash).

Sefaria — Berachos

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: חֲבִיבִין יִשְׂרָאֵל לִפְנֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא יוֹתֵר מִמַּלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת, שֶׁיִּשְׂרָאֵל מַזְכִּירִין אֶת הַשֵּׁם אַחַר שְׁתֵּי תֵּבוֹת שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל ה׳, וּמַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת מַזְכִּירִין אַחַר שָׁלֹשׁ תֵּבוֹת כִּדְכְתִיב קָדוֹשׁ קָדוֹשׁ קָדוֹשׁ ה׳.

English: The Sages taught: Israel is more beloved before the Holy One, blessed be He, than the ministering angels, for Israel mentions the Name after two words, as it is said “Shema Yisrael Hashem,” while the ministering angels mention it after three words, as it is written “Kadosh kadosh kadosh Hashem.”

On the daf / in context: The proximity of the Divine Name in the Shema is taken as a mark of intimacy denied even to the angels.

Type of Learning

Custom / Aggadah — comparison of the wording of Shema with the angelic Kedushah.

What Is Learned

Israel’s ability to utter the Name after only two words of the Shema is a sign of greater closeness than that of the angels, who wait until the third “kadosh.”