If God Needs Nothing, Why Are You Here?

And that's why Deuteronomy 6:5 follows 6:4. Torah is so beautiful. It's so delicious. It If you don't If you're not now ready to bow before the God of Israel, then nothing will move you. People mistakenly think that Shema is a statement of a creed about the oneness of God. It's true. But what is the point? The point is that means he loves you. >> The show, go ahead and tell me your question, Rabbi. >> Uh hi, good morning. Can you hear me good? >> Yeah. >> All right. Um so, my question for today is on Deuteronomy uh 6:4 about God being one. So, basically, you know, for those [snorts] of us who have you know, left idolatry or left the idea that God is a man or somebody in the clouds sitting on a chair. Like, what does that mean in Deuteronomy 6:4 that God is one? Like, how do I perceive that? What What exactly is it mean? Cuz I'm a bit confused. If you could help me out, thank you. >> Well, thank you for your question. >> Okay, go ahead and him now, John. Tune in for your answer. Thank you. >> So, at first blanch at first glance, one would conclude that the most important creed of the children of Israel stating that God is one is a enumerate issue. It seems that Tanakh is very consumed with the creed that the God is one and there's no one else besides him. Nehemiah chapter 9:6. There's nothing besides him. Isaiah chapter 43. There's no savior besides him, verse 11. No God before after him, verse 10. 44:6-8. All of that is that there is one God alone. He's no other. So, that comes up so often that people ask the question frequently, "Okay, that there's one God." Okay, that is important and not to be a polytheist, not to believe there are many gods. What I I would like to just convey to you and just looking at saturating this passage a little bit more is that there is something being conveyed in this sacred text that may that many people miss and it's the thing right in front of you. If God is one and there's no other, it's a radical monotheism, then one has to conclude the character of God. One must be then know that God is all loving. It His oneness means that God must be all love. Because if he is one alone and there's no one be else besides him, then why did he create us? After all, there is nothing before creation. There is nothing that we possess that he lacked. Now, after creation, we're created in the image of God. So, God then is very vested in us having a relationship with him. And we would very much see that God wants us to be faithful to him and does not want us to be disobedient to not injure that relationship. That's after creation. That's why this is very critical. Many people mix this up. So, the question is prior to the creation, why would God create the world? Obviously, the purpose of the world is for mankind. But why did he need it? He could have If there's nothing you possess that could in uh make God's life better, his eternal It doesn't make sense. God therefore must have created man out of a complete act of love and a complete altruistic pure act of love. So, that's what should come through with Deuteronomy 6:4. And if God created you out of a complete act of love, then when somebody says to you, "I love you." What is he expecting to hear? What is she expecting to hear? It's, "I love you, too." Got it? You got that part? Then God If God is one alone, that means that he is all love. Because there is nothing you have that he doesn't possess. He created you. Now now he's bound up in you, but before creation, why did he do it? It must have been an act of love. So, God is literally saying, "I love you." What would he want to then hear given that he's created you in his image? He's bound up in you. It's, "I love you, too." Hence the very next passage, Deuteronomy 6:5. It's just beautiful. It begins with V'ahavta, "And you shall love." Why do we need "and"? And what does this have to do with 6:4? Well, now it has everything to do with it. If God is saying, "I love you. You exist out of a pure act of love because I want alone. Therefore, I am omniscient, all-knowing, omnipotent, all-powerful, eternal, no beginning, no end, immutable, unchangeable." Then he doesn't need you. Therefore, he must be saying to you, "I love you." What does he want to hear? V'ahavta et Hashem Elohecha, "And I love you, too." And that's why Deuteronomy 6:5 follows 6:4. Torah is so beautiful. It's so delicious. If If you don't If you're not now ready to bow before the God of Israel, then nothing will move you. People mistakenly think that Shema is a statement of a creed about the oneness of God. It's true, but what is the point? The point is that means he loves you. Because what are you doing here? Why did he create you? He then is in a a relationship with you and he doesn't want you to interfere with that. He wants you to know the nature of the relationship and it's love and therefore for all days therefore that's why it ends with that and what do you mean and what is one what does loving God have to do with God's oneness? Everything. Thank you for your question. If you enjoy this program please like and subscribe. >> [singing] [music] [singing]