Hear, O Israel, the L-rd is our G-d, the L-rd is One

From there you will seek the L-rd your G-d and will find Him (Deut. 4:29)
It is precisely when you seek the L-rd your G-d "from there" - from the depths of your heart and with a sense of complete nullification before the Creator, that "you shall find" - the sudden revelation of the greatest G-dly light.


(The Baal Shem Tov)


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Hear, O Israel, the L-rd is our G-d, the L-rd is One (Deut. 6:4)

"My children," G-d declares to Israel, "everything I created in the world I created in pairs: heaven and earth; sun and moon; Adam and Eve; this world and the world to come. I alone am without counterpart."


(Devarim Rabba)


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"In the heavens above and on the earth below" (Deut. 4:39).

When contemplating one's heavenly or spiritual condition one should look "above" to those who have attained a higher level; one can never be satisfied. However in "earthly" matters of wealth and so on, one should look "below," to the less fortunate, and be thankful for the blessings one has.


(The Lubavitcher Rebbe)


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I stand between your G-d and you (Deut. 5:5).

Early chasidim used to explain that the "I," the awareness of self, the ego, stands between the person and his efforts to come closer to G-d.