What Does It Mean to Say That “God Is One”? And How Are We Supposed to Love Him?

Recited twice-daily by observant Jews, Deuteronomy 6:4-9 begins with the famous, “Hear O Israel the Lord is Your God the Lord is One,” and continues with the commandments to love God, to teach “these words” to one’s children, and to preserve them through ritual. Straightforward though it may seem, this passage is filled with ambiguities, from the question of whether to read the opening words as “the Lord is One” or “the Lord alone” to the meaning of loving the Deity. Jon D. Levenson explores these ambiguities in conversation with Rony Kozman and Will Kynes. They then turn to the remainder of Deuteronomy 6, and then to Deuteronomy 10. (Video, 68 minutes. To listen on the web or in podcast form, click on the link below.)