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God is One -- thoughts for the 4th of July.
With the 4th of July just around the corner, I thought I would share some of my thoughts about the "Complex Unity" on the Great Seal of the United States of America.
E Pluribus Unum is a Latin phrase, meaning "Out of many, one." It signifies the unity of the many states and people into a single nation. It emphasizes the idea that despite the diversity of the states and individuals, there is a unified whole.
E Pluribus Unum and the Hebrew word "echad" in the Shema share a conceptual similarity in that they both convey a sense of a "complex unity."
The Shema in Deuteronomy 6.4
דשְׁמַ֖ע יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ יְהֹוָ֥ה | אֶחָֽד
Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God; the Lord is one.
Above is the text from the Shema. The Shema is one of the most important prayers in Judaism, serving as a central component of Jewish daily prayer services and religious practice.
The central verse of the Shema is: "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one" (שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְהוָה אֶחָד). This verse encapsulates the monotheistic essence of Judaism. In the Shema in the Hebrew Torah, the word used for the word "one" is "Echad" (אֶחָד).
There is a Hebrew word that is very close to "Echad" which even sounds like it and also means one -- "Yachid." Though "echad" means "one" it is also means a composite, a "complex unity." On the other hand, "Yachid" means absolute singularity.
"Yachid" (יָחִיד) means "one" or "singular" and refers to absolute, indivisible oneness. It is often used to describe something that is uniquely one-of-a-kind, without parts or plurality. This contrasts with "echad," which, as discussed, can imply a composite or complex unity.
"Yachid" is often used in contexts where the emphasis is on uniqueness or singularity without any internal differentiation. For example, the term "Yachid" is used in reference to Abraham's son Isaac as his "only" son in Genesis 22:2, highlighting Isaac's unique and singular status.
Given that Yachid emphasizes absolute, indivisible oneness and Echad implies a complex unity that can include plurality within that oneness, isn't it interesting that the Torah uses the word "Echad" rather than "Yachid" in the Shema.
Spiritual Context
While "E Pluribus Unum" is focused on the unity arising from diversity within a nation, "echad" often highlights the concept of oneness and unity, particularly in a spiritual or religious context. Both terms underscore the importance of unity, though they apply it to different domains—political and social unity in the case of "E Pluribus Unum" and spiritual or religious unity in the case of "echad."
Speaking of religious/spiritual context, on the "Great Seal" notice what is above the words "E Pluribus Unum." While it is true that there are 13 stars signifying the 13 original colonies, the shape that those 13 stars forms the "Star of David" also known as the "Magan (Shield) of David."
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| Out of many, One. |
The Star of David in the Great Seal
Allow me to digress in order to share a brief story about the Star of David on the Great Seal.
Legend has it that the arrangement of the 13 stars was ordered by George Washington who, when he asked Haym Solomon, a wealthy Philadelphia Jew and political financial broker, what he would like as a personal reward for his services to the Continental Army. Solomon said he wanted nothing for himself, but he would like something for his people. The Star of David was the result.
Solomon's fundraising and personal lending provided critical financing to George Washington in his Revolutionary War effort. His most meaningful financial contribution, however, came immediately prior to the final revolutionary war battle at Yorktown.
In August 1781, the Continental Army had trapped Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis in the Virginian coastal town of Yorktown. Washington and the main army and Count de Rochambeau with his French army decided to march from the Hudson Highlands to Yorktown and deliver the final blow. But Washington's war chest was completely empty, as was that of Congress. Without food, uniforms and supplies, Washington's troops were close to mutiny. Washington determined that he needed at least $20,000 to finance the campaign. When Robert Morris, the Superintendent of Finance, told him there were no funds and no credit available, Washington gave him a simple but eloquent order: "Send for Haymè E Solomon." Solomon raised $20,000, through the sale of bills of exchange. With that, and the $1,400,000 personally loaned by Robert Morris, Washington conducted the Yorktown campaign, which proved to be the final battle of the Revolution. Solomon died a pauper a few years later
There's more...
Look closely at what's around the 13 stars. It is the thunderous image of the Clouds of Glory.
A Complex Unity
Like E. Pluribus Unum, Echad denotes a complex unity that encompasses diversity within that oneness. For example, in Genesis 2:24 it says "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one (echad) flesh." Here, "echad" describes the union of two individuals into a single entity, highlighting the idea of unity in diversity.
The Shema is also significant in Christianity. Jesus quoted it when asked about the greatest commandment, linking it with the command to love one's neighbor (Mark 12:29-31, Luke 10:25-27)
The Trinity in Christianity, the doctrine of the Trinity refers to the belief that God exists as three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—who are distinct yet of one essence. This means that while God is three distinct persons, there is still only one God, emphasizing both unity and diversity within the Godhead.
4th of July
The "Spirit" of America is a complex unity. It is frightening to think of what will come to America, the world and each of us if we lose that Spirit!
George Washington wrote to Henry Lee (Oct. 31, 1786) as America was struggling without a Constitution:
"I am mortified beyond expression when I view the clouds which have spread over the brightest morn that ever dawned upon any Country. In a word, I am lost in amazement when I behold what intrigue, the interested views of desperate characters, ignorance and jealousy of the minor part, are capable of effecting, as a scourge on the major part of our fellow Citizens of the Union: for it is hardly to be supposed that the great body of the people, tho' they will not act, can be so short sighted, or enveloped in darkness as not to see rays of a distant sun thro' all this mist of intoxication and folly."
In conclusion, Christopher Columbus was scheduled to set sail on the Hebrew date of the 17th of Tamuz. This is the date of the Royal Edict for Jewish Expulsion from Spain under the "Spanish Inquisition." It happens to be the same Hebrew date that marks the destruction of the 1st and 2nd temples in Jerusalem. The 17th of Tamuz happens to be another date if you convert back to the Gregorian calender. But because the calenders are different, the date for the 17th of Tamuz depends on the year you convert it in. In the year 1776, it was the 4th of July.
