The third precept is to acknowledge that there is a God, all-powerful and ruler of the universe, and to make due proclamation of his unity every day, as extending in the six supernal directions, and to unify them all through the six words contained in the Shema Israel, and in reciting these to devote oneself wholly to God. The word Ehad therefore must be dwelt on to the length of six words.
This is implied in the passage, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place: that is, let the grades beneath the heaven be unified in it so as to form one whole, perfect in all the six directions. With God’s unity one must further associate fear, for which reason one must dwell on the daleth, the last letter of Ehad, the daleth being for that reason written larger than the other letters. And this is implied in the words “and let the dry land be seen”, that is, let the daleth, which is a “dry land”, be associated with that unity.
After forming this union on high it is necessary to repeat the process for the lower world through all its multiplicity in the six lower directions. This is expressed in the verse we recite after the Shema, viz. “Blessed-be the-name-of the-glory-of His-Kingdom for-ever and-ever”, which contains another six words expressive of the unity. In this way, what was dry land becomes fertile soil to produce fruits and flowers and trees.
This is implied in the passage: “And God called the dry land earth”, that is, by the manifestation of God’s unity here below the earth was duly perfected. It is for this reason that in the account of the third day the expression “that it was good” appears twice, once for the manifestation of the unity above and once for the manifestation of the unity below. As soon as that unity was made manifest at both ends, the text says “Let the earth put forth grass”, that is, the earth was then fitted to produce fruits and flowers according to its capacity.
פִּקּוּדָא תְּלִיתָאָה לְמִנְדַע דְּאִית אֱלָהָא רַבְרְבָא וְשַׁלִּיטָאָה בְּעָלְמָא. וּלְיַיחֲדָא לֵיהּ בְּכָל יוֹמָא יִחוּדָא כְּדְקָא יָאוֹת בְּאִנּוּן שִׁית סִטְרִין עִלָאִין. וּלְמֶעְבַּד לוֹן יִחוּדָא חֲדָא בְּשִׁית תֵּבִין דִּשְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל וּלְכַוְּונָא רְעוּתָא לְעֵילָא בַּהֲדַיְיהוּ. וְעַל דָּא אֶחָד אִצְטְרִיךְ לְאַרְכָּא לֵיהּ (נ"א כשית) בְּשִׁית תֵּבִין.
The third precept is to acknowledge that there is a God, all-powerful and ruler of the universe, and to make due proclamation of his unity every day, as extending in the six supernal directions, and to unify them all through the six words contained in the Shema Israel, and in reciting these to devote oneself wholly to God. The word Ehad therefore must be dwelt on to the length of six words.
וְדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב יִקָּווּ הַמַּיִם מִתַּחַת הַשָּׁמַיִם אֶל מָקוֹם אֶחָד. יִתְכַּנְּשׁוּן דַּרְגִּין דִּתְחוֹת שְׁמַיָא לְאִתְאַחֲדָא בֵּיהּ (יראה) לְמֶהֱוֵי בִּשְׁלִימוּ לְשִׁית סִטְרִין כְּדְקָא יְאוּת. וְעִם כָּל דָּא בְּהַהוּא יִחוּדָא אִצְטְרִיךְ לְקַשְׁרָא בֵּיהּ יִרְאָה דְּאִצְטְרִיךְ לְאַרְכָּא בְּדָלֶ"ת דְּאֶחָד. דְּדָלֶ"ת דְּאֶחָד גְּדוֹלָה. וְהַיְינוּ דִּכְתִיב וְתֵרָאֶה הַיַּבָּשָׁה דְּתִתְחֲזֵי וְתִתְקַשֵּׁר דָלֶ"ת דְּאִיהוּ יַבָּשָׁה בְּהַהוּא יִחוּדָא.
This is implied in the passage, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place: that is, let the grades beneath the heaven be unified in it so as to form one whole, perfect in all the six directions. With God’s unity one must further associate fear, for which reason one must dwell on the daleth, the last letter of Ehad, the daleth being for that reason written larger than the other letters. And this is implied in the words “and let the dry land be seen”, that is, let the daleth, which is a “dry land”, be associated with that unity.
וּלְבָתַר דְּאִתְקַשַּׁר תַּמָּן לְעֵילָא אִיצְטְרִיךְ לְקַשְּׁרָא לָהּ לְתַתָּא בְּאֻכְלוּסָהָא בְּשִׁית סִטְרִין אָחֳרָנִין דִּלְתַתָּא, בָּרוּךְ שֵׁם כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתוֹ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד. דְּאִית בֵּיהּ שִׁית תֵּבִין אָחֳרָנִין דְּיִחוּדָא. כְּדֵין מַה דְּהֲוַת יַבָּשָׁה אִתְעֲבִידַת אֶרֶץ לְמֶעְבַּד פֵּירִין וְאִיבִּין וּלְנָטְעָא אִילָנִין.
After forming this union on high it is necessary to repeat the process for the lower world through all its multiplicity in the six lower directions. This is expressed in the verse we recite after the Shema, viz. “Blessed-be the-name-of the-glory-of His-Kingdom for-ever and-ever”, which contains another six words expressive of the unity. In this way, what was dry land becomes fertile soil to produce fruits and flowers and trees.
וְהַיְינוּ דִּכְתִיב וַיִּקְרָא אֱלֹהִים לַיַּבָּשָׁה אֶרֶץ בְּהַהוּא יִחוּדָא דִּלְתַתָּא אַרְעָא רַעֲוָא שְׁלִים כְּדְקָא יְאוּת. וְעַל דָּא כִּי טוֹב, כִּי טוֹב תְּרֵי זִמְנֵי. חַד יִחוּדָא עִלָאָה וְחַד יִחוּדָא תַּתָּאָה. כֵּיוָן דְּאִתְאֲחִיד בִּתְרֵין סִטְרִין מִכָּאן וּלְהָלְאָה תַּדְּשֵׁא הָאָרֶץ דֶּשֶׁא. אִתְתַּקָּנַת לְמֶעְבַּד פֵּירִין וְאִיבִּין כְּדְקָא יְאוּת.
This is implied in the passage: “And God called the dry land earth”, that is, by the manifestation of God’s unity here below the earth was duly perfected. It is for this reason that in the account of the third day the expression “that it was good” appears twice, once for the manifestation of the unity above and once for the manifestation of the unity below. As soon as that unity was made manifest at both ends, the text says “Let the earth put forth grass”, that is, the earth was then fitted to produce fruits and flowers according to its capacity.