Pensée juive sur Le Deutéronome 4:39

The prophet (Moshe) has already exhorted us on this in saying: "Know therefore this day, and establish it in your heart that the L-ord he is G-d" (Devarim 4:39), and David, peace be unto him, said: "O taste and see that G-d is good" (Tehilim 34:9), "know the G-d of your father and serve Him.." (Divrei Hayamim 28:9), and "Be you not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding" (Tehilim 32:9).

Abraham, who according to Rabbi Eliezer Hamoda-i, wore a horoscope around his neck, felt that life is being in the presence of G-d’s majesty, observing Him in action and modelling oneself after the attitudes and characteristics manifest in the universe, the universe representing an extension of the essence of G-d. For that reason, Rabbi Eliezer said that wise men from all over were attracted to Abraham, rising early in order to be able to be near him. Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai, who said that Abraham wore a jewel around his throat, and that whosoever was sick and looked at that jewel became cured immediately, means to tell us that Abraham was not content to act piously, but that he exerted himself to explain to others the reasons for his behavior. This is the significance of the jewel around his throat. Anyone sick in mind, due to feeling the pointlessness of his existence, would be healed upon exposure to Abraham's words and deeds. When G-d removed that jewel from Abraham's throat after his death, as we are told, and transferred it to the sun's orbit, this is an allegorical reference to nature as a whole. Anyone smitten with faulty views about the meaning of life, the universe, and the purpose of his existence, would be able to find answers through the study of astronomy, the motion of the stars in the heavens. He would be forced to conclude that all this was the handiwork of G-d, the Creator, who continues to exert His will on all these heavenly constellations. Malki Tzedek already described G-d as the owner of heaven and earth. Abraham too said, "I raise my hand to the Lord G-d, the supreme Power, owner of heaven and earth" (Genesis 14,22). Since Abraham saw in the universe a hand that guided inexorably, he did not implore G-d in prayer as we do today, thinking that what had been preordained would happen anyways. Abraham learned at the covenant between the pieces that "laws of nature" are only one, albeit most important aspect of G-d’s work, when G-d in answer to his question revealed that horoscopic prescience is not absolute, and that He the Creator reserved the right to change His law whenever He would see fit. Abraham, believing G-d, learned and assimilated a world-shaking truth on that occasion. At that point Abraham wanted to know what guarantee there was that when the time would come, G-d would indeed exercise His prerogative in order to keep a promise that seemed to conflict with natural law. This freedom of action enabled G-d as owner, to distribute the land to whomsoever he saw fit; this is why the Torah starts with "Bereshit,” to announce who it is that has the right to dispossess nations (Psalms 111,6, "The power of His actions He made known to the nations, to allocate to them the inheritance of other nations"). Gradually, as that realization became worldwide, paganism retreated and fatalistic convictions became rare. True, there are still heretics, philosophers even amongst our own people who deny these facts; but this is only poisoned reasoning prompted by the yetzer hara, the evil urge.

(4) The fourth group: Acknowledgement of the Unity of G-d with the mind and the tongue after one knows how to bring proofs on it, and to comprehend the truth of His Unity through intellectual derivation and correct, sound reasoning - this is the complete and important group, and this is the level which the prophet exhorted us in saying: "Know therefore this day, and set it in your heart, that the L-ord He is G-d" (Deut. 4:39).