Musar к Дварим 4:39

And know that there are sublime virtues given over in the positive commandments such as: The virtues of free choice, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 30:19), “and choose life”; and the virtues of Torah study, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 6:7), “and you shall speak about them;” and the virtues of walking in the ways of the Lord, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 28:9), “and you shall walk in His ways;” and the virtues of contemplation of the greatness of the Lord, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 4:39), “Know therefore this day and keep in mind that the Lord alone is God in heaven above and on earth below; there is no other,” and David said (Psalms 14:2), “The Lord looks down from heaven on mankind to find a man of understanding, a man who seeks God”; and the virtues of remembrance of His kindnesses,” as it is stated (Deuteronomy 8:2), “Remember the whole way,” and it is [also] stated (Deuteronomy 8:6), “And you shall know that the Lord your God disciplines you just as a man disciplines his son,” and David said (Psalms 107:43), “he will contemplate the kindnesses of the Lord,” and said (Psalms 26:3), “For Your kindness is across from my eyes”; and the virtues of holiness, as it is stated (Leviticus 11:44), “and you shall sanctify yourselves and you shall be holy”; and the virtues of worship, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 10:20), “and He shall you worship;” and the virtues of fear, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 10:20), “And you shall fear the Lord”; and the virtues of love, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 6:5), “And you shall love the Lord, your God;” and the virtues of clinging, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 10:20), ”to Him shall you cling.” There are several levels to each of these, as will be explained, with God’s help. And man was created for the sake of these virtues, as it is stated (Isaiah 43:7), “All who are linked to My name, whom I have created for My glory.” And what is the hope of a creation if it does not make the things for which it was created, the toil of his soul and his main occupation?

There is no one like Me in the whole world," means that G–d's Power is supreme compared to other apparent sources of Power. These three statements must be appreciated by us not merely as articles of faith, but as something we know. It is not enough to accept such tenets as something handed down by our ancestors, but they must be ידיעות, something that we know as facts. The Torah reminds the Jewish people who had stood at Mount Sinai, that their experience was defined in the words (Deut. 4,39): "Know therefore this day and keep in mind that the Lord alone is G–d in Heaven above and on earth below." It is spelled out that G–d exercises control both in the Celestial Regions and on Earth. Any other powers that we perceive in this universe have been endowed by G–d and could not generate power independently. These are facts which we must appreciate over and above what we normally refer to as "faith."

The purpose of the Passover sacrifice is first and foremost to demonstrate G–d's superiority over all other deities both in Heaven and on earth. This is important; G–d had endowed many agents with different powers, and the impression that there were a number of primary sources of power in the universe had to be refuted. The discrediting of the strongest of these forces, the שר של מצרים, automatically brought about the discrediting of all other deities.

If an outstanding Torah giant such as Moses saw fit to seek elucidation from G–d concerning any doubts he entertained, how much more must we learn how important it is for us – who do not compare to Moses in the slightest degree – to constantly review the text we study in order to be certain that we have not misunderstood any of it. Moses, of course, exhorted the people to be sure to have the right intentions when studying Torah, as we know from 4,39: "Know therefore this day and keep in mind that the Lord alone is G–d in heaven above and on earth below; there is no other."

Let us get back to our main subject. When G–d made Moses His messenger, He revealed to him that there are several layers of holiness in the Celestial Spheres, one above the other, and that He in His capacity as the Ineffable Name effects changes in nature and re-arranges the whole planetary system if need be. He revealed to Moses the extent to which He exercises supervision over all that transpires in our world. He acquainted Moses with all aspects of His power which extends over all other so-called powers. All of this is included in the verses quoted at the very outset of our פרשה, namely: למען תדע כי אני י-ה-ו-ה בקרב הארץ, בעבור תדע כי אין כמוני בכל הארץ. The Torah warned us that we must know all these things, that it is not sufficient to relate to them only as tradition. This is underscored in Deut. 4,39: וידעת היום והשבות אל לבבך כי י-ה-ו-ה הוא האלוקים בשמים ממעל ועל הארץ מתחת אין עוד, "You must know this day and record it in your heart that the Lord your G–d is the only true G–d in the Heavens above and on the Earth below, there is none other." The expression והשבות אל לבבך is an allusion to repentance. Having firm knowledge of the power demonstrated by G–d on behalf of Israel establishes a close link between the individual Jew and his G–d, and acts as a powerful inducement to do תשובה. Moses is on record in Psalm 91,14, that when G–d sent him as a messenger to deliver the Israelites this was a sign of His fondness of him. The reason cited for G–d being fond of Moses is כי ידע שמי, "Because he knew My name." The sinner does the reverse; he distances himself from G–d. We are told in Isaiah 59,2: כי עונותיכם הבדילו ביני וביניכם, "For your iniquities have created a barrier between Me and you." If one had put distance between oneself and G–d and wants to re-approach Him one needs do repentance. Repentance is the act of returning and re-establishing one's bond with G–d. This return has to originate in the heart, and that is why the Torah in Deut. 4,39 used the expression: והשבות אל לבבך.

We know that these four elements have their roots in successive layers of the Celestial Regions. At a higher level they are known as the four encampments of the שכינה which are supported by the archangels מיכאל, גבריאל, אוריאל and רפאל. The archangel מיכאל is the source of the waters in the "higher" regions, the spiritual waters; גבריאל is the source of the heavenly אש, spiritual fire; אוריאל is the source of אויר, air, whereas רפאל is the source of the spiritual equivalent to עפר, dust. These four foundations in turn are the result of downward evolution of still higher spiritual concepts, the ones represented by the four חיות in Ezekiel's vision of the מרכבה, the lion, the ox, man, and the eagle. These four images in turn have evolved from four concealed "legs" of the Celestial Chariot, מרכבה, which rests in the region of אצילות, until – at the top of the pyramid – we have the four letters of the Ineffable Name, the ultimate root of the four basic elements found in our world. The letter י represents the element מים, the letter ה represents אש, the letter ו represents the element רוח, whereas the last letter ה represents the element עפר. All this is familiar to scholars of Kabbalistic texts. Each of the levels we mentioned in turn has tens of thousands of sub-levels until we reach the ultimate level at which point it becomes clear כי ה' הוא האלוקים בשמים ממעל ועל הארץ מתחת אין עוד, "that the Lord G–d is in the Heavens above and on the earth below and that there is no one else." This means that there is absolutely no existence which He is not somehow part of, which is independent of Him (Deut. 4,39).