The following verse is a central part of the Alenu prayer, recited at the conclusion of every service: "Know it today and ponder it in your heart: God is the Supreme Being in heaven above and on the earth below - there is no other." (Deuteronomy 4:39)
What is the difference between to "know it" and to "ponder it in your heart"?
Sometimes people admit: yes, this makes sense. This is a better way, this is a healthier way, this is a truer way. Still, it's not for me. It's too hard; I couldn't do it.
The Torah explains that there are two steps. First we need to recognize the truth. This is the intellectual stage of "know it today". While this stage is critical, it is still only on a theoretical level. It must be followed by the second step: to internalize that which the mind comprehends. We need to accept emotionally the implications of the intellectual truth. We need the will to act upon that understanding. This is the second stage, to "ponder it in your heart".
The second, practical acceptance should nevertheless be rooted in the initial step of intellectual comprehension. This is what the sages taught (Mishna Brachot II), "First accept the kingdom of Heaven, and then the yoke of (practical) mitzvot".
What does it mean that God is supreme in both "the heaven above and on the earth below"?
This does not refer to God's unity in the universe, but to our personal unity in accepting His reign. The heaven and the earth symbolize the two major forces of human nature: the mind and the heart.
We should accept God's kingship in both realms:
* To understand intellectually in our mind - in the "heaven above".
* To act upon that wisdom on a practical level - "on the earth below" - with our heart and will, by following through in deed and action.
What is the difference between to "know it" and to "ponder it in your heart"?
Sometimes people admit: yes, this makes sense. This is a better way, this is a healthier way, this is a truer way. Still, it's not for me. It's too hard; I couldn't do it.
The Torah explains that there are two steps. First we need to recognize the truth. This is the intellectual stage of "know it today". While this stage is critical, it is still only on a theoretical level. It must be followed by the second step: to internalize that which the mind comprehends. We need to accept emotionally the implications of the intellectual truth. We need the will to act upon that understanding. This is the second stage, to "ponder it in your heart".
The second, practical acceptance should nevertheless be rooted in the initial step of intellectual comprehension. This is what the sages taught (Mishna Brachot II), "First accept the kingdom of Heaven, and then the yoke of (practical) mitzvot".
What does it mean that God is supreme in both "the heaven above and on the earth below"?
This does not refer to God's unity in the universe, but to our personal unity in accepting His reign. The heaven and the earth symbolize the two major forces of human nature: the mind and the heart.
We should accept God's kingship in both realms:
* To understand intellectually in our mind - in the "heaven above".
* To act upon that wisdom on a practical level - "on the earth below" - with our heart and will, by following through in deed and action.