Term 1 : Foundation of Knowing God
The Shema Yisrael command to love God wholly with the Levav (heart/will/mind), Nefesh (life force/being), and Me'od (resources/actions), arguing that the failure to maintain this integrated devotion has consistently led to fragmentation throughout history. This failure is evident in three key examples: ancient Israel's idolatry (a fragmented Levav leading to unjust actions and selective devotion), the Great Awakening's emotionalism (where Nefesh-based feelings often became detached from a sanctified Levav or rational understanding), and the Pharisees' legalism (meticulous external Me'od that neglected the inner core of love, justice, and mercy). The consistent inability of the human will to maintain this integration points toward the ultimate necessity of the New Covenant's promise—a divine transformation of the inner Levav to enable the singular, integrated love that the Shema requires.