The Meaning of Shema

"שמע...אחד" – The letters ד and ע are written larger than the other letters of Shema. This makes them stand out to us and spells out the word עד which means testimony. These letters remind us that words of Shema are not actually a prayer in which we speak to Hashem, but rather a testimony in which we are speaking to our forefathers. We are testifying to all other Jews that Hashem is one and only one, and that we fully believe in and accept His kingship over the world.(Ba’al Haturim).As Jews, we not only have a responsibility to connect personally to Hashem but also to help others, when they are in need. For example, when you see a person in the subway who struggles to stand or is physically handicapped, you should not stand by and watch them struggle, but instead offer to help, or give them your seat.

"ואהבת" – Moshe commands Bnei Yisrael to serve Hashem out of love. He chooses this message because he knows that a person who only listens to his boss because of fear will eventually quit and leave him, and a person who only does mitzvot out of fear will also eventually leave. However, a person who loves Hashem will fulfill mitzvots even when he is tired. (Rashi). The message of loving Hashem is as important today as it was in Moshe’s time. Loving Hashem is important in our time because it gives us hope and teaches us how we should act in our lives.
"בכל לבבך" - The form of the word “לבבך” with two ב indicates that you should love with your two hearts. The reason why this is weird is because humans only have one heart. What this really means is that you should love G-d with your bad and good side (Rashi). This tells us how we should love Hashem with all of our sides, good and bad. And how we should utilize our bad sides to love Hashem.
"בכל מאדך" – This could mean that one should use all their money to show love for Hashem or that one should use all their experiences to show love for Hashem. This second explanation is embodied by David Hamelech, who thanked G-d in times of victory but also turned to G-d in difficult times (Rashi). Both of these explanations show us what it means to truly love someone. When you love someone, you are willing to show your love by devoting anything you have, even the most precious and expensive possessions, to the one you love. Similarly, you will also turn to the people you love the most during the happy and sad times in your life, and these experiences can often make your relationship even stronger. The same is true of our relationship with Hashem.

"אשר אנכי מצוך היום" – The word "היום" (today) is strange here, because Moshe had actually commanded Bnei Yisrael about these mitzvot on Har Sinai 39 years ago, not “today.” The fact that Moshe uses the word “היום” teaches Bnei Yisrael that every day they should feel as if they got the Commandments that day (Rashi). This message shows us that even though we should be learning Torah and doing mitzvots all the time, it should never feel forced or boring. We should always do it with excitement as if it was given to us today. One way we can keep Torah and mitzvot new and exciting is by doing it because you want to, and learning it bit by bit instead of trying to do it all and learn it all at once.