The word for “one” used in the shema is echad, and this is often the word the Old Testament uses to refers to a composite unity. To illustrate, let’s revisit Genesis 1. Verse 5 says that evening and morning make one day. In other words, one day is a composite of evening and morning. Since the Scripture is referring to something that is one but made up of multiple components, it uses the word echad. In Numbers 13:23, a cluster of grapes is referred to as echad, since the one cluster is composed of many grapes. In Ezekiel 37:17, Ezekiel is told to hold two sticks together as if they were one;
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