Judaism’s ultimate prayer is the Shema, our declaration of God’s unity. And the ultimate word in the Shema is its concluding word — Echad (‘God is one'). The Sages provided detailed instructions how to carefully pronounce this critical word:
“All who prolong the word echad will have their days and years prolonged. Rabbi Acha bar Ya’akov taught: one should prolong [the last letter in the word], the Dalet. Rabbi Assi added: provided that he does not slur over [the middle letter], the Chet.” (Berachot 13b)
Why should the word echad be stretched out? And what is the significance of the letters Dalet and Chet?
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