In reading the passage a question arises, "Why does the Scripture emphasize the 'one'[ness] of the Lord?"
An answer is found in the passage that immediately follows: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength." And the answer is the security complete integrity of a person and thereby of 'all'.
One is not what is divided but united as dictionary defines it. Dictionary.com says there are no definitions available for the word 'one'. Miriam Webster defines it: being a single unit or thing; being one in particular; being preeminently what is indicated; being the same in kind and quality; constituting a unified entity of two or more components; being in agreement or union; being a certain individual specified by name; only.
Heart can be broken, soul can be crushed, and strength might be gone. When one's person falls into disrepair how can one fix him up? The answer is to love the Lord who is 'one' with one's 'all'. The Lord is the source of oneness; he is the Lord of divine singularity.
This way is also the way to keep the integrity of one's relationship with one's neighbors. Many are broken hearted due to the broken relationships with one's neighbors. A mother suffering from the broken relationship with her daughter or son, a wife estranged from her husband, divorcees, and children from broken families bleeding inside. And here in the U.S. so many suffer from the 'father' problem. A father who has a problem with his own father is prone to have a problem with his own son who in turn is open to dropping the ball in his relationship with his children.
The cure? There is no magic remedy except for this: Hear O Israel, the Lord 'our' God is one. He is my God and your God, as each person loves his or her God who is one, all will be one.
The Lord God wants all of his children to be happy. He wishes you and me a very "Happy New Year". So the Lord says, "Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is 'one'!"
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