Nature and Malchus Shamayim

Here is the response to RW regarding Malchus Shamayim

המצווה השניה

היא הציווי שנצטווינו להאמין בייחוד, והוא שנאמין שפועל הנמצא בסיבתו הראשונה הוא אחד.
והוא אמרו יתעלה: "שמע ישראל ה' אלקינו ה' אחד" (דברים ו, ד).
וברוב המדרשות תמצא שהם אומרים:

"על מנת לייחד את שמי, על מנת לייחדני".

והרבה כגון זה. כוונתם בדבר זה: שלא הוציאנו מבית עבדים ולא עשה עמנו מה שעשה בעשיית חסד והטבה, אלא בתנאי שנאמין בייחוד, לפי שאנו מחויבים בכך.
ובהרבה מקומות אומרים 'מצוות ייחוד', וקוראים למצווה זו גם 'מלכות שמים' כי אומרים:

כדי לקבל עליו על מלכות שמים, כלומר ההודאה בייחוד והאמונה בו.

Man's rational mind perceives the world through the principle of a universal law manifest in all parts of the universe-Malchus Shamayim. This principle is implicit in our expectation that every part of the universe, from the most small in physics and chemistry to the most large in astronomy and cosmology, be subject to laws. Yet the same rational man who expects law in every aspect of the universe, balks when it comes to his own sovereignty. Intellectually, the mind recognizes that man's excellence must be a special case of this very same universal law. The Christian's bizarre exemption of himself from the principle of universal law manifest in all parts of the universe cannot be understood in terms of intellect. The difficulty for the unreflective craftsman lies in overcoming an instinctive aversion to loss of sovereignty. The human animal refuses to extend the universal laws of the universe to his sovereignty over the material world, instinctively resisting this "kabbalas ole" as a wild mustang resists the עולof a harness and as the mule resists the עול of a yoke. K'riat Shema's challenge to the craftsman is a call to summon the courage to recognize the resistance to tikkun for what it is - an animal aversion to yielding any sovereignty. Recognizing the human mind as a b'ria, a creation subject to higher cause, is the essence of kabbalas ole malchus shamayim. When we reflect, we observe that the creations of Aretz follow a mechanistic minhag of which they are not consciously aware. Man, by virtue of his Tzelem elokim, is able to understand this minhag as a series of mechanisms that produce a given “end”. This perspective enables man to recognize the possibility of Tikkun, a superior ordering of aretz’s powers producing “fruit” that its own mechanistic nature could never have brought about. Indeed, it is readily apparent, that natural things, left uncultivated, function incompletely. Only when man intervenes, developing the mechanisms of these natural things along a proper path, do they function completely.

This "intervention" requires a notion of "good" attained through humble application of acceptance of the Sovereign natural principles as Covey said. This acceptance of sovereignty is the first line of Shema and "Baruch shem K'vod Malchuso Liolam Voed. The next parsha of ahava is recognition of the new Good we must follow if we are to be consistent with Kabbalas Ole rather than escaping into the fantasy of human values. This acceptance is demsonstrated by making our top priority-our Ahava- the pursuit of Chochma for its own sake-Vi-ahavata.

We the realize the means to ahava for a mind that emerges via a psyche-zechira through the zechira tools of Tefillin and tzitzit.

Then we bolster our zechira through a consideration of the material benefits and consequences-of being mature consistency to the sovereignty of principle or rebelling immaturely- Sechar vaonesh.

It is important to note that Shema as we know it is only instrumental to the immature Nefesh who knows through the lens of Dvarim Ketanim and is by nature subject to Shichecha. Such a one needs to explicitly connect the universal principle of Malchus shamayim to himself as the good that applies to him. He further needs the motivation of rewards and punishment for being consistent with principle. The mature mind is not Chayyev in this or in Tefilla. For him to say that there is a Sovereign Chochma is necessarily to see the application to the self. Such a one is patur and only says the first Pasuk-this is the shema of Rabbi Yehuda ha-Nasi. As Rambam points out in Hilchos Talmud Torah this is the person who has moved past "techilat Limudo". He sees everything through the same d'varim naturally.

When a person gains insight into these d’varim, recognizing (the entire hierarchy) of the creations, from angel and galaxy all the way to man (and his environment), and therefore sees the chochma of hashem in all the creations, he adds to his love of the makom, and his soul thirsts and his flesh yearns to love the makom baruch hu. Simultaneously, this person feels a great awe and fear resulting from his smallness and inconsequenciality.