chizuk huddle - shema yisrael

Last year, R Twersky's shiur initiated a "chizuk huddle" once a week where we "huddle" in a corner of the bies medrash after seder one day and someone gives chizuk/mussar/divrei hashkafah for five minutes.  Today one of the most chashuv of the chavrei hakollel was the "rosh huddle" and he said a mehalech I would like to share.

We know that rashi tells us that when yaakov came down to mitzraim to meet yosef for the first time in 22 years, yosef cried on yaakov's shoulders - but yaakov didn't cry: אבל יעקב לא נפל על צוארי יוסף ולא נשקו, ואמרו רבותינו שהיה קורא את שמע

Obviously Yaakov isn't callous about the tremendous emotional significance of this reunion.  But rather, rashi is telling us that Yaakov somehow felt that the most appropriate reaction to this momentous occasion was not to cry, as yosef did, but rather to recite krias shema.  why?

Chazal identify krias shema with yaakov avinu in another famous gemara cited by the rambam in hilchos kerias shema 1: 4 (There are some changes from the way the story is presented in the gemara, but not for now): הקורא קריאת שמע כשהוא גומר פסוק ראשון אומר בלחש ברוך שם כבוד מלכותו לעולם ועד וחוזר וקורא כדרכו ואהבת את יי' אלהיך עד סופה. ולמה קורין כן מסורת היא בידינו שבשעה שקבץ יעקב אבינו את בניו במצרים בשעת מיתתו ציום וזרזם על יחוד השם ועל דרך ה' שהלך בה אברהם ויצחק אביו ושאל אותם ואמר להם בני שמא יש בכם פסלות מי שאינו עומד עמי ביחוד השם כענין שאמר לנו משה רבינו פן יש בכם איש או אשה וגו' ענו כולם ואמרו שמע ישראל יי' אלהינו יי' אחד, כלומר שמע ממנו אבינו ישראל יי' אלהינו יי' אחד, פתח הזקן ואמר ברוך שם כבוד מלכותו לעולם ועד. לפיכך נהגו כל ישראל לומר שבח ששבח בו ישראל הזקן אחר פסוק זה:

So yaakov has this unique association with krias shema because on one level, the yisrael referred to in the pasuk is yaakov avinu.  but this story also reveals a deeper level of association.  Yaakov, on his deathbead was trying to one last time be mizarez his children in yichud hashem - but he can't do that if one of them isn't in it - there has to be achdus, a unity of purpose amongst the brothers, for them to be able to properly accept ol malchus shamayim / the unity of G-d.  Thats why yaakov asked, שמא יש בכם פסלות.  and the brothers responded, shema yisrael - we as one accept yichud hashem.  This was what caused yaakov avinu to praise hashem with the shevach of baruch shem.

So we see that the statement shema yisrael signifies more than a personal acceptance of kabbalas ol malchus shamayim - it is about klal yisrael unifying, coming together in achdus, to as one be mekabel hashem as one.  When yosef wasn't there, yaakov couldn't recite kerias shema - there was no achdus.  The reunion with yosef is the ultimate restoration of achdus and hence there is no more appropriate time to recite kerias shema.  It is no coincidence that the rashi right before this one emphasizes the connection between the achdus of klal yisrael and yichud hashem: כל הנפש הבאה ליעקב -  מצאתי בויקרא רבה (ד ו) עשו שש נפשות היו לו והכתוב קורא אותן (לעיל לו ו) נפשות ביתו, לשון רבים, לפי שהיו עובדין לאלהות הרבה, יעקב שבעים היו לו והכתוב קורא אותן נפש, לפי שהיו עובדים לאל אחד:

The unity of klal yisrael and the unity of g-d are inextricably linked - both in the sense that achdus is meaningful in that it leads to and reflects yichud hashem and in the sense that kabbalas ol malchus shamayim is meaningless if there is strife and discord.  I think this idea connects back to our discussion of yaakov avinu lo mes - specifically yaakov didn't die because only in yaakov is there a potential for all his desendants to come together as one to declare yichud hashem - mah zaro bichaim, af hu bichaim.  if thats true, then even today, when we say shema yisrael, we can refer not only to klal yisrael, but also to yisrael sabba, yaakov avinu who is still alive with us today by virtue of our recitation of the shema.  We should be zocheh to merit ziruz both in yichud /achdus within klal yisrael and yichud hashem.