English: R’ Shimon ben Lakish said: “And Yaakov called unto his sons and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you” — Yaakov sought to reveal to his sons the end of days, and the Shechinah departed from him. He said: Perhaps, Heaven forbid, there is a blemish in my bed, as with Avraham from whom Yishmael issued, or my father Yitzchak from whom Esav issued? His sons said to him: “Hear, Yisrael, Hashem our God, Hashem is One.” They said: Just as there is only One in your heart, so there is only One in our heart. At that moment our father Yaakov opened and said: “Blessed be the Name of His glorious kingdom for ever and ever.”
On the daf / in context: The Gemara explains why we recite “Baruch shem…” quietly after the first verse of Shema: Yaakov said it when the Shechinah returned after his sons affirmed their pure faith; Moshe did not include it in the Torah, so it is said in an undertone.
Type of Learning
Derash on the verse (Bavli sugya) — the attempt to reveal the keitz and the subsequent affirmation of unity by the sons.
What Is Learned
Yaakov intended to disclose the final redemption. When the Shechinah withdrew he feared a spiritual flaw among his sons; they responded with the declaration of absolute unity, the Shechinah returned, and he answered with “Baruch shem…”.