Echad (The One)
The one, every single one
Each one joined and united to the One
Echad yacheed
Oomeyuchad
Jay Rockman is a freshman at USC and a dedicated follower of Jewish religion and tradition. His mother is Israeli, and as a child he learned to speak Hebrew. From grades 6-12 he attend Milken Community School, a prestigious private school in Calabasas, CA that integrates Jewish education into its curriculum. According to Jay, they would often sing Jewish hymns and prayers at assemblies or certain classes; the school would combine both the Hebrew text and the English translation into these short hymns. The third and fourth lines of the hymn are normally written in Hebrew characters, with this version containing the phonetic pronunciation of the words.
The One stresses the connection between the people and God. The first line is about to every person in the world (each and every one), implying that the hymn applies to people of all race, religion, location, and morality. The second line affirms that all of these unique individuals are ultimately connected to God (the One), which also makes the earths population one. A primary facet of the Hebrew religion is that Gods omnipotence extends to all people, whether they acknowledge Him or not. Likewise, the Jewish religion rejects the notion of Hell, instead stressing that God loves everyone, but ultimately rewards those who respect His commands and practice the traditions.