The Shema
The Shema
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6: 4-9
“The Shema” is the most well-known of all Jewish prayers. It is found in Deuteronomy 6 and it derives its name from the first Hebrew word of the passage: “hear.” “Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.” Every Jew knows this part of the Torah by heart. The shema is recited every day in morning and evening prayers, for God commanded that it should be recited “when you lie down and when you rise.” This passage would later lead to the use of phylacteries in Jewish prayer – small square leather boxes (called “tefillin”) that contain slips of parchment inscribed with scriptural passages from the Torah.
Each “tefillin” is placed on the body with leather straps. One is worn on the left arm (closest to the heart), on the large muscle, to show that a person’s strength and feelings must be dedicated to God. The other “tefillin” is placed on the forehead to show that one’s brain and thoughts must be dedicated to God. Another common practice derived from this Scripture is the use of the “mezuzah,” a piece of parchment placed in a small container and placed on the right, upper third doorpost of each Jewish home. It is a stark reminder that God is the true owner of the home or property. It also designates the place as holy, under God’s protection, and serves to remind the inhabitants that God is with them in their going out and in their coming in. The use of the “tefillin” and the “mezuzah” were visual symbols and physical reminders of God’s command to “bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
So why the interfaith history lesson? Perhaps because we Christians need to learn some things from our Jewish sisters and brothers. The shema from Deuteronomy 6 is not to be trifled with. God wants all of us, not part. God is not content with our left-over energy, time, and devotion. “Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.” Pray the shema. Memorize it. Let it form you and shape you. Let it serve to remind you both whom and whose you are. And may the God of Israel be with you in your going out and in your coming in. Amen.
For Reflection:
In what ways do I dedicate my strength to God? My feelings? My thoughts?
• Have I truly acknowledged that God is the “true owner” of all that I have?
• Write this passage down and carry it with you, rereading it as a meditation throughout your day.
