The Shema (pronounced Shma) prayer is one of the most famous prayers in the Bible. It was a daily prayer for ancient Israelites and is still recited by Jewish people today. We first find this prayer in the book of Deuteronomy. The prayer goes as under, and the Jewish people will cover their eyes with their right hand while softly reciting it. While this is part of an ancient Jewish tradition, it is as applicable today as it was then, specially keeping in mind the different "Gods" we are tempted to make and follow - money, real estate, food, science and anything which takes our attention and focus away from God and His ways.
We talk about the Shema today, because it concerns the basics of our faith. The basics on which everything else is built. Like the ancient Jewish people, we too need to be reminded of this, morning, noon and night, because it is so easy for us to forget who we are supposed to be.
Did Jesus recite the Shema? yes, in all probability. Let us not forget Yeshua was Jewish. The Shema is quoted not just in the Old Testament, but also in the New Testament by Jesus himself in two of the Gospels (Matt. 22:37; Mark 12:28-30), when Jesus gave two of the greatest commandments.
Given the Polytheistic culture of those times, and as it is now as well, the Shema focuses on Yahweh. Moses believes that loyalty, obedience, and love for their one true God is the only way to life and that one of the greatest threats to Israel’s future, as ours, was dividing their allegiance between many man-made gods. So, the Shema was prayed daily to remind the people that Yahweh alone was their God, not money or material stuff or any man made God. So, while we believe and understand that there are many Gods in this world, we promise to follow that one God - Yahweh. And, we also promise to remember this, and teach our children and children's children as well.
The Shema Prayer
"Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our G‑d, the Lord is One. Blessed be the name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever.
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. And these words which I command you today shall be upon your heart. You shall teach them thoroughly to your children, and you shall speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road, when you lie down and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be for a reminder between your eyes. And you shall write them upon the doorposts of your house and upon your gates.
And it will be, if you will diligently obey My commandments which I enjoin upon you this day, to love the Lord your God and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, I will give rain for your land at the proper time, the early rain and the late rain, and you will gather in your grain, your wine and your oil. And I will give grass in your fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be sated. Take care lest your heart be lured away, and you turn astray and worship alien gods and bow down to them. For then the L-rd's wrath will flare up against you, and He will close the heavens so that there will be no rain and the earth will not yield its produce, and you will swiftly perish from the good land which the L-rd gives you. Therefore, place these words of Mine upon your heart and upon your soul, and bind them for a sign on your hand, and they shall be for a reminder between your eyes. You shall teach them to your children, to speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road, when you lie down and when you rise. And you shall inscribe them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates - so that your days and the days of your children may be prolonged on the land which the Lord swore to your fathers to give to them for as long as the heavens are above the earth."
The first verse of the Shema is considered the most essential declaration of the Jewish faith — the Lord is our God, the Lord is one. The passage that follows details the particular ways in which that faith should be lived: Love God with all of your being, teach it to your children, recite it when you wake and lie down, bind it as a symbol on your body.
The second section specifies what will happen if God’s commands are heeded — and if they are not. To ensure that these commandments are remembered, the final section concerns the biblical commandment of tzitzit, the ritual fringes that serve as a reminder of God’s presence and which are worn by many Orthodox men at all times.
***This post is based on the writings of Mr. Bit Mackie, Dr. David Rudolph & the Old Testament Light - A commentary Based on the Aramaic by George Lamsa.
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