Exploring the Profound Meaning of the Shema

The Shema is the most basic and holy prayer that exists in Judaism. It is all at the same time a declaration, a call to action, and a remembering of the covenant that has been in place between the Jewish community and God for all eternity. "Shema" actually means "Listen" or "Hear," the beginning word that the prayer speaks: "Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad." Translated, it sounds: "Hear, O Israel, the Lord is my God, the Lord alone." These few, few as the phrases are, pack an amazing amount of meaning that has shaped Jewish identity for centuries. On the simplest plane, the Shema affirms the unity and oneness of God. In the "Lord alone," the faithful bears witness to monotheism, a belief that has prevailed against adversity, exile, and persecution. The declaration goes beyond the concept of one god to God’s uninterrupted relationship with the entirety of the universe, with creation being in one divine reality. For this reason, the Shema becomes a standard final declaration on life’s major milestones, ranging from everyday worship to milestone celebrations and even when life ends. Biblically, the Shema appears in Deuteronomy 6:4-9, 11:13-21, and Numbers 15:37-41. Together, these are recited, repeating motifs such as God’s love, reward and penalty, and the need to be mindful of God’s laws. For some, the Shema isn’t so much about recitation as about awareness. Each phrase becomes an offer to ponder: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might.” This verse calls the believer to the active thing that faith must be, something that engages the mind, feelings, bodily effort, and self-control as a right principle of the life. One of the major aspects of Shema observance is the telling mandate to bind its words "as a sign on your hand" and affix them "as frontlets on your eyes." This led to the observance of wearing tefillin (phylacteries), little black boxes with biblical quotations, including the Shema, on weekday morning prayer. Shema appears also on the mezuzah on door posts, symbolically implementing the mandate "write on the door posts of your house and on your gates." These bodily reminders aim to align day-to-day activity with transcendent objectives, bringing the Shema’s mandate into the everyday life. In addition, the Shema, as an everyday affirmation, has the custom of being read twice daily, morning prayer, Shacharit, and evening prayer, Ma’ariv. Most synagogues also recite Shema during special services, the final service on Yom Kippur, the final service, Ne’ilah. Recitation by many gives continuity with generations that recited the same thing over the centuries past. Recitation places the individual in a larger religious metanarrative: the oneness that binds the past, the presence, and the future. Further, the Shema stands out for the exhortatory flavor of the covenant sense that it has. In declaring "The Lord is our God," one reestablishes the religious bonding with the Divinity, witnessing to the heritage of Mount Sinai, where, legend has it, the Jewish nation received the Torah. This bonding, far from being exclusively vertical, aligning the individual with God, becomes also the horizontal one, binding each individual Jew with the community as a whole. In reality, the "Hear, O Israel" may be read as the call that encompasses the communal and the individual as well. In synagogues across, the Shema is recited with more emphasis and melody, usually prolonged to stress the gravity with each word. The final word, "Echad" (One), is usually prolonged in the classic anticipation of God’s infinite character. Some cover their eyes with their right hand when reciting the first verse, a motion meant to exclude distraction and ensure that the mind remains fully concentrated on the prayer’s meaning. This brief but concentrated minute of self-reflection has the effect of creating an aura of sacred consciousness. Lastly, the Shema is more than a religious recitation of belief. Observer, searching worshipper, or veteran practitioner, meditation on the Shema has the potential to impart an insight to the essence of Judaism. It declares the basic theology that God exists, to be obeyed and loved, and that each has his or her role to play in making the mundane holy through this awareness. The call across the centuries in the Shema calls individuals and societies to align themselves with the presence of God and with the profound unity that supports all life. Wishing you a wonderful and sacred day!

See you in my next message,

Tohar Liani