Shaddai

HebrewforChristians

BS''D
Home
Grammar
Blessings
PrinterFriendlyPDF

Prayers
Scripture
NamesofG
d
LifeCycle
Holidays

TheShema
Hear,OIsrael,theLORDisourGodtheLORDisone

Meditations
Clear
Thinking
Articles
Humor
AboutHFC
Glossary
Links
OnlineStore
THESHEMAisthecentralprayerintheJewishprayerbook

LearnHebrew

(Siddur)andisoftenthefirstsectionofScripturethataJewish
childlearns.Duringitsrecitationinthesynagogue,Orthodox
Jewspronounceeachwordverycarefullyandcovertheireyes
withtheirrighthand.ManyJewsrecitetheShemaatleasttwice
daily:onceinthemorningandonceintheevening.Partsofthe
Shemaarewrittenonasmallscrollwhichisthenrolledupand
putinsideamezuzah.

HearitSung(byPaulWilbur)

TheCompleteShema
LearnTorah

TheShemaisactuallymorethanjustthefamoussixwordsShemaYisrael,AdonaiEloheinu,
AdonaiEchad,butiscomposedofthreepartslinkedtogetherintoaunity:

TheFirstPart:

1. Shema(Deuteronomy6:49):ThecoreHebrewprayer.Specialemphasisisgiventothe
firstsixHebrewwordsofthispassage(ShemaYisrael,Adonaieloheinu,Adonaiechad)
andasixwordresponseissaidinanundertone(barukhshemkevodmalkhutole'olam
va'ed).Afterapause,Deuteronomy6:59isthenrecited,whichstressesthe
commandmenttolovetheLordyourGodwithallofyourheart,soul,andmight.
Clickheretohearthefirstpart(foraflashpresentation,clickhere).

EnlargedLetters?
ThetwolettersAyin()andDalet() areenlargedinthefirstsentenceoftheShema.
Together,theselettersformtheword'ed(
),whichmeans"witness,"suggestingthat
theShemaisatestimonyofthesovereigntyofGodandourprimarydutytoloveHim
withourwholebeing:


ThisstatementmarksthedeclarationthatLORDourGodisOne.Interestingly,theword
echadinHebrewcanimplyaunityindiversity(thewordforoneandonlyone,i.e.,
unique,ismoreoftenrenderedasyachid).Forexample,inExodus26:6thevariousparts
oftheTabernacle(mishkan)aretobeconstructedsothat"itshallbeone(echad)
tabernacle,"andEzekielspokeoftwo"sticks"(representingfragmentedIsrael)asbeing
reunitedintoone:"andtheyshallbeone(echad)stickinMyhand"(Ezek.37:19).Moses
alsousedechadinGenesis2:24whenhewrote,"Andthey(husbandandwife)will
becomeoneflesh(basarechad)."

TheSecondPart:

2. Vehayah(Deuteronomy11:1321):Thismovingpassagestressestheblessingsthat
comethroughobediencetoAdonaiandtheconsequencesthatcomethrough
disobedience.
Clickheretohearthesecondpart.
MezuzotScrolls
ThefirsttwopartsoftheShemaarewritteninSTA"Mscriptonasmallscrollwhichis
thenrolledupandputinsideamezuzah:

TheThirdPart:

3. Vaiyomer(Numbers15:3741):Thispassageconcernstheuseofthetallit,a
rectangularprayershawlwithfourfringes(calledtzitzit).Onetzitzitisattachedtoeach
cornerofthetallit.Thereasonforwearingthetzitzitistoremindoneselftoobserveallof
thecommandmentsoftheLord.

Clickheretohearthethirdpart.

TheShemainLiturgy
Liturgically,theShemareferstoasectionoftheservicethatincludesthefollowingcomponents:
1. TheBarechuTheCalltoWorship
2. YotzerOhrTheCreatorofLightblessing
3. AhavahRabbahTheGreatLoveblessing
4. TheShemaCorewordsofDeut.6:4(followedbyblessinginundertone)
5. TheVe'ahavtaDeut.6:59
6. TheGe'ulahBlessingThankingGodforRedemption

RelatedTopics:
ShemaReadingPractice(forbeginners)
KeriatShema(firstpart)
ShemaStudyPage(PDF)
ShemaReaderPage(PDF)
TheBedtimeShema(

)
TheCompleteShemaRecitedinHebrew
UsingtheTallit
TheShemaProphecies

<<Return

HebrewforChristians
CopyrightJohnJ.Parsons
Allrightsreserved.

email