Commentary on Parashat Va’etchanan

16 August 2019

Today’s Torah portion contains the verse that has become the core of Jewish worship, the
daily recitation of the Sh’ma or Shema (Deut 6:4-9). We also read about the appeals of Moses
to the people to observe God’s laws (Deut 4:1-40) which form the theological heart of
Deuteronomy and of Judaism. They include the most fundamental precepts of monotheism
and the prohibition of idolatry which are also at the core of Christianity and Islam, religions
anchored on the belief of one God.

The passage on the Shema, on undivided loyalty and constant awareness of God, can be
understood as part of Moses’ sermon on the first commandment. Moses repeats the
Decalogue first presented in Exodus 20 (Deut 5:6-18), and stresses that Israel owes God its
exclusive loyalty (4:32-40; 6:4-5), while God promises love, justice and transcendence: He is
near Israel (4:7). The Etz Hayim commentary notes that in Torah scrolls and many prayer
books, the letter ayin at the end of the Shema and the letter dalet at the end of ehad are
spelled larger than the other letters, spelling ed (witness). This means that to recite the
Shema is to testify to the unity and uniqueness of God.

I first heard about the significance of the Shema in Jewish worship from my priest-professor in
Pentateuch (Torah) class which was attended mostly by young seminarians. Pointing out that
we are also believers of one God and that the Book of Deuteronomy is also part of the
Christian canon, he made us recite the Shema before we started our class sessions. I first
heard the Shema being sung by a young nun who learned how to sing it from Sr. Helen
Graham (a nun and graduate of many Bat Kol courses). When I was attending classes in the
Bat Kol Institute in Jerusalem I got to sing the Shema myself with my Christian classmates
coming from different parts of the world as part of our morning prayers. Is it appropriate for
Christians to recite and sing the Shema like Jews?

In the Gospels, Jesus himself articulated the beliefs in the Shema. When asked which
commandment is the first of all, Jesus answered by quoting Deuteronomy 6:4-5 and said:
“Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with
all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” (Mark
12: 29-30). Similarly, when asked by a lawyer what must he do to inherit eternal life, Jesus
also answered by saying the Shema (Luke 10:27).

I believe we pray best when we do it in the language we know very well. It is important for us
to understand what we are affirming. But I found it best to sing the Shema in the language of
the original revelation, in Hebrew, because as Etz Hayim says, in doing so we make a link to
the Torah and to Jews all around the world, the people who first heard God’s revelation and
let me add, to all believers in one God. For me reciting or singing the Shema is like singing
the Our Father or reciting the Apostles Creed, though this is a shorter and more
straightforward way to affirm our trust and commitment to one God on earth and the life to
come.

For Reflection and Discussion: [1] Do you know how to recite and sing the Shema in
Hebrew? (If you don’t, there are many samples in YouTube.) [2] Do you know someone who
is not a Christian who believes in one God? What can you do together to show love of God
with all your heart, mind, might and soul?
Bibliography: Etz Hayim: Torah and Commentary (New York, 2001); The Pentateuch:
Message of Biblical Spirituality (Minnesota, 1990); Harrington, editor, Sacra Pagina: The
Gospel of Mark (Minnesota, 2002); Sacra Pagina, The Gospel of Luke (Minnesota, 1991)
By Minerva Generalao

Bat Kol Alumni 2014

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