Hear, O Israel, the L-rd is our G‑d, the L-rd is One.
Blessed be the name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever.
You shall love the L-rd your G‑d 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 L-rd your G‑d 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 L-rd swore to your fathers to give to them for as long as the heavens are above the earth.
The L-rd spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the children of Israel and tell them to make for themselves fringes on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to attach a thread of blue on the fringe of each corner. They shall be to you as tzizit, and you shall look upon them and remember all the commandments of the L-rd and fulfill them, and you will not follow after your heart and after your eyes by which you go astray - so that you may remember and fulfill all My commandments and be holy to your G‑d. I am the L-rd your G‑d who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your G‑d; I, the L-rd, am your G‑d. True.
This is the most important of all Jewish prayers. It is a declaration of faith and allegiance to God. It implies a serious commitment to relationship with Him. The verses are sandwiched between two readings of love. First, the blessing of love from God leads us to thanksgiving. Then the command to love God is given for our response to His love for us. The order to love God is lonely given after the guarantee that He loves us and mentions His gifts. The sh'ma verse is the meeting point, an intersection, between Gods' love for us and our commitment to love God in return. You are supposed to recite the prayer with your eyes closed, right hand over your eyes, and address your soul. Remind yourself of your duty to find the only One unity and harmony in a broken world. "Love" implies these truths can only be fulfilled through relationship. It transcends legal obligation and demands the dimensions and resources of all of one's being. How is this love preserved and guaranteed? By intentional, structured, deliberate mindfulness. God is jealous for our devotion and doesn't want anything to come between us and Him. He knows it's for our own good. He doesn't want us loving things more than or putting them above Him in His rightfully deserved position. And He knows how quickly we drift and stray. That's why He directed the Jews to wear certain things that would help remind them of these truths. Also, He directed them to pray and discuss these things to the whole family. We are all in this together, folks. I get the feeling they were catching on to the fact that they needed to be serious about their relationship with God. Are you very serious about this relationship? Or are you content to dabble, play footsies, have your cake and eat it too?
The Sh'ma is included in Deut. 6:4-9; 11:13-21, and Num. 15:37-41. Jesus referenced it in Matt. 22:37-40, when asked which is the greatest commandments out of 613 in total. Jesus combined Deut. 6:4 and Lev. 19:18, where love for your neighbor is a natural outpouring of love for God.
We are going to be looking at these Greatest Commandments and the connection to faith. We may follow this study with a good look at Ecclesiastes during the Summer months. As a sneak preview, remember the conclusion of Ecclesiastes? "Fear God and keep His commands, for that is the whole duty of man." Interesting connection, I say.
