The Shema is the central, most instructive and most important declaration in all of Judaism. It is the first thing we say upon awakening, the last thing we say before sleep and, if possible, our final words and thoughts before we return our bodies to the earth.
Shema Yisrael
Deuteronomy 6:4 • The Core Declaration
יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ
יְיָ אֶחָֽד
Adonai Eloheinu
Adonai Echad
The Lord is our God,
The Lord is One.
לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד
l'olam va'ed
for all eternity
Understanding Each Part
Shema: Hear, listen! Pay attention! This matters!
Yisrael: The Shema is the soulful cry of Moshe Rabbenu (our teacher Moses) for the Jewish people to hear and to receive the Truth as members of the eternal Covenant. Hear this you people of HaShem! And so we can say: Listen, this is for your ears! Receive this information and act upon it!
— Rebbe Natan of Breslov
Through this foundational truth the Jewish people bless the world. Through this authority and lineage eventually Messiah will come and then there will be peace throughout the planet (Isaiah 11). Global peace will be God's gift to humanity and it will come through the Jewish people and the Messiah HaShem will one day send to us.
Adonai Eloheinu: The word Adonai ("the Lord") indicates the presence of the Sacred Name of Four Letters within the text. Eloheinu is a more generic form of the word God. As Jews we are to hear and act: For you People Israel HaShem ("the Name") alone is God and there can be no other gods for us nor with us.
We should not judge the people of other religions, we just need to remember that for us HaShem alone is God: Hear O Israel! This applies to the Jewish people inclusive, religious or not, Orthodox or Liberal. God is One and we are one extended family. In addition to the literal gods of other religions, this essential truth also demands that our money, prestige, fame, honor, everything we have or aspire to must not become gods for us. Anything we place above HaShem is an idol and we are to have no gods before Him.
And now, O Israel, what does the Lord, your God, demand of you? Only to fear the Lord, your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, and to worship the Lord, your God, with all your heart and with all your soul, to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes, which I command you this day, for your good.
The heart (faith: emuna) and intention (kavana) come before the observance and the knowledge! LOVE HaShem first and foremost! Not everyone is going to become a tzaddik (a person of deep and abiding righteousness) however if we honestly love Him we will be drawn to Torah observance and study. Each in his or her own way. THEN He will accept our sacrifices and the mitzvot we perform because of the sincerity behind them.
Adonai Echad: HaShem is One. This sounds so simple doesn't it? But it is the most profound truth of all!
"One" in Hebrew is echad. If it is not modified (and its not here) then echad is absolute one. HaShem is echad in every sense! He is one in determining our health! Our wealth! Our level of Torah observance! Our relationships... He is One with His Name, Titles, and Attributes... There is no god nor other being with Him. He is not a duality, a trinity nor a pantheon... HaShem is echad! (Deuteronomy 32:39)
Everything is One in HaShem and so we are safe within His Hands. For this reason the rabbis teach us to respond Baruch HaShem always! Praise God for the seemingly good and for the seemingly bad that we encounter in life. He cares for us and has our best interests at heart always! If HaShem is with us what have we to fear? Do your best always, and then trust HaShem for the outcome because He is One.
Just have emuna! Have faith in the One God revealed through Torah, our history, and through our sages! If we can wrap our minds around this central truth of His Oneness it will change everything! It will free us! We will channel His blessings to the world. This is what Torah says we are to be! Blessings! And THIS will bring Messiah!
And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
This level of emuna is the eternal calling of the Jewish people! Through us HaShem is blessing the world entire. Nothing exists outside of His blessings! Just recognize and receive it!
And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.
V'ahavta (And You Shall Love)
Deuteronomy 6:5-9 • The Commandment of Love
בְּכָל־לְבָבְךָ֥ וּבְכָל־נַפְשְׁךָ֖ וּבְכָל־מְאֹדֶֽך
וְהָי֞וּ הַדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֗לֶּה
אֲשֶׁ֨ר אָנֹכִ֧י מְצַוְּךָ֛ הַיּ֖וֹם עַל־לְבָבֶֽךָ
וְשִׁנַּנְתָּ֣ם לְבָנֶ֔יךָ וְדִבַּרְתָּ֖ בָּ֑ם
בְּשִׁבְתְּךָ֤ בְּבֵיתֶ֙ךָ֙ וּבְלֶכְתְּךָ֣ בַדֶּ֔רֶךְ
וּבְשָׁכְבְּךָ֖ וּבְקוּמֶֽךָ
וּקְשַׁרְתָּ֥ם לְא֖וֹת עַל־יָדֶ֑ךָ וְהָי֥וּ לְטֹטָפֹ֖ת בֵּ֥ין עֵינֶֽיךָ
וּכְתַבְתָּ֛ם עַל־מְזוּזֹ֥ת בֵּיתֶ֖ךָ וּבִשְׁעָרֶֽיךָ
b'chol l'vavcha u'v'chol nafshecha u'v'chol me'odecha
V'hayu had'varim hayeleh asher anochi m'tzavcha hayom al l'avecha
V'shinantam l'vaneicha v'dibarta bam
b'shivtecha b'veitecha u'vlechtech baderech u'beshovchecha u'v'quomecha
Ukashartem l'ot al yadecha v'hayu l'totafot bein einecha
Uktavtam al mezuzot beveitech ubish'e'recha
Take to heart these instructions with which I charge you this day. Impress them upon your children. Recite them when you stay at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you get up.
Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them serve as a symbol on your forehead, inscribe them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Second Paragraph
Deuteronomy 11:13-21 • Rewards and Warnings
אֲשֶׁ֧ר אָנֹכִ֛י מְצַוֶּ֥ה אֶתְכֶ֖ם הַיּ֑וֹם לְאַהֲבָ֞ה אֶת־יְהוָ֤ה אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶם֙
וּלְעָבְד֔וֹ בְּכָל־לְבַבְכֶ֖ם וּבְכָל־נַפְשְׁכֶֽם׃
asher anochi m'tzaveh etchem hayom l'ehava et Adonai Eloheichem
u'l'avdo b'chol l'vavchem u'v'chol nafscham
Third Paragraph
Numbers 15:37-41 • The Commandment of Tzitzit
דַּבֵּ֞ר אֶל־בְּנֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֲלֵהֶ֔ם וְעָשׂ֨וּ לָהֶ֥ם צִיצִ֛ת
Daber el b'nei Yisrael v'amarta aleihem v'asu lahem tzitzit
BECAUSE HaShem is echad (One), the Shema calls us to be a blessing in the Sacred Name of the One Eternal Adon Olam (the Master of the Universe)! Because He is One, we partake in the blessings of His oneness. When we bless others we bless ourselves, which blesses others and so on! Blessings upon blessings multiplied throughout time and beyond! We are to recognize His oneness in all areas of life and to honor all life as sacred because life comes from HaShem.
People all too easily get wrapped in traditions, in personal practice and self importance. What it all boils down to however is the Shema. God is One.
May we all become one in Him as directed in Torah.